REVERE AND GE CHIMING CLOCKS
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REVERE AND GE CHIMING CLOCKS |
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ID Your REVERE/GE Clocks
The Internets Largest and Most Detailed Catalog of Both Revere and General Electric (GE) Westminster Clocks from 1928 forward! Completely Updated! -More Clocks! -New Easier Format! Thanks to viewer participation, we have now been able to document some of the rarest and most interesting Revere and GE Westminster Clocks you'll ever see on the internet! We welcome input and pictures from viewers and will try to keep this site updated, as we receive new information. A very special Thanks is extended to Roy M. in Ohio, who has done a lot of the research and compiled data, and to Tom P., one of our expert repairmen, out of Pennsylvania. We consider Tom's collection of Revere and GE clocks to be the finest in the country. Many of the photos you are about to view were made possible by Tom. Thanks to his collective efforts, we have been able to put his information together with ours in order to fill in many blanks concerning the relationships between Revere, GE and Telechron. Without his help, much of what you are going to view may have gone undiscovered for many, many years. ***** QUICK-LOOK AT ALL CLOCKS ***** A WORD ABOUT PRICING: You may find prices listed for some of the clocks in the Gallery. These are the prices that the clock originally sold for - according to information we've seen in catalogs and advertisments. Please do not ask us to give you a current price for any specific model. We have included any relavent information we feel might help determine the value of a clock when we could. There are just too many variables to set a selling price or value on any of the clocks we show here. It is good to remember that any clock is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it at any given time. |
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Facts and figures concerning the Developmentd of both Revere and General Electric Westminster Clocks
The Telechron Clock Company was founded in 1912 by Henry Warren who is officially considered to be the "Father of Electric Time". Early clocks were battery driven. General Electric purchased 49% interest in the company in 1917. It was in 1918 that Henry Warren was granted a patent for a synchronous motor which would later become the main power system in every GE and Revere Westminster Clock Clocks produced between 1912 and 1918 failed either to short battery life, or, fluctuations in the electric current which caused the clocks to lose time. By 1918 with electrical currents becoming more stable, Telechron released a line of wooden wall clocks mainly for commercial use. We "Unoffficially" classify 1925 as the dawn of mass-produced, electrical clocks for the home, and the start of the era. Walter Herschede, owner of the famous Herschede Clock Company, founded the Revere Clock in 1927. He was under the impression that if the idea of electric clocks failed, he could close Revere and not damage the good name of Herschede. The earliest Revere clock we have seen using Telechron Powered rotors is 1928. Earlier clocks running Telechron parts were Herschede. Revere built all their own movements for both their clocks and General Electric. This technology was borrowed from Herschede.Much like paying $600 for a Hi-Fi VCR back in 1981, early 1928-1930 Revere and GE Westminster clocks were very expensive. They were of the highest quality, but certainly targeted toward the Well-to-Do. New movment designs, both better and less expensive to make, began to appear in 1931. The model R-300 "Loyal" debuted as the first Promotional Westminster clock at $29.75. By 1933, the movements were perfected and never changed until 1960 when economic hardships forced Revere to design an even small, cheaper movement. Other clock companies attempted to compete, but none were able to even come close to the reliability and design of the Revere movement. Without a doubt, Revere was producing clocks for General Electric. This partnership can be traced back to 1930. Many of the designs were distinctive for GE, some were spin-offs of Revere clocks. By 1940, marketing strategies began to change. GE leaned more toward less-elaborate, lower-priced clocks aimed for the masses, while Revere still churned out some rather fancier designs. Ironically, the quality between the two brands were identical. General Electric produced both Time-Only and Westminster Clocks. Telechron produced Time-Only Clocks and a few Strike Clocks. Revere produced Westminster clocks. Early clocks also came in strike, dual-chime, and ships bell configurations. Top-of-the-Line Hall Clocks came in triple-chime options. Two ironic notes to this 3-way relationship. Telechron NEVER produced a Westminster Clock, and Revere NEVER produced a time-only clock. Revere Movement Production peaked in 1930. The Great Depression literally destroyed production thereafter. Despite the fact that a 1929 or 1930 clock is one the earliest Reveres, those two years are the most common and clocks are easy to find. How to Identify your REVERE or GE Westminster Clock Finding your Model Number Most Revere and GE Westminster clocks can be identified by the use of a small metal dog tag located on the back of the clock. HOWEVER! Early clocks and even some later clocks can be identified by a 3 (or sometimes 4) digit number stamped into the bottom of the clock. General Electric always seemed to give their clocks names, even though they were identified with numbers. Revere, on the other hand, rarely did. Revere names can be on more than one clock and are more indicative of style - such as "Colonial" , Early American", or "Queen Anne". Even though it never appears on the bottom of a clock, the letter "R" (meaning Revere) was used as a prefix to the model number. For example. If your clock is stamped 106, the correct model number is R-106. This little trick was used to tell the difference between Revere and GE. GE never used a prefix, well, at least a prefix that was stamped on any of the clocks! The earliest 1930-1931 clocks were designated as ABR. The "AB" actually stood for "General Electric", while the "R" designated "Revere". Therefore, even though it may not be marked on your clock, Early General Electric clocks were recorded as ABR. For example, if our clock is stamped 310, the actual proper designation is ABR-310. Look at it like adding the Mr, Mrs, or Miss in front of your name. The ABR is the same, formal prefix. Uncataloged, scarce and rare clocks. Revere produced sales catalogs up until 1930. During the dark years (shown on the graph below), very few, if any catalogs were produced. Many models made during these years were single year models. This means that they were produced in very small numbers, for a very short period, and not carried over into the next model year. Our research indicates that since no catalogs were produced, model numbers were NOT stamped onto the bottom of the clock. In short, there is no reference at all to the clock. These clocks are deemed scarce-to-rare and are labled as "Unknown" or "Uncataloged". |
