Westclox Building

Chronology:

1884 - Stahlberg and others arrived in Peru, Illinois from Waterbury, Connecticut to make clocks based on Stahlberg’s idea. Small factory established in back of Brylski’s Department Store. First produced 1 clock per day, then 3 or 4 per day, gradually increasing. Started with 8 people.

1885 - Three story brick building erected. Production up to 25 clocks/day.

Sept. 22, 1885 - Patent #326,602 granted to Stahlberg

Dec. 23, 1885 - United Clock Company incorporated. Only 4 inch movements made then.

1886 - Alarm clocks made with dial “Presented by G. William Schlichten, Co. LaSalle, Ill.” Mr. Stahlberg gave alarm clocks to employees for Christmas inscribed on back “One of a hundred clocks that cost $10,000.”

May 14, 1887 - Bankrupt & reorganized. Western Clock Co. incorporated.

July 7, 1888 - Bankrupt & reorganized. Western Clock Co. incorporated.

1889 - Ernst Roth appointed general manager, serving for 34 years. 81 Employees. Old clocks “recalled” and remodeled for 75 cents each.

Work hours change to at least 60 hours a week.


1895 to 1896 - 50,000 units (largest order to date) for Nine O'clock Washing Tea.

1896 - America, F. W. (later Ironclad), Framed Clock introduced. 200,000 clocks produced by 100 employees. 2 inch movements introduced.

1899 - Pocket watches introduced.

1901 - Production capacity 1,000,000 alarm clocks per year (500,000 units actual production). 285 employees.

April 21, 1902 - Gaston Leroy joined the company.

1903 - Work hours change to at least 57 hours a week.

1905 - George Kern (Big Ben inventor) hired. 1,150,000 units (3500/day) produced by 410 employees.

1908 - First of the Big Ben patents granted.

Hours shortened to 9 hours/day or 54 hours/week. But no Saturday afternoon work in summer - an innovation at that time.

October 13, 1908 - the board of directors resolved to change the company name to Western Clock Co.

1909 - First year of Big Ben sales - 28,261 sold.

November 1909 - The trade mark “Westclox” is registered.

1910 - Big Ben officially introduced to the market. 146,099 Big Bens sold this year. 2 million units (total) produced by 880 employees. The trademark “Westclox” first appeared. It was placed on the backs of Big Bens. First year of Baby Ben sales - 4,783 sold. It used a modified two inch movement.

Sept. 24, 1910 - First advertisement appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, p. 39.

1911 - 391,620 Big Bens sold this year.

1912 - The trademark “Westclox” first appeared at the bottom of some dials of the Big Bens. Baby Ben style 1 (regular movement) first sold.

June 11, 1912 - Stockholders approve name change to Western Clock Co.

1914 - 3.5 million Big Ben alarms sold to date. Advertising manager Gaston LeRoy died in battle in France.

March 21, 1914 - Saturday Evening Post ad - figure doesn't agree with Westclox sales data ).

1915 - Baby Ben officially introduced. 3.3 million units produced by 1370 employees.

Sept. 25, 1915 - First advertisement, Saturday Evening Post, page one.

1916 - The trade mark “Westclox” was registered. The registration states that the trade mark had been in continual use since November 1909.

1917 - Innovative workers' benefits introduced. Paid life insurance and a safety committee. Westclox name first used in advertising to make line known. Clock dials were consistently marked “Westclox”.

1918 - Work week is changed to Saturday afternoons off all year round. Westclox one of the leaders in this change.

1919 - Western Clock Co., Limited, Canada incorporated as a subsidiary. "First Aid for Injured Westclox" published.

1920 - Luminous clocks in full production. 4.1 million clocks and watches produced by 1870 employees. Western Clock Co., Limited begins operations in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Work hours change to 8 1/2 hours/day M - F, 4 1/2 hours on Saturday (47 hours/week).

1921 - Pocket Ben first advertised. Night classes in math, drawing and slide rule offered for employees. Bluebird introduced. LaSalle Tool Co. purchased.

1922 - New 5 story addition to factory. Wood cased Monitor introduced. New Canadian plant occupied.

1923 - Administration building under construction across the street from factory. Bunkie introduced.

1924 - Ernst Roth died while serving as president and general manager.

1925 - 6.5 million clocks and watches produced by 2700 employees.

1926 - LaSalle Tool Co. sold.

1927 - Big & Baby Ben style 2 (first base model) introduced. Ben Hur introduced.

Work hours change to 8 hours/day M - F, 4 1/2 hours Saturday (44 1/2 hours/week)

1928 - Pink, blue and green crackle finish Bens introduced. Sterling Clock Co. of Meridan, CT was purchased. Tiny Tim introduced. Company park, tennis courts and horseshoes courts built.

1929 - 3058 employees (peak number of employees before depression).

1930 - Stockholders of Western Clock Co. approved of plan uniting the company with Seth Thomas Clock Company by the formation of a holding company named General Time Instruments Corporation. 3 LaSalle series (Dura Case) models and Tom Thumb introduced.

November 12, 1930 - Westclox pioneered unemployment benefit program. 3 LaSalle series (Dura Case) models and Tom Thumb introduced.

1931 - First electric clocks introduced (Big Ben electric, uses Sangamo synchronous motor). Pull wind automobile mirror clock introduced. Bantam, 3 luminous LaSalle (Dura Case) clocks introduced. Chime Alarm (Big Ben style 3) introduced. General Time purchased Hamilton Sangamo Corp.

