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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Is it time for you to start a collection? Try clocks   List Wayne Precoor Next   If it's time to start a collection, try Westclox Canada pieces   By Wayne Precoor You may be a collector already or perhaps you are someone just thinking it would be a great pastime to start collecting something different and, best of all, something Canadian made.   Westclox Canada, manufacturers of timepieces for many years, is a wonderful place to begin. Currently, there are few collectors of these items and the availability is greater than the demand, so now is the perfect time to start collecting.   What makes Westclox so interesting is there is little history on the early marketing of their products in Canada, making them somewhat mysterious. What we have learned is Westclox history dates back to 1895 to The Western Clock Manufacturing Company of LaSalle, Illinois in the U.S.   This American company manufactured mainly alarm clocks and low-priced pocket watches under the Westclox brand name. It is not known for sure when they started to export clocks to Canada, but in the very early part of the 20th century advertisements for the Westclox (Big Ben) alarm clocks were found in Toronto newspapers.   In 1912, the Western Clock Company opened a sales office in Toronto, Ontario. The demand for these products grew, thus the need for a Canadian company which brought about the incorporation of the Western Clock Company Limited in 1919.   Peterborough, Ontario, was selected for the location and a small factory in the city was rented. In January of 1920, operations at this site started with about 20 workers assembling clocks from components shipped to the Peterborough plant from LaSalle.   The company later purchased 15 acres of land in Peterborough above the lift locks on Armour Hill and built a large brick and stone facility. It was four stories high and 160 feet (49m) long and occupied in late December of 1922. It is not known which models or parts were actually made at this location.   What is known is a large number of timepieces left the doors of this factory marked “made in Canada” or “made in Peterborough, Canada.”   The Western Clock Company became a division of General Time Corp. in 1934. This corporation had previously made the Seth Thomas Clock, a division of its corporation.   The brand name “Westclox” now became the company name for the Peterborough location. Clocks assembled here could have either the Western Clock Company, or Westclox name, and all watches bore theWestclox name.   Clocks made after this date in Peterborough could have different works installed in the Westclox case, including Seth Thomas and, later, works imported from Germany.   Self-starting electric clocks were being developed by the 1930s and about 1940 Westclox put a power failure indicator lever in electric alarm and wall clocks. There are some clocks from this company that have “Seth Thomas, made in Canada” imprinted on the dial.   As the 20th century progressed, labour became too expensive for the company to compete and in 1983, after a long and successful operation on Armour Hill, the doors were finally closed and a smaller facility was opened on Fisher Drive.   The company now imports and distributes off- shore timepieces throughout Canada, (many of which still bear the Westclox brand name) from this location.   As you can see from the previous information, there are many dates and data that would be interesting to research while collecting one or many of the different timepieces.   The first decision you should make if you wish to collect Westclox products is if you would like to start with watches only, or if you might prefer clocks. If you prefer to start clocks, you could chose to collect mechanical or electric clocks, or both.   Clock collecting could also be broken into categories of alarm, novelty, mantel or wall clocks. Watches could be pocket or wrist. Either way, millions of clocks, pocket watches and wrist watches were produced at this Peterborough location from the early 1920s to the early 1980s and sold coast to coast across Canada and there are many to choose from.   When collecting, look for the words “Made by the Western Clock Co. Limited, Peterborough, Canada; “Made by Westclox Canada Limited Peterborough, Canada,” or, more recently, “Westclox, Canada.”   Like any other collectible, there are some harder to find items. These include, in the alarm clock category, the Pixie (1930s), the Early Bird (late 1940s/early ‘50s) and Woody’s Cafe (late ‘50s).   Big Ben alarm clocks come in various designs. One of the more sought-after clocks is the early Big Ben model with a nickel-plated case and two set levers; one on each side of the handle on top of the clock. Facing the clock, the lever on the left of the handle has two rectangular openings with the inscriptions “Steady” in the first opening and “Repeat” in the later. On the right side it reads “Silent” and “Alarm” in that order.   You will pay more for the models mentioned here, but there are many different kinds that you can purchase in antique stores for less than $20. Yard sales and auctions are also good places to search for some good buys on these collectibles today.   The key word in that last sentence is “today" as myself and many other collectors of a Canadian manufacturer known as Pequegnat can remember when their prices were much lower than today’s prices.   Whatever you decide to collect from this long-lasting Canadian company, it’s good to remember you are not only preserving the history of Westclox, but also the timepieces that have awakened many Canadians in the morning and helped keep us on time throughout the busy days of our lives.   From my own experience, you will find hours of pleasure in collecting and also meet many interesting people along the way.   If you would like to learn more about Westclox you can visit The Canadian Clock Museum website at www. canclockmuseum.ca For history on Westclox’s parent company in the U.S., visit Bill Stoddard’s web site at: www. clockhistory.com   Wayne is an automotive technician who has been teaching automotive at Durham College for 19 years. He joined Quinte Timekeepers about 15 years ago and is now president of the Chapter. He has been collecting clocks for more than 25 years and repairing them for about 20 years. You can reach Wayne at 905-655-3468 or email wayne.precoor@durhamcollege. ca       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2011 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster