Since the earliest patents date from 1933, its not
surprising that
many of these designs show Art Deco or streamline
influences.
BARR
A manufacturer of typewriters and then clocks, Barr Manufacturing of Weedsport, NY made at least
two digital models. One had wooden case of rather plain design; the other, a plastic model, offered an attractive streamlined look and came in black, brown and white.
Barr digital clocks are somewhat uncommon and even more uncommon in good working order. Barr's mechanism was unique. The wheels were metal and they interlocked via gear teeth on the inside of the wheels. If you dissemble a set of Barr wheels, be prepared to spend an evening trying to reassemble them in proper orientation. Even with proper assembly, the Barr mechanism had difficulty positioning the facets of the wheels so the numbers lined up properly. Click here for Barr's patent.
Interesting trivia: (1) Although the wheels were metal, the numbers on some Barr digital clocks were printed on plain paper that was glued to the wheels. (2) The Barr's inventor, E.M. Goldsmith, Jr. worked for M.M. Gottlieb Associates, who made the Telometer clock (see below). (3) E.M. Goldsmith, F.A. Greenawalt (inventor of the Pennwood/Lawson mechanism and Lindley Lawson were all from Pennsylvania.
PENNWOOD (Numechron, Tymeter)
Left to right: Pennwoood model 1364, Pennwood Zephyr, an uncommon desk model with Parker "Parkette" pen & pencil
No company did more to popularize the rolling wheel digital clock than Pennwood. Lawson and Pennwood produced clocks for about the same length of time, but dating Pennwood clocks is easier since most were were marked with their date of manufacture. Initially, this was done with a label and starting in the 1940s, with a decal or rubber stamp.
The patent for the mechanism used in Pennwood (and Lawson) clocks was granted to Frederick A. Greenawalt, an employee of the Pennwood Company. Greenawalt's patent, issued in February 1935, closely resembles the mechanisms that ended up in Lawson and Pennwood clocks with the exception that he did not specify a type of motor. Initially, the motors and gearing came from the Waltham Watch Company. Click here for Greenawalt's patent.
Although Pennwood and Lawson clocks had nearly identical mechanisms, the two companies approached the clock market differently. The earliest Pennwood clocks were high-end models with fancy cases. However, in the 1940s, Pennwood shifted its emphasis to less expensive models, the majority having plastic cases. When TV became commonplace, Pennwood caught the wave with a series of novelty clocks shaped like little TV sets. Although these TV clocks haven't been made for decades, so many were sold that they are still commonplace.
Many early Pennwood clocks were Art Deco in style and even some 1950s-1970s models had a vaguely Deco appearance. A later model that really did have a Deco look was the appropriately named Moderne. This model was available in white, silver-gray and a marbleized coral color. Yet another example of an item that appears to be from the 1930s or 1940s but isn't.
Pennwood Moderne,
manufactured Jan. 5, 1958
Interesting trivia: (1) Only the very earliest Pennwood clocks have all-black numbers. Early on, the switch was made to having the seconds displayed in red. Pennwood had other color schemes as well but never returned to all-black. (2) Pennwood clocks often have repeating design elements. The small triangle at the top of the #1364 above is actually the Pennwood crest which also appears as a decal on the back of the clock. The base on the pen & pencil set has the same "wings" on the sides as the clock case has. (3) The earliest (and nicest) wooden Pennwood cases were made by Adler-Royal, a New York radio manufacturer who made radio cabinets in Louisville, Kentucky.
SMITH METAL ARTS ("SMA", Silver Crest, Moon Crest)
Smith Metal Arts of Buffalo, New York has the distinction of being the only manufacturer discussed here
that still operates under its own name and still produces the type of goods it traditionally made including
desk sets. In the 1940s-60s, Smith made a line of desk accessories including clocks. Smith's clock designs were more conservative than Lawson's and I suspect that's why their clocks, particularly the Silver Crest models (which aren't silver in composition or color, by the way) turn up so often--they probably appealed
to a larger audience.
Smith purchased clock mechanisms from both Pennwood and Lawson. Some Smith cases were drilled for both brands so either type could be used. Nontheless, Smith Metal Arts clocks are Smith Metal Arts clocks; they were not made or sold by Pennwood or Lawson who had more than enough models of their own.
Interesting trivia: (1) The metal strip on the clock pictured above was for engraving the owner's initials. (2) Designer Peter Muller-Monk designed some Smith Metal Arts' products. He also designed several Pennwood clock cases and the base of the Unisphere for the 1964-65 World's Fair. (3) As with Goldsmith, Greenawalt and Lawson, Muller-Monk was also a Pennsylvania resident. Many (all?) Silver Crest clocks are marked "202" so this obviously isn't a model designation.