1932 - Electric wall clock introduced, using the first Westclox designed manual start synchronous motor. Baby Ben style 3 introduced. America electric, Black Knight introduced.

1933 - 1908 employees on July 1 (minimum number of employees during depression was 1779). Handbag watch, Ben Bolt electric, Fortune, Hustler introduced.

Stopped working Saturday mornings. (40 hours week)

1934 - Canadian plant built new addition. Pickwick introduced. 2312 employees. Style 4 Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced.

1935 - Stromberg Electric Co. purchased by General Time. Westclox safety record - 11 million hours without a lost time accident - 1st in nation. Ben Franklin electric, Country Club electric, LaSalle alarm clock, Tide introduced.

1936 - Name changed to Westclox Division of General Time Corporation. 2800 employees. R. D. Patton first employee to reach 50 years of service, he started 1/1/1886 at 13 years of age. Style 4 Bens introduced. Wrist Ben introduced - 1st Westclox wristwatch. Fortune luminous, Greenwich, Silent Knight, Table Clock (world w/stars) introduced.

1938 - Travalarm, Spur, Orb introduced. Style 5 Big Ben electric Chime alarm introduced.

1939 - Style 5 windup Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced. Leland introduced. Westclox Ltd., a United Kingdom subsidiary, formed.

1940 - Max Schlenker appointed chief engineer. Production started on mechanical fuse parts for government.

April 2, 1940 - Ellworth Danz joined Westclox.

1941 - 3700 Employees.

July 31, 1942 - All non-war production ceased.

1943 - Waralarm in molded wood fiber case produced. OPA max. price $1.65. Does not bear Westclox name. 7 pounds brass per 1000 clocks instead of normal 300 pounds.

1944 - 616 Westclox employees in the armed forces.

1945 - Over 7 million fuses produced in addition to more than 1 billion parts produced for arsenals and other manufacturing companies. 679 Westclox employees in the armed forces. 1,355,189,616 parts made for war use.

1946 - Normal production resumed in plants worldwide. Westclox Proprietary, Ltd. organized in Melbourne, Australia. Logan electric, Raven introduced.

1947 - 4000 employees. Westclox clock and watchmakers school organized.

1948 - 200,000,000 clocks and watches produced by Westclox to date (5,000 boxcars full).

September 21 1948 - New Scotland plant produced first clock

1949 - Style 6 Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced. Name change: General Time Instruments Corp. to General Time Corp. Scotland plant producing 10,000 clocks/week. Moonbeam flashing light alarm clock introduced.

1950 - Scotland has made 1,000,000 Westclox. New edition of "First Aid for Injured Westclox" published.

1951 - 4,000 employees.

1952 - Westclox awards first engineering scholarship.

1953 - Plant in Athens, GA to be built for production of synchronous clocks. Australian plant discontinued.

1954 - Athens plant completed.

1955 - Clock of tomorrow introduced - used a new single key wind chime alarm movement.

1956 - More than 4,000 employees produced 40,000 timepieces/day. More than 40 million Big Bens and 28 million Baby Bens had been produced to date. Style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced. New Big Ben single key wind movement.

1958 - “Baby Ben Sequin” introduced to honor the 69 million Big and Baby Bens of the last 50 years.

1959 - 53 millionth Big Ben produced - Westclox commended by House of Representatives.

1960 - Baby Ben single key wind movement introduced.

1961 - First automated clock assembly line. New plant in Toluca, Mexico under construction. Stock numbers changed from old type (e.g. 790-LB) to IBM type (e.g. 35048).

1964 - Style 8 Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced. Auto clock production transferred to Athens, GA. Est. 1.8 million/year.

1966 - Auto clock manufacturing to be moved to new Davidson, NC plant. Athens plant to be consumer only. First mention of Gadsden, Alabama plant.

1968 - General Time Corp. bought by Talley Industries.

1974 - Big Ben Solid State introduced.

1979 - General Time moved its headquarters to Norcross, GA.

1980 - Style 9 Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced.

March 31, 1980 - LaSalle-Peru factory closed.

1986 - Fred Pistilli joins General Time.

1988 - Fred Pistilli and four colleagues implemented a management buyout from Talley Industries. This positioned Pistilli as president, CEO, and principal owner of General Time.

1996 - General Time Corp. acquired Spartus.

November 1997 - Banc One (formerly Bank of Chicago) became majority owner of General Time.

2000 - President and CEO Fred Pistilli retired after 14 1/2 years at the helm. Plant owners decided to send manufacture of all keywound and analog electric clocks offshore.

October 2000 - Production at Athens, GA plant (last remaining US plant) stopped.

2001 - Style 10 Big Ben and Baby Ben introduced. Reproduction Moonbeam introduced.

June 2001 - General Time Corporation announced it was closing its entire operation. Facilities in the United States were the headquarters in Norcross, Georgia and the factory in Athens, Georgia. The distribution centers in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong were closed as well.

August 2001 - Salton, Inc. announced the acquisition of the Westclox, Big Ben and Spartus brands from the bankrupt General Time Corporation,which had been the largest producer and marketer of alarm, wall and occasional clocks in North America.

October 2002 - Westclox products are available online from Salton.

July 18, 2007 - Salton, Inc. ("Seller") and NYL Holdings LLC ("Buyer") entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement.

August 23, 2007 - The Asset Purchase Agreement was amended. ("Agreement"). The terms of the Agreement provided for Buyer to purchase Seller's clock inventory and certain time products related trademarks and tooling and molds.

October 2007 - The closing occurred and all inventory was transferred to Buyer.

Link:
Westclox History Main Page

Photos: