History of the Big Ben alarm clock (America's most loved and most remembered alarm clock)

The Big Ben alarm clock was first sold in 1909 and has evolved through many case style and movement changes. The Baby Ben was first sold in 1910 and has evolved in a similar way. The pictures below illustrate the 10 "mainstream" case styles of windup Big and Baby Bens and the years in which they were made. Style 1 was the first model made and style 10 is the last model. To identify a Ben, find out which of the case styles it matches. Pay particular attention to the shapes of the cases since various case colors were available in styles 2 through 10, and the dial on your clock might be different. For more exact dating, look on the movement - a date will be found on almost any Big Ben or Baby Ben made up until mid-1970's. The Big and Baby Bens up through style 9 were made in USA (and some some other countries). The style 10 is made in China. Additional case styles that have names but not numbers are illustrated below the numbered styles. Also shown below are some relatives of the Bens: Bingo Style 1, Dura Case (LaSalle series), Clock of Tomorrow, and the Seth Thomas 'Baby Bens". In 2001, General Time (owner of Westclox) declared bankruptcy and sold the Westclox name to Salton, Inc. Since then, the name "Big Ben" has been used on several reproduction models of clocks that were not called Big Ben in the past. These reproductions may be identified by being battery operated and made in China. Reproductions of some of the earlier Big Ben styles are now being made in China. They are included in the detail pages for the various styles. Numbered Styles (1 - 10) Big Ben Style 1 and 1a Big Ben Style 1 1909 - 1918 Big Ben Style 1a 1918 - 1935 (style 1 has three screws through the front, style 1a does not) Baby Ben with 2 Inch Movement 1910 - 1912 Baby Ben Style 1 1912 - 1930 Style 2 Big Ben and Baby Ben Nickel finish 1927 - 1932 Crackle finish 1928 - 1930 Solid finish 1930 - 1932 Style 3 (concave curves on base) Big Ben Style 3 Chime alarm 1931 - 1934 Baby Ben Style 3 1932 - 1934 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 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) Style 6 Big Ben and Baby Ben 1949 - 1956 Style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben 1956 - 1964 Style 8 Big Ben: 1964 - 1981 Baby Ben: 1964 - 1980 Little Ben: 1976 - 1980+ Style 9 Big Ben and Baby Ben: 1979 - 2000 Style 10 Big Ben and Baby Ben: Starting in 2001 Made in China Miscellaneous Big Ben and Baby Ben Styles (Not Numbered) 1931 Wood Case Electric Big Ben 1931 - 1935 1931 Bakelite Case Electric Big Ben 1931 - 1934 1948 Bakelite Case Electric Big Ben 1948 - 1952 Plastic Pedestal Base Electric Big Ben 1976 - 1980+ Futura Spherical Case 1973 - 1981 Big Ben Sculptura (Looks like style 8 on a pedestal) 1975 - 1978 Big Ben Solid State 1974 - 1978 Clocks Related to the Big Ben and Baby Ben Non-luminous Dura Case series 1930 - 1934 Luminous Dura Case Series 1931 - 1934 Bingo style 1 1914 - 1925 Clock of Tomorrow 1955 - 1959 Made with white case and white dial, and black case with black dial Seth Thomas "Baby Bens" These clocks are labeled Seth Thomas on the dial and use the same movement as the Westclox Baby Ben alarm clock. They were made from the 1930's through the 1950's. Here are some examples.