Antique westclox alarm clock mini1/10/2024 ![]() The WPB completely controlled how many clocks would be made and shipped to jewelers around the country. The Westclox name does not appear on the clock, but you will find the “Made in LaSalle, Ill USA” notation on the face. If you find one, you have a unique piece of history! The Waralarm is made of “lacquered moulded wood fiber” (a.k.a. In response, Westclox created a line of clocks called the Waralarm. Metals were scarce during war time, and these were the kinds of compromises Americans were forced to make to support the nation’s efforts.Īnd here’s where the story gets interesting… Within a year, the WPB decided that there was a shortage of clocks and commissioned Westclox to manufacture an affordable clock, but they had one stipulation–instead of the 300 pounds of brass normally used to produce every 1,000 clocks, the WPB would only allow 7 pounds. Westclox came under the authority of the War Production Board (WPB) and produced their very last Big Ben clock during the duration of the war on July 31, 1942. The Ball Mason Company was another that I’ve told you about, and these stories make for some interesting trivia about these products. But in 1942, things took a different turn.ĭuring WWII, many manufacturing companies stopped producing their usual products and began contributing to war efforts. The company produced up to 35,000 timepieces per day and became THE name for clocks and pocket watches in the US. It’s hard to imagine that just 100 years ago, an alarm clock was a luxury item that wasn’t readily available to everyone the way they are today. This small clock was so significant to US history because it was the first mass-produced alarm clock in the country, making it available to more Americans at a price people could actually afford. After reading this guide, I hope you’ll think so, too! While we own a variety of styles made by many different manufacturers, I recently began collecting Westclox, and I think they are something truly special. And, when it comes to the vintage ones, I love that they are pieces of history, too. Not primarily because I’m concerned with what time it is, but rather because I love them as pieces of art. And I have lovingly carried an heirloom mantel clock from my family with me in every home where I’ve ever lived. When my sister got married, I gave her and my brother-in-law a wall clock as a wedding gift. When my husband and I were first dating, we both coincidentally gave each other timepieces for gifts on our first Christmas together. There is something about the craftsmanship, as well as what they represent in our lives, that I find interesting and incredibly beautiful. It didn’t take a psychic to recognize that I was concerned with time!īut, then again, maybe what she really saw that day was how much I loved clocks. I was a college student trying to manage a full load of classes and a job. Now, to be honest, I really didn’t put any stock into the things she said that day. She said she couldn’t be sure, but she thought maybe I was especially concerned with time, or stressed about a lack of time, or something like that…but whatever it was, she “saw” the image of a clock. Instead, she told me that she saw something about me that had to do with time. She said that it was her policy not to reveal any of those sorts of things that might alter how someone would live their life. But I went along with the two of them, and the supposedly psychic customer offered to tell me what she could “see” about me.Įven though I doubted there was any truth to it all, I decided to play along, but just in case, I also told the woman that I didn’t want her to tell me anything specific, like, how/when I would die, or something significantly fateful. I was very skeptical, and I thought the salesman was pulling a joke on me since he was known around the office as a prankster. (Yes, you read that right!) The salesman returned from lunch right at that time and officially introduced me to the customer, adding in this little known fact. One of the company’s regular customers came in to pick up an order, and little did I know, she was rumored to be a psychic. ![]() I also covered the front desk and sales floor during the lunch hour of the salesman, and one day something especially memorable happened. My job was primarily to make phone calls to small ‘mom & pop’ upholstery shops all around the state and check on their supply needs. ![]() About twenty years ago, I had a part-time job in college working at an upholstery fabric and foam manufacturing company the same company where my grandfather had worked until retirement.
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