BARR
A manufacturer of typewriters and then clocks, Barr Manufacturing of Weedsport, NY made at least
two digital models. One had wooden case of rather plain design; the other, a plastic model, offered an attractive streamlined look and came in black, brown and white.
Barr digital clocks are somewhat uncommon and even more uncommon in good working order. Barr's mechanism was unique. The wheels were metal and they interlocked via gear teeth on the inside of the wheels. If you dissemble a set of Barr wheels, be prepared to spend an evening trying to reassemble them in proper orientation. Even with proper assembly, the Barr mechanism had difficulty positioning the facets of the wheels so the numbers lined up properly. Click here for Barr's patent.
Interesting trivia: (1) Although the wheels were metal, the numbers on some Barr digital clocks were printed on plain paper that was glued to the wheels. (2) The Barr's inventor, E.M. Goldsmith, Jr. worked for M.M. Gottlieb Associates, who made the Telometer clock (see below). (3) E.M. Goldsmith, F.A. Greenawalt (inventor of the Pennwood/Lawson mechanism and Lindley Lawson were all from Pennsylvania.
PENNWOOD (Numechron, Tymeter)
Left to right: Pennwoood model 1364, Pennwood Zephyr, an uncommon desk model with Parker "Parkette" pen & pencil
No company did more to popularize the rolling wheel digital clock than Pennwood. Lawson and Pennwood produced clocks for about the same length of time, but dating Pennwood clocks is easier since most were were marked with their date of manufacture. Initially, this was done with a label and starting in the 1940s, with a decal or rubber stamp.
The patent for the mechanism used in Pennwood (and Lawson) clocks was granted to Frederick A. Greenawalt, an employee of the Pennwood Company. Greenawalt's patent, issued in February 1935, closely resembles the mechanisms that ended up in Lawson and Pennwood clocks with the exception that he did not specify a type of motor. Initially, the motors and gearing came from the Waltham Watch Company. Click here for Greenawalt's patent.
Although Pennwood and Lawson clocks had nearly identical mechanisms, the two companies approached the clock market differently. The earliest Pennwood clocks were high-end models with fancy cases. However, in the 1940s, Pennwood shifted its emphasis to less expensive models, the majority having plastic cases. When TV became commonplace, Pennwood caught the wave with a series of novelty clocks shaped like little TV sets. Although these TV clocks haven't been made for decades, so many were sold that they are still commonplace.
Many early Pennwood clocks were Art Deco in style and even some 1950s-1970s models had a vaguely Deco appearance. A later model that really did have a Deco look was the appropriately named Moderne. This model was available in white, silver-gray and a marbleized coral color. Yet another example of an item that appears to be from the 1930s or 1940s but isn't.
Pennwood Moderne,
manufactured Jan. 5, 1958Interesting trivia: (1) Only the very earliest Pennwood clocks have all-black numbers. Early on, the switch was made to having the seconds displayed in red. Pennwood had other color schemes as well but never returned to all-black. (2) Pennwood clocks often have repeating design elements. The small triangle at the top of the #1364 above is actually the Pennwood crest which also appears as a decal on the back of the clock. The base on the pen & pencil set has the same "wings" on the sides as the clock case has. (3) The earliest (and nicest) wooden Pennwood cases were made by Adler-Royal, a New York radio manufacturer who made radio cabinets in Louisville, Kentucky.
SMITH METAL ARTS ("SMA", Silver Crest, Moon Crest)
Smith Metal Arts of Buffalo, New York has the distinction of being the only manufacturer discussed here
that still operates under its own name and still produces the type of goods it traditionally made including
desk sets. In the 1940s-60s, Smith made a line of desk accessories including clocks. Smith's clock designs were more conservative than Lawson's and I suspect that's why their clocks, particularly the Silver Crest models (which aren't silver in composition or color, by the way) turn up so often--they probably appealed
to a larger audience.
Smith purchased clock mechanisms from both Pennwood and Lawson. Some Smith cases were drilled for both brands so either type could be used. Nontheless, Smith Metal Arts clocks are Smith Metal Arts clocks; they were not made or sold by Pennwood or Lawson who had more than enough models of their own.
Interesting trivia: (1) The metal strip on the clock pictured above was for engraving the owner's initials. (2) Designer Peter Muller-Monk designed some Smith Metal Arts' products. He also designed several Pennwood clock cases and the base of the Unisphere for the 1964-65 World's Fair. (3) As with Goldsmith, Greenawalt and Lawson, Muller-Monk was also a Pennsylvania resident. Many (all?) Silver Crest clocks are marked "202" so this obviously isn't a model designation.
The
history of Henry Warren and his Ashland,
Massachusetts company is worthy of a book.
Fortunately, there is one. I highly
recommend
Jim Linz' Electrifying Time.
