The Lux Clock Manufacturing Company of
Waterbury, Connecticut was founded in 1914 by Paul Lux
(1868-1947), his wife Caroline, and their two sons, Fred and
Herman. It is thought that at that time The Lux Clock Mfg.
Company produced only clock movements. In the years that
followed, as the business grew, the company moved to larger
buildings, only to have nearly everything destroyed by fire.
The company was rebuilt with the help of family and friends,
and in the 1920s a larger plant was built at 95 Johnson
Street, Waterbury, Connecticut, which was expanded in 1931 and
in 1936. During this period, the Lux Clock Mfg. Company
produced 3,000 clocks per day. The Lux Clock Mfg. Company
produced clocks until 1941, at which time they made war
related products. Clock production resumed after the war. In
1954, a plant was established in Lebanon, Tennessee, a plant
in Oakville, Ontario, Canada opened in the late 1950’s. In
June of 1961 The Robertshaw-Fulton Controls Company bought out
the Lux clock Mfg. Company and produced clocks and timers with
the Robertshaw Controls Company, Lux Time Division name. In
1986, Robertshaw Controls Company was sold to the Siebe group,
of London, England. Kitchen timers that carry the LUX name are
being produced to this day, although not by the original Lux
Clock Company.
Clocks that were produced by the Lux Clock Mfg.
Company have become very collectable, although they were
produced in mass quantities and were very inexpensive. They
have become popular with novelty clock collectors. Some of the
clocks, which originally sold for $2.00 to $3.00, now sell for
$2,000-$3,000 in mint condition ? not bad for a novelty clock.
Collectors beware: Reproductions exist of some of the more
expensive Lux Pendulettes so use caution before making a
purchase. The Pendulettes have been popular for many years,
while the alarm and mantle clocks were of little interest or
value to collectors. However, in the past few years these have
become very collectable, with prices reflecting their
popularity. Lux produced a broad variety of clocks, such as
Pendulettes, animated, alarm, mantle, wall, boudoir, desk,
lamp clocks, full size cuckoos, art clocks, bank clocks,
travel clocks, automobile clocks, kitchen clocks and stove
timers. Lux also produced fit up movements that other
companies put into their own cases, which is one reason why
you will find hundreds of different styles of clocks with Lux
movements.
Many of the pendulette and shelf clocks had
faces made by the Syracuse Ornamental Company Inc. These were
made of a mixture of fine sawdust and resin (known as
Syrocowood) that was poured into a mold, dried and then
removed from the mold. The Lux Clock Mfg. Company then hand
painted these cases in various colors. After World War 2, The
Lux Clock Mfg. Company started producing many of their clocks
with plastic cases. In the 1930s Lux Clock Mfg. Company also
made clocks for the August C. Keebler Company of Chicago,
Illinois (The Keebler Company did not produce their own
clocks). The Lux Clock Clock Mfg. Company also sold the same
clocks with their name on them. Westclox also made clocks for
the Keebler Company that were similar to the Lux Pendulettes.
The Westclox clocks all wind at the nine o'clock position. In
the late 50s Westclox also produced their own pendulettes,
which were similar to the Lux pendulettes.
This description borrowed from LuxClocks.net
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