The business was founded by Henry Warren in Ashland, Massachusetts, in 1912. The company originally went by the name “The Warren Clock Company,” and it made battery-operated clocks. These, however, were problematic since the timekeeping was incorrect and the batteries degraded fast. Electric motors, in Warren’s opinion, are the answer to this issue.
He created a self-starting synchronous motor in 1915 that had a coil and rotor and was patented in 1918. A synchronous motor rotates at the same rate as the alternating current cycle that powers it. Previously, synchronized electric clocks were available, but they required manual starting. Because power plants maintained the frequency of the alternating current at 60 Hz, Telechron would subsequently promote their clocks as “providing genuine time.” But when Warren started using his synchronous motors in experiments, such stability did not yet exist.
Alternating current’s irregular frequency contributed to poor timekeeping as well as, more importantly, incompatible power networks in the US since electricity could not be easily transported from one grid to another. Warren created a “master clock” to solve these issues, and he placed it at the Boston Edison Company in 1916. A synchronous motor that was connected to the electricity generated by the power plant powered one of the clock’s two movements, while a typical spring and pendulum powered the other. In line with time signals received from the Naval Observatory, the pendulum was adjusted twice daily.
The electricity generated by the electric company was uniform as long as the hands of the electric clock, driven by a 60 Hz synchronous motor, moved in perfect unison with those of the “conventional” clock. Jim Linz states that “in 1947, Warren Master Clocks governed almost 95% of the electric lines in the United States” in Electrifying Time, the authoritative source on Telechron clocks.
It’s important to note that a relatively conventional clock system was first used in the US to maintain the alternating current uniformity required to construct big power grids. Henry Warren first created his master clock just to make sure his synchronous clock motor would produce precise time.
Telechron – Art Deco
Despite the fact that all Telechron clocks were driven by synchronous motors developed by Henry Warren, the success of the Telechron Company from the 1920s through the 1950s was not simply attributable to his engineering prowess. Instead, the Telechron firm aimed to create timepieces whose forms mirrored one of the core ideas of the art deco movement: the beauty of straightforward geometric shapes combined with contemporary engineering, including mass production.
Since hundreds of Telechron clocks were produced, they are frequently true works of art that are nevertheless accessible to everyone. The business worked with some of the best designers of the day, including John P. Rainbault and Leo Ivan Bruce (1911–1973). Telechron clocks are a genuine reflection of their own period in the development of their designs. The “Dimension” was undoubtedly the 1950s, just as a clock like the “Administrator” (created by Leo Ivan Bruce) belonged in the 1930s.
In comparison to other clocks, telechrons were relatively pricey. The model 7H117 “Reporter,” which was their most affordable alarm clock in 1941, cost $2.95, or $30.00 in 2008 dollars. But during the company’s most lucrative years, a brisk market for them was ensured by their stunning appearance and incredible durability.
A Synopsis of the Telechron Company’s History
Henry Warren originally called his business “The Warren Clock Company,” as was already mentioned. In 1926, it was renamed “Warren Telechron.” General Electric first expressed interest in Telechron in 1917 after understanding the invention’s potential for profit. General Electric progressively incorporated Telechron into its operations when Warren resigned in 1943. The Ashland, Massachusetts plant produced both the clocks with the “Telechron” and “General Electric” labels on the dial. Although GE clocks had unique case, dial, and hand designs as well as model names and numbers, both brands of clocks always used the same Telechron type of mechanism within.
Along with its affiliation with GE, Telechron worked closely with the Herschede firm, one of America’s most well-known producers of conventional clocks. In the 1920s, Walter Herschede developed an interest in synchronous clocks, but he refrained from swiftly connecting his firm with the new technology out of concern for its reputation. In order to commercialize clocks powered by Telechron motors, he established the Revere Clock Company as a branch of Herschede. However, these motors were placed in the opulent grandfather and mantel clock casings for which Herschede was renowned; these clocks also had chimes.