Although cyclometer clocks were by no means the mainstay of Telechron's product line, the company did market a number of models from as early as 1933, to World War II. Interestingly, after the war, during 1946-48 Telechron/G.E. offered two more models...and these appear to have been made from parts supplied by Lawson(!).
There were vertical Telechron cyclometers and later, horizontal models. At least two models were designed by Walter Dorwin Teague, the man who brought the modern look to Kodak, Ford and Texaco, among others.
Warren kept the patent office busy. For Edgar Bourquin's patent for the vertical cyclometer, click here.
Although cyclometer clocks were by no means the mainstay of Telechron's product line, the company did market a number of models from as early as 1933, to World War II. Interestingly, after the war, during 1946-48 Telechron/G.E. offered two more models...and these appear to have been made from parts supplied by Lawson(!).
There were vertical Telechron cyclometers and later, horizontal models. At least two models were designed by Walter Dorwin Teague, the man who brought the modern look to Kodak, Ford and Texaco, among others.
Warren kept the patent office busy. For Edgar Bourquin's patent for the vertical cyclometer, click here.
Top,
left to right: Two early, vertical Telechrons
c.1933-36; an early G.E. digital model
Bottom, left to right: G.E. model 8B08, case design by John Rainbault; Telechron Baron model 8B07 (1936-39), case design by Walter Teague; Telechron 8B23 (1946-48), essentially a "re-branded" Lawson clock.
Bottom, left to right: G.E. model 8B08, case design by John Rainbault; Telechron Baron model 8B07 (1936-39), case design by Walter Teague; Telechron 8B23 (1946-48), essentially a "re-branded" Lawson clock.
TELECHRON (Warren Telechron, General Electric,
G.E.)
If the Pennwood/Lawson clock mechanism was a model
of simplicity, at the other extreme were
Telechron's digital models which, with their
complex all-metal mechanisms are a wonder to
behold.
For Teague's patent on the Baron design,
click
here.
For Teague's "New Executive" model, click
here.
For John Rainbault's patent, click
here.
Interesting trivia: (1) For clocks, self-starting motors were a mixed blessing. If the power failed and was then restored, a clock with a self-starting motor would resume working with no indication that anything had gone wrong. The red indicator dot mechanism, invented and patented by Warren gave fair warning that although the clock was running, the time might not be correct. (2) The two Telechron/G.E. models that appear to have been supplied by Lawson have unique riveted feet and motors with sealed rotor mechanisms in the Telechron tradition.
WINSLOW MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Interesting trivia: (1) For clocks, self-starting motors were a mixed blessing. If the power failed and was then restored, a clock with a self-starting motor would resume working with no indication that anything had gone wrong. The red indicator dot mechanism, invented and patented by Warren gave fair warning that although the clock was running, the time might not be correct. (2) The two Telechron/G.E. models that appear to have been supplied by Lawson have unique riveted feet and motors with sealed rotor mechanisms in the Telechron tradition.
WINSLOW MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Winslow digital clocks were unique in that instead
of using rolling wheels, the numbers were on a
series of flat metal discs, allowing for an
unusually slim case. Also unusual was that
Winslow's cases were made of Catalin, an early
plastic capable of achieving extremely rich colors.
Supposedly, many colors were offered but so far I
have seen only white
(which,
with Catalin, when exposed to UV light, turns
butterscotch) and a marbleized walnut color. Due to
the case design, Winslow clocks typically develop
cracks but if one is lucky they are not visible
from the front.
Interesting trivia: (1) The Winslow mechanism made a second appearance in a wooden cased model called the Telometer. (2) Jim Linz' Telechron book shows a patent for a flat disc digital clock, seemingly the basis for the Winslow. (3) A curious and surprising (at least it was to me) feature of the Winslow mechanism is that the minute disc turns in the opposite direction from the other two discs.
M.M. GOTTLIEB ASSOCIATES (Telometer)
Interesting trivia: (1) The Winslow mechanism made a second appearance in a wooden cased model called the Telometer. (2) Jim Linz' Telechron book shows a patent for a flat disc digital clock, seemingly the basis for the Winslow. (3) A curious and surprising (at least it was to me) feature of the Winslow mechanism is that the minute disc turns in the opposite direction from the other two discs.
M.M. GOTTLIEB ASSOCIATES (Telometer)
It may be a stretch to call the Telometer an Art
Deco style clock but the reason the Telometer is
included here is that it appears to have been the
final resting place for the design used in the
Winslow clock. The mechanisms in the Winslow and
the Gottlieb's Telometer are the same, but we can
tell from the 1950s-style numbers on the wheels
that the Telometer came later. Whatever its style,
the Telometer's elaborate wooden case is impressive
and rather attractive, I think.
©2010-2012 Randy Juster. All Rights Reserved.
©2010-2012 Randy Juster. All Rights Reserved.