Westclox

Westclox Synopsis

Hundreds of Westclox® electric clocks introduced between 1931 and 1970 are displayed in over 720 images. This impressive book also covers Westclox store displays, after-market automobile clocks, and weather instruments. Many of the over 200 store displays pictured feature impressive Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-Century Modern designs.

Although Westclox did not introduce its first electric clock--the "Big Ben Electric"--until 1931, it nonetheless proved to be an innovator in electric time keeping. This book contains extensive information on those innovations and the men behind them. It also provides documented evidence of the designers of dozens of models.

In addition to Henry Dreyfuss, readers are introduced to lesser known designers such as Max Schlenker and Ellworth Danz. An extensive history of the company is presented, drawn largely from the pages of Tick Talk, Westclox's employee magazine. Westclox's expansion into overseas markets, acquisition of other companies such as the Sterling Clock Company, and merger with Seth Thomas to form General Time are all discussed.

Marketing efforts ranging from Westclox's earliest Saturday Evening Post ad in 1910 to its sponsorship of the Today Show in the 1960s are also included. Endnotes, a bibliography, indices, and values in the captions round out this impressive presentation for collectors, designers, and historians.