In the 1950s, Telechron—now the “Clock and Timer Division” of GE—started to deteriorate, mostly as a result of batteries becoming significantly more dependable and long-lasting. Battery-operated clocks offer the obvious benefit of not needing to be close to a power outlet and avoiding the occasionally somewhat unsightly electric line.
The principles of the synchronous motor were also supplanted by the quartz clock’s precision. Warren’s technology was losing market share, so GE sought to compensate by making less durable, less expensive clocks. Thus, bakelite or wood was phased out in favor of plastic for the casings, glass crystals were replaced with plastic ones, and the much less robust S rotor took the place of the H rotor. However, there was no way to arrest the synchronous clock’s deterioration. In 1979, GE sold the final of the former Telechron facilities. It was completely shuttered in 1992 after several failed attempts to resuscitate the company.
Despite the fact that Telechron’s initial business operations have ended, the name is still utilized by a company in Leland, North Carolina that makes electric timers. Additionally, the Electric Time Company, which makes bespoke tower and post clocks in Medfield, Massachusetts, was split out from one of Telechron’s research laboratories in 1928 and is still going strong today. The only such business left in the US that still manufactures its own clock movements is Electric Time.
The Telechron Technology’s Drawbacks
From a business standpoint, as we have seen, Telechron was doomed by the development of the quartz movement as well as the longer battery life. But from the perspective of technological history, another issue is more significant: if, as Warren himself wrote, the electric power grid is used as a system for the “distribution of time,” then, in the event of a power outage, individual consumers’ Telechrons lose their connection with the master clock (and, by implication, with the time provided by the Naval Observatory).
The clocks halt, to put it another way. A red dot that would show on the dial once the power went out was the “indicating device” Warren installed in his clocks since he anticipated this problem. This red dot informed the user that the clock needed to be reset (maybe by getting the precise time over the phone or via a radio, for example), after which the signaling device could be changed back to the dial color. The truth remains, nevertheless, that Warren’s clever time distribution mechanism could have had a flaw.
In the 1930s, the market for electric clocks expanded quickly. Power interruptions were an issue that naturally impacted all brands of electric clocks, but only those produced by Telechron or General Electric featured the power indication mechanism that Warren had sensibly invented.
The radio clock, which gets its time signals from radio transmitters rather than the electric grid, is what ultimately solved this issue.
The Acquisition of Telechron Clocks
In contrast to the “throw-away” mentality of today’s ephemeral commercial products, there is a growing group of enthusiasts who collect Telechron clocks, which impressively attest to a bygone period of sound engineering and American production. When a Telechron clock is plugged in, it often comes to life right away, if occasionally loudly. The type “H” rotor, in particular, is renowned for functioning smoothly for 50, 60, or even more years without any mechanical failure or loss of accuracy. Many Telechrons’ designs are beautiful, which contributes to their allure. The most popular Telechrons often sell for between 15 and 40 bucks on platforms like eBay because they were mass-produced.
Telechron Alarm Clocks
Collectors are particularly fond of Telechron alarm clocks. The vast majority of Telechron alarm clocks had bell alarms until around 1940, probably as a reference to the extremely well-liked “Big Ben” alarms produced by Westclox. A steel bell casing encased the whole apparatus. A metal strip that vibrated at a rate of 60 cycles per second when the alarm was triggered was mounted above the clock’s coil. This strip was connected to a V-shaped arm that terminated in a striker that vibrated against the bell housing. The bell casing was deleted, leaving only the metal strip above the coil, as the usage of different metals was restricted as the war approached.
However, this alone produced a loud buzz when the alarm went off (and was the basis of the alarm in all brands of alarm clocks for many years after the war). Bell alerts were exceedingly uncommon in Telechrons after the war, and by 1960, they were totally gone. In the early 1950s, Telechron was one of the first businesses to create what is now known as the “snooze” alarm, and it may have been the first.