Alarm clocks are a necessity for most people to awake at the correct time each day. Without one the majority of people would be late for appointments and be unable to keep the tightly regimented start of the workday in these modern times. There are many different types of alarm clocks on the market today but one that has a unique history is the Big Ben Alarm Clock.
The Big Ben Alarm Clock initially was designed and built by Westclox in 1909 and has gone through many different style changes and movement changes over the years. There are still many antique Big Ben Alarm Clocks that are in perfect working order today and if you are the owner of one you should feel lucky to have this classic in your possession.
From 1909 through 2000 there were 9 styles of the Big Ben Alarm Clock. Each of the 9 models were made right here in the United States. Each alarm clock has a “bell-back” design, which means that the bell mechanism is a major part of the clock casing. In the year 2000 Westclox was forced to file bankruptcy and it sold the company to a competitor Salton, Inc. which began to manufacture Style 10 alarm clocks in China.
Today the Big Ben Alarm Clock and the Baby Ben Alarm clock are both manufactured in China. Many of the former styles are being reproduced and can be found at many different places on the Internet and a retail stores around the world. Today’s Big Ben Alarms are not as sturdy as the ones made in the US but then again, nothing seems to be as sturdily made as in the past.
The following are the style numbers and years the Big Ben Alarm Clock were produced: 1) Style 1 from 1909-1918 and Style 1a from 1918-1935, 2) Baby Ben with 2 Inch Movement from 1910-1912, 3) Baby Ben Style 1 from 1912-1930, 4) Style 2 Big Ben and Baby Ben, Nickel finish 1927-1932, Crackle finish 1928-1930, Solid finish 1930-1932, 5) Style 3 (concave curves on base). Big Ben Style 3 Chime alarm 1931-1934 and Baby Ben Style 3 1932-1934.
6) Style 4 and 4a (convex curves on base) Big Ben Style 4 Chime alarm 1934-1939, Big Ben Style 4a Loud Alarm 1935-1939, Baby Ben Style 4 1934-1939, 7) Style 5 and 5a, Big Ben Style 5 Chime Alarm 1939-1949, Big Ben Style 5a Loud Alarm 1939-1946, Big Ben Style 5 Loud Alarm 1946-1949, Baby Ben Style 5 1939 – 1949 (Style 5 is thinner than style 5a), 8) Style 6 Big Ben and Baby Ben 1949-1956, 9) Style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben 1956-1964, 10) Style 8 Big Ben 1964-1981, Baby Ben 1964-1980, Little Ben 1976-1980+, 11) Style 9 Big Ben and Baby Ben 1979-2000, 12) Style 10 Big Ben and Baby Ben Starting in 2001 Now Made in China.
The Big Ben Alarm Clock originals were all wind up alarms and were stamped with dates so that they can be verified as originals. Today, many of the Big Bens and Baby Bens are battery operated for the convenience of the modern era. If you want to learn more about the history of the Big Ben Alarm Clock you might want to visit the following link www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westclox. To see pictures of all the alarm clocks described in this article you can visit www.clockhistory.com/westclox/products/ben/index.html.