Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Alarm Clock

Date Summary:

1927 - 1932

Characteristics:

Thin edge around base, has steady-repeat and alarm-silent levers on top of case.

Style Information:

This is the first Baby Ben with a base instead of legs.

Polished nickel finish: 1927 - 1932

Crackle painted finish: 1928 - 1930

Solid painted finish: 1930 - 1932

Butler nickel finish 1930 - 1932

Starting in 1930 the dials no longer said “DeLuxe” on them, just “Big Ben” or “Baby Ben" as on the style 1 clocks.

Height: 3 1/8 inches, Width (at base): 3 1/16 inches, Dial minute track diameter: 2 1/16 inches, Weight: 12 ounces.

There are 18 Models of Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Alarm Clock in the database

Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Nickel Luminous
Nickel case style 2 baby Ben with luminous dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: July 1927 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Nickel Non Luminous
Nickel case style 2 baby Ben with plain dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: July 1927 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Blue Crackle Non Luminous
Crackle blue/gold finish, gold color paper dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: 1928 - 1930
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Green Crackle Non Luminous
Crackle green/gold finish, gold color paper dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: 1928 - 1930
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Old Rose Crackle Non Luminous
Crackle pink (old rose)/gold finish, gold color paper dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: 1928 - 1930
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Blue Crackle Luminous
Crackle blue/gold finish, gold color painted dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: October 1928 - 1930
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Green Crackle Luminous
Crackle green/gold finish, gold color painted dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: October 1928 - 1930
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Old Rose Crackle Luminous
Crackle pink (old rose)/gold finish, gold color painted dial. Starting in 1930, the dial no longer said DeLuxe.
Dates made: October 1928 - 1930
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Butler Nickel Gold Leaf Numeral
Butler (brushed) nickel finish, off-white dial with embossed gold leaf numerals.
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Butler Nickel Luminous
Butler (brushed) nickel finish, black dial with luminous hands and numerals.
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Light Blue Solid Gold Leaf Numeral
Light blue solid color painted finish, off-white dial with embossed gold leaf numerals.
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Light Blue Solid Luminous
Light blue solid color painted finish, off-white dial with gold color luminous dial.
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Light Green Solid Gold Leaf Numeral
Light green solid color painted finish, off-white dial with embossed gold leaf numerals. There are variations in the color ...
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Light Green Solid Luminous
Light green solid color painted finish, off-white dial with gold color luminous dial. There are variations in the color including ...
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Old Rose Solid Gold Leaf Numeral
Old Rose (pink) solid color painted finish, off-white dial with embossed gold leaf numerals. There are variations in the ...
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Old Rose Solid Luminous
Old Rose (pink) solid color painted finish with gold color luminous dial. There are variations in the color, and a different ...
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Orchid Gold Leaf Numeral
Orchid solid color painted finish, off-white dial with embossed gold leaf numerals.
Dates made: 1930 - 1932
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Orchid Luminous
Orchid solid color painted finish with gold color luminous dial.
Dates made: 1930 - 1932

Baby Ben Style 2 Alarm Clock Variations

Baby Ben Style 2 -> Back Type
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Base
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Base Bottom Color
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Base Cavity Number
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Base Hole
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Cast Base Metal Condition
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Inner Shell Type
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Movement Type
Baby Ben Style 2 -> Number of Base Corners Gone
Baby Ben Style 2 -> RD 1927
Ben Style 2 -> "De Luxe" or not

Baby Ben Style 2 Alarm Clock History

The style 2 Baby Ben was put into production around mid-1927, and was first advertised that fall. The movement in the style 2 Baby Ben is identical to that in the style 1 Baby Ben of the same time period. The difference is in the case—a die-cast base replaced the legs, and the ring on top was omitted. (Note that the front of the base is longer than the back – we have often seen clocks with the base installed backward!)

Design patent Des. 72,332 issued to H. A. Schierholtz on March 29, 1927 covers the style 2 case design. Max Schlenker was responsible for the design of the base.

The first style 2 Baby Bens have a polished nickel finish just like the style 1 Baby Bens. White non-luminous dials or black luminous dials were made, which had the lettering “Baby Ben DeLuxe.” (A few white painted metal dials have been seen on Baby Bens but not Big Bens.)

Crackle painted finishes in green, blue, and pink (“old rose” in Westclox literature) were introduced in 1928. The very first of these crackle finish clocks have white paper dials, but by summer of 1928 gold colored paper non-luminous dials were being used. In fall of 1929 crackle finish Baby Bens with luminous dials were added to the line (these luminous dials are gold painted metal).

Starting in 1930 the dials no longer said “DeLuxe” on them, just “Baby Ben” as on the style 1 clocks.

Solid color painted finishes were introduced in 1930 and the crackle finish was discontinued. The solid colors were light green, light blue and pink.

A fancy dial with raised gold leaf numerals was introduced in 1930, about the same time as the solid case finish. These dials have slight off-white or beige backgrounds (the background colors vary due to differences in how they have aged) with fancy skeleton hands. This dial was used in the solid color painted cases, and in “butler” (brushed) finish nickel cases.

At this time, solid color Baby Bens were available with either the standard gold luminous dial or the fancy raised gold numeral non-luminous dial; polished nickel finish Baby Bens were available with the white non-luminous dial or black luminous dial; and butler nickel Baby Bens had the raised gold numeral dial. (More research needs to be done by studying ads and catalogs to determine if the above list is accurate. For example, was there a butler finish Baby Ben with luminous dial?)

The nickel finish Baby Ben was in production through the period in which the painted clocks were produced, but judging by the relative numbers of them we have seen, the painted clocks were far more popular.

The style 2 Baby Ben was discontinued in 1932.

Style 2 Reproductions

A miniature of the style 2 was made in 1997. It has a quartz movement, and the quantity was limited to 5000 pieces.

See History of the Westclox Baby Ben Alarm Clock



Pictures of the Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Alarm Clock:

References