Hammond Clock Company

Hammond Clock Company was a Chicago, Illinois, manufacturer of electric clocks operated by a synchronous motor developed by Laurens Hammond. The company was established in 1928 to commercialize Hammond's clock mechanism and remained active as a clock producer until 1941. It was one of several early industrial ventures associated with Hammond, who later became internationally known for the Hammond organ. Hammond's clock design was inspired in part by the commercial success of Henry Warren's Telechron clocks. Like Warren's system, Hammond's motor used the frequency of the electrical power supply as a timing reference. Because the motor's rotation was synchronized with the grid frequency, the clock could maintain high accuracy when the power system maintained a stable frequency. Hammond's mechanism differed from Warren's in important ways. It operated more slowly and was not self-starting. Hammond viewed the lack of automatic restarting as a potential advantage, reasoning that a clock that restarted after a power interruption could mislead its user about the correct time. Hammond clocks therefore had a small knob on the rear of the case that the user turned to start the motor after an interruption or when first setting up the clock. The company manufactured more than 100 clock models. Its range included relatively inexpensive, straightforward household clocks as well as models using higher-cost materials such as marble and onyx. The manufacturing system combined skilled toolmaking with production methods that allowed components to be stamped and then assembled in a belt operation by less-skilled workers. Hammond also licensed the motor technology to established clock manufacturers, including Waterbury, Sessions, and Ingraham. The company faced severe pressure during the Great Depression. The broader clock industry contracted sharply, and many clock companies failed. Hammond's licensees also learned that the patent protecting his motor was vulnerable because an earlier German invention had anticipated the same basic technology. Hammond attempted to diversify by producing an electric bridge table, but that effort was short-lived. A major contract from the Postal Telegraph Company helped stabilize the business. Under the agreement, Hammond produced large electric wall clocks carrying the Postal Telegraph name, intended to replace key-wound clocks in railroad stations. The company's longer-term survival was closely tied to Hammond's work on electronic musical instruments. Hammond developed the first model of his organ, the Model A Console organ, and released it in 1935. That same year, the company was renamed Hammond Organ Company to reflect the new strategic emphasis. Clock production continued for several more years but was discontinued entirely in 1941. The clock business is consequently remembered as an important early chapter in Laurens Hammond's industrial career and as the origin of a collectible line of electrically powered clocks, rather than as the enduring business associated with the Hammond name.

Laurens Hammond's entry into clockmaking followed the emergence of electric clocks whose timing could be linked to the frequency of the public power grid. Hammond drew inspiration from Henry Warren's Telechron technology and developed a related synchronous motor for clocks. A grid-synchronized motor could rotate at a rate determined by alternating-current frequency, allowing a clock to keep precise time when the electrical supply remained stable. Hammond's mechanism was not identical to Warren's. It rotated more slowly and did not start itself. Hammond deliberately accepted this limitation, believing that automatic restarting after a power failure might cause a clock to display a misleading time. His clocks consequently used a small rear-mounted knob that the operator turned to start the mechanism. This distinctive operating requirement became a characteristic of Hammond clocks. The Hammond Clock Company was founded in Chicago in 1928 to manufacture and sell clocks based on the invention. The factory produced more than 100 models, covering a broad range of price and finish. Some clocks were comparatively simple and inexpensive, while others used decorative and costly materials such as marble and onyx. The production system relied on highly skilled toolmakers to construct sophisticated stamping tools. Once the tools were available, components could be produced in quantity and assembled in a belt-based operation by less-skilled workers. Hammond also licensed the motor to other clock manufacturers, including Waterbury, Sessions, and Ingraham. This licensing strategy gave the invention a presence beyond Hammond's own factory, but it also exposed the business to patent risk. During the economic crisis of the early 1930s, the clock industry suffered substantial contraction, with many manufacturers leaving the market. Hammond's licensees determined that the patent on his motor was invalid because an earlier German invention used the same basic technology. The loss of patent protection weakened the commercial position of the company and its licensing program. Hammond explored diversification by producing an electric bridge table, although that product achieved only brief success. A contract obtained from the Postal Telegraph Company provided a more important source of support. The agreement covered large electric wall clocks bearing the Postal Telegraph name and intended to replace older key-wound clocks in railroad stations. The decisive change in the company's history came from Hammond's development of an electronic organ. The Model A Console organ was released in 1935, and in the same year the company adopted the name Hammond Organ Company. This change signaled that electronic musical instruments, rather than clocks, had become the central business direction. Clock manufacturing continued for a limited period but ended completely in 1941. The clock operation therefore became a discontinued predecessor to the better-known Hammond organ enterprise, while its electric clocks remained associated with the early industrial work of Laurens Hammond and with the history of synchronous timekeeping.

• 1941

  Clock production discontinued

  [1]Hammond Clock Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Hammond ended production of its electric clocks.

• 1935

  Company renamed Hammond Organ Company

  [1]Hammond Clock Companyen.wikipedia.org

  After the release of the Model A Console organ, the business changed its name to reflect its growing focus on electronic organs.

• 1931

  Postal Telegraph wall-clock contract

  [1]Hammond Clock Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A $75,000 Postal Telegraph contract covered large electric wall clocks intended for railroad stations and helped preserve the company during the Depression.

• 1928

  Hammond Clock Company founded

  [1]Hammond Clock Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Laurens Hammond established the Chicago company to produce and market clocks equipped with his synchronous electric motor.

A precision-oriented electric-clock manufacturer whose products used grid-synchronized motors and ranged from affordable household models to ornate clocks made with materials such as marble and onyx.

• Electric clocks · 1928

  Hammond electric clocks

  The company's principal products were electric clocks driven by Laurens Hammond's synchronous motor. The motor used the frequency of the electrical supply as its timing reference and was designed to run more slowly than Warren's Telechron mechanism. It was not self-starting, so users operated a small knob on the back of the clock to begin operation. Hammond produced more than 100 models, from inexpensive practical designs to decorative versions using marble and onyx.

• Large electric wall clocks · 1931

  Postal Telegraph wall clocks

  These large electric wall clocks were produced under a contract with the Postal Telegraph Company and carried the telegraph company's name. They were intended for use in railroad stations, where they would replace older key-wound clocks. The contract provided an important commercial order for Hammond during the severe downturn affecting the clock industry in the early 1930s.

• Electric furniture

  Electric bridge table

  Hammond attempted to diversify beyond clocks by developing an electric bridge table during the company's financial difficulties. The product represented an effort to use the company's electrical and manufacturing capabilities in another consumer category, but the venture was brief and did not become a lasting business line.

• 1941

  End of clock manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  The company's strategic emphasis had moved to electronic organs after its 1935 reorganization.

  Action taken

  Hammond stopped manufacturing clocks entirely.

  Aftermath

  The clock company ceased to operate as a clock manufacturer, leaving the Hammond organ business as the continuing enterprise associated with Laurens Hammond.

  Source

• 1935

  Shift from clocks toward electronic organsStrategy

  Background

  The clock business faced Depression-era market pressure and weakened patent protection, while Laurens Hammond had developed an electronic organ with broader commercial potential.

  Action taken

  After the Model A Console organ was released, the company changed its name to Hammond Organ Company and made organs the central strategic focus.

  Aftermath

  Clock production continued for a limited period but was eventually discontinued in 1941.

  Source

1. 1Hammond Clock Companyen.wikipedia.org