A man came into my clock shop, and was carefully looking at my 1950′s German anniversary clocks. He asked the price of a Kundo miniature 400 day clock, and I said it was $50 as-is or $325 restored and guaranteed. He asked the price of several similar clocks, and then he said “your prices are high”. I explained that I have to pay about $25 or more to buy a vintage 400 day clock, and then spend the time restoring it. Again he said “your prices are high”, and “you’re not going to get rich quick at these prices!”. I showed him my new Hermle anniversary clocks from Germany, priced from $37 – $60. He said “The last time I bought one of these, I paid $20 at Wal-Mart!”
Every now and then, a viewer sees the Westclox history on the ClockHistory.com web site and assumes that we are affiliated with the maker of Westclox clocks. They then proceed to give their complaints about the quality of windup alarm clocks made today. Someone sent several e-mails to one of my co-researchers, got annoyed at no response, and finally said the following in an e-mail: “Your clocks don’t work, and apparently you don’t either!”
I can say the following about the windup alarm clocks made today: “You get what you pay for.”
For an alarm clock to be of the same quality as a Big Ben or Baby Ben made up through the 1950′s, it would have to retail for around $40 – $65 (see my post about Historical Alarm Clock Pricing). The windup alarm clocks of today sell for around $8 – $13 in discount stores. It would take a huge number of people willing to pay enough for a high-quality windup alarm clock, for the manufacturers to take notice.
Below are shown some original retail prices of Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks. Shown in parenthesis are the equivalent prices in 2007 dollars, using the Federal Reserve Bank of Minnesota online calculator.
1930 Montgomery Ward and Co. Catalog:
- Big Ben and Baby Ben leg model plain: $3.25 ($39.99)
- Big Ben and Baby Ben leg model luminous: $4.50 ($55.37)
- Big Ben and Baby Ben base model (style 2) with gold non-luminous dial: $3.75 ($46.15)
- Big Ben and Baby Ben base model (style 2) luminous gold dial: $5.00 ($61.53)
1939 Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog:
- Big Ben Loud Alarm, plain: $2.75 ($40.66)
- Big Ben Loud Alarm, luminous: $3.75 ($55.44)
- Baby Ben, plain: $2.95 ($43.61)
- Baby Ben, luminous: $3.95 ($58.40)
- Big Ben Chime Alarm, plain: $3.50 ($51.74)
- Big Ben Chime Alarm, luminous: $4.50 ($66.53)
1957 Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog:
- Big Ben and Baby Ben, plain: $7.65 ($55.95)
- Big Ben and Baby Ben, Luminous: $8.75 ($63.99)