Total Movement Production by Year for all Electric Revere, Herschede, and General Electric Westminster Clocks
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The following pictures are from Revere Catalogs and/or actual Revere clocks that we have serviced or sold, plus additional pictures provided by viewers and from Tom's vast collection. We have tried to be as accurate as possible in identifying and describing the clocks shown. I know we will have missed some, and probably gotten some listed incorrectly, but we make every effort to verify all listings. This is a work in progress. The rest of this page, and the pages that follow, are the most comprehensive collection of Revere and GE clocks that we know of. Please feel free to contact us with your information and pictures. And note that this is a Gallery of Clocks for viewing and reference and non of these clocks are for sale by us. The first five clocks are shown below. There is a link below to take you to the next page. Clocks are grouped by make - Revere and General Electric. There will be a seperate area for Grandfather, Grandmother, and other Tall and Hall clocks. We have listed the clocks in numerical order by Model Number. Please note that we are continually working on these galleries with new clocks being added as we receive new information and pictures. If your clock is not pictured here it does not mean it doesn't exist! We probably haven't gotten it listed yet, or are unaware of it and do not have any pictures or documentation. Page 1 Revere-Page 1 Revere-Page 2 Revere-Page 3 Revere-Page 4 Revere-Page 5 Revere-Page 6 Revere-Page 7 Revere-Page 8 Revere-Page 9 Revere-Page 10 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-001 Date: 1930 Case: High grade Mahogany with upper inlay. Dial: Silvered with ornate etchings and raised black numerals. Details: This clock was not featured in the 1930s catalog. However, it shared the exact same case style and dial as the R-132 and R-136 (right). 11 3/4" H X 8 1/2" W X 6 1/2" D 
Make: Revere - Dual ChimeModel Number: R-0020 Date: 1930 Case: High grade Mahogany. Dial: Silvered Silvered dial with Bronze cast numbers and beveled glass. Details: Another fine clock from Tom that you won't find in the 1930 catalog.The 0020 signifies that the case was borrowed from Herschede. This clock did carry the Herschede name, but we can't tell you how many were made under the Revere tag. A very unusual find indeed. The dual chime plays both the Westminster and Canterbury Chimes. 13 1/4" H X 14" W X 7" D 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-104 Date: 1928 Name: Colonial Case: High grade Mahogany. Dial: Silvered dial with etched black numerals. Details: The R-104 set the stage for many more tambours to follow. This is one of the oldest Reveres we've ever worked on. Early clocks like this, used the 60 rpm rotor which was later changed to the quieter, 1 rpm rotor in 1929. Original price: $74 9" H X 21" W X 6" H  Make: Revere Model Number: R-106 Date: 1929 Case: Imported High grade Mahogany with Maple overlays. Dial: Silvered dial with etched black numerals. Details: The R-106 followed the R-104 in design with the exception of the frontal designs - this clock used Maple for the overlays 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-108 Date: 1930 Name: Sheraton Colonial Case: Honduras Mahogany with overlays. Dial: Silvered dial with etched black numerals. Details: The R-108 is typical of the tambours of the day. Simple design with overlays on the front. Original price: $76 9" H X 21" W X 6" D 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-109 Date: 1930 Case: High grade Mahogany with Maple overlays Dial: Silvered with etched black numerals. Details: At 20 inches wide, the R-109 debuted with a retail price of $74.Bird's Eye Maple was used as the overlay . 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-116 Date: 1930 Name: Sheraton Colonial Case: Honduras Mahogany Dial: Silvered with etched black numerals. Details: Standard tambour with slightly different design. Notice that the case sizes on a lot of these models are the same and were probably just variation on a single design. Original cost $74. 9" H X 21" W X 6" D 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-118 Date: 1928 Case: Honduras Mahogany with front overlays. Dial: Silvered with raised numerals. Details: Beautiful tambour with slightly different design that features a center raised section and rolled side edges. It has contrasting overlay panels on front. This clock uses an unusual movement with a 60 rpm offset geared rotor. This movement was made in limited quanties and only used for a short time. This is Tom's that was recently restored. 10" H X 20 3/4" W X 6" D 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-120 Date: 1930 Name: Colonial Case: Honduras Mahogany Dial: Silvered with raised black numerals. Details: Same size as the previous models but with a more elaborate design and raised numerals and a deep set dial. Original price $76. Available in a Time and Strike (R-320) and a Ship's Bell (R-520). 9" H X 21" W X 6" D 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-122 Date: 1930 Name: Early English Case: Honduras Mahogany Dial: Silvered with raised black numerals. Details: Similar to the R-120 model but with a more elaborate design and raised numerals and a deep set dial. This model, as we learned, uses a 60 rpm rotor and a much different movement configuration.Produces rich loud chimes. Thanks to Jim and Candy for sending it in for service. Original price $78. Available in a Time and Strike (R-322) and a Ship's Bell (R-522). 9" H X 21" W X 6" D 
Make: RevereModel Number: R-130 Date: 1929 Name: Gothic Dial: Silvered with etched black numerals and intricate designs. Details: This clock was the first generation of this design. Like most clocks from 1928 it used the noisy 60 rpm rotor which was changed to 1 rpm when the R-430 appeared.For obvious reasons this design is very popular with collectors, and these clocks generally bring a high premium in any condition. Restored examples, as shown on our website, are worth several hundred dollars. Also compare the R-430 and GE versions of this model.
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