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Westclox has one of the most fascinating and significant histories in American clockmaking.
Origins and Founding (1885-1888)
Charles Stahlberg and others from Waterbury, Connecticut, formed the "United Clock Company" in 1885 in Peru, Illinois, intending to manufacture clocks based on a technological innovation by Stahlberg. Stahlberg patented this innovation on September 22, 1885 (US patent #326,602), which involved the use of molded lead alloy movement plates with inset brass bushings as well as lead alloy gear assemblies.
On December 23, 1885 The United Clock Company was founded. At the time it was a small 3-story building with around 25 workers.
However, shortly after receiving the 1885 patent, United Clock Company went bankrupt, and there are no known surviving examples of the patented clock.
Reorganization and Growth (1887-1900s)
In 1887, the company reorganized under the new name Western Clock Company and again went bankrupt, and F. W. Matthiessen reorganized it in 1888 as the Western Clock Manufacturing Company.
The transformation was dramatic. The new company tripled in size by the turn of the century, employing 232 people at its growing Peru plant (145 men, 73 women, 14 children) and producing 500,000 clocks annually.
The Big Ben Revolution (1908-1913)
In 1908, the company received a patent for the "Big Ben" alarm clock movement.
Employee George Kern's 1908 invention of the first "Big Ben" was the sleek, iconic model that basically set the template for the 20th century wind-up alarm clock.
Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined "bell-back" clock case. Rather than having the classic oversized bell or double-bell on top of the unit (to smash with your palm at 6am), the ringing mechanism was housed inside the back of the case, and a big winding key occupied the summit. The alarm mechanism was also improved as part of Kern's new patents, with an intermittent ringing that kind of acted as an archaic form of snooze alarm.
Explosive Success
Beginning production in 1908, the Big Ben model was the first alarm clock to be advertised nationally when an ad appeared in the September 24, 1910 edition of the Saturday Evening Post.
Selling for $2.50 in the years before World War I (or about $60 in modern money), the 5-inch diameter Big Ben and its half-pint cousin the "Baby Ben" combined to move over 900,000 units in just 1913 alone, and the Western Clock MFG Company—not yet officially known as Westclox—was producing more than twice that many clocks annually in total.
Within another ten years, the workforce had tripled again.
The Westclox Brand Name
The modern trademark of the company, "Westclox," first appeared on the back of Big Ben alarm clocks from 1910 to 1917. The name appeared on Big Ben dials as early as 1911. The company officially registered this trademark on January 18, 1916.
In 1919, Western Clock Co., Ltd., was incorporated.
Peak Employment Era (1920s-1950s)
Westclox became profitable and continued to be a staple for employment in the Illinois Valley. It was known nationwide for its cleanliness and good housekeeping and by the mid 1950's employed over 5,500 workers.
The Dark Chapter: Radium Dial Painters (1920s-1930s)
One of the most tragic chapters in Westclox history involves the radium dial painters:
The Radium Dial Company was established in Ottawa, Illinois, in 1922. Like the United States Radium Corporation, the purpose of the studio in Ottawa was to paint dials for clocks, their largest client being Westclox Corporation in Peru, Illinois. Dials painted in Ottawa appeared on Westclox's popular Big Ben, Baby Ben, and travel clocks.
At the highest point in production (around 1925), the Radium Dial Company employed around 1,000 young women who turned out around 4,300 dials each day.
The "Lip, Dip, Paint" Technique
The Radium Dial Corporation hired young women to paint the dials, using the same "lip, dip, paint" approach as the women in New Jersey. Employees at Radium Dial began showing signs of radium poisoning in 1926 and 1927 and were unaware of the hearings and trials in New Jersey.
Because the bristles of the brushes tended to splay with use, they used different techniques to maintain the point. Because dipping the brush in water or wiping it on a cloth wasted the expensive radium, the company discouraged the use of these methods. So the women began using a technique which some had learned from china painters-- lip pointing-- or pulling the end of the brush between their lips.
The "Ghost Girls"
The dial painters soon became known as the 'ghost girls' — because by the time they finished their shifts, they themselves would glow in the dark. They made the most of the perk, wearing their good dresses to the plant so they'd shine in the dance halls at night, and even painting radium onto their teeth for a smile that would knock their suitors dead.
Health Consequences and Legacy
Many of the women developed anemia, bone fractures, and necrosis of the jaw, a condition now known as radium jaw. The women also experienced suppression of menstruation and sterility. By 1924, 50 women who had worked at the plant were ill, and a dozen had died.
The radium girls' case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the company's employees. It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500.
Corporate Evolution (1930s-1960s)
In 1931, the company merged with the Seth Thomas Clock Company, with both companies becoming divisions of General Time Corporation. The Westclox unit became known as "Westclox Division of General Time Corporation" in 1936.
In 1938, Westclox introduced its first portable travel alarm clock to the market.
World War II Production (1941-1946)
During World War II, Westclox and other General Time Corporation subsidiaries produced aviation instrumentation and control components, compasses for the United States Army, and clocks for the United States Navy. Westclox became a major manufacturer of fuzes for military ordnance.
Beginning in 1943, Westclox and other companies introduced clocks for the civilian market that used much less brass than previously. Clocks were labeled as "Waralarm" by Westclox and only referenced city of origin; no mention of maker appeared. Price was set by the Office of Price Management at $1.65. Production of civilian models resumed in 1946.
Innovations
The "Drowse" Alarm
In 1959, Westclox introduced and patented its "drowse" alarm, which was one of the first of its kind powered by electricity, which integrated what is now more commonly known as a "snooze" function.
Dollar Watches
The Westclox company was a major manufacturer of dollar watches. It started production of an inexpensive, back-winding pocket watch in 1899, which was intended to be affordable to any working person. The company continued to produce cheap pocket watches into the 1990s.
Decline and Relocations (1967-1980s)
In 1967 Westclox was taken over and became known as a division of Talley Industries who moved clock and watch production to Alabama and Georgia.
Talley Industries acquired General Time in 1968. Westclox introduced its first quartz movement in 1972. In 1988, the management of Talley Industries purchased General Time from the company. Another bankruptcy shortly followed, and Salton, Inc. acquired the "Westclox", "Big Ben", and "Spartus" trademarks in 2001. In October 2007, Salton sold its entire time products business, including the Westclox and Ingraham trademarks, to NYL Holdings LLC.
The 2012 Fire
In the early morning of January 1, 2012, a fire broke out at the Westclox factory in Peru, Illinois. The fire destroyed about 25% of the structure. Two teens were charged with aggravated arson; Steven M. Gallacher (then 17) of LaSalle, Illinois, and an unidentified minor (then 16). Gallacher was convicted of aggravated arson on October 11, 2012, with a sentence of 6–30 years without the possibility of parole.
Legacy Today
The Westclox Museum is proud to present a history of the Western Clock Company, better known as Westclox, that was founded in Peru, Illinois and continued to operate in this location for nearly a century! The museum is located in a portion of the historic Westclox building.
Westclox's story encompasses triumph, tragedy, and transformation - from revolutionizing affordable timekeeping with the Big Ben, to the dark chapter of the radium girls that helped establish workplace safety laws, to its place as an iconic American brand that made clocks accessible to millions.
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