Help Identifying unusual clock Warren clock co for GE

[MikeH1978]

I recently picked up this clock but cannot find any information about it or what it was used for. Any help would be great. Inside plate warren clock co for General Electric type B-2

 

[chefk]

Looks like a nice heavy GE commercial/industrial clock. B-2 is the rotor type, that tips you off it is old and anytime you find "Warren Clock Co." on the metal ID tag you know you have a very old Telechron, the name was changed to "Warren Telechron Co." in 1926. I have a somewhat similar but more recent version, labelled as a GE Type C-14, it has the same heavy glass lens in cast iron ring that twists off counter-clockwise but mine has a bakelite back plate and the crappy B-13 rotor.

Discussion and pictures of the C-14 here:

http://www.telechron.net/forager/index.php?topic=1295.0

 

[ElectricTime]

So you won this on ebay

I've never seen a clock like this before - and I've got a lot of telechron literature - I guess it's a interval timer - but it's a little weird - no indicator light when the circuit is on.

 

[Dick C]

Also at the top of the dial the "S" and "F" suggesting an adjustment possibility; however, I cannot see any way to adjust it?

 

[Dick C]

Is it possible that the dial and/or the movement were replaced at one time?

Also, it appears that on the bottom of the dial there is the indicator "NP 24118" or the 8 could be a 9.

 

[Tinker Dwight]

I can't see it clearly but I think the switch is for a power
failure indicator.
I could be wrong? is it actuated from a cam? It just looks like
a lever with a weight on it.
Tinker Dwight

 

[Dick C]

The best that I can come up with is an early/antique general electric "explosion proof" clock.

I did find a site with a later model for sale that had the same "N.P. ...." graphic on the dial.

If you google images for antique ge "explosion proof" clock later vintages of this type of clock can be found.

So how does it work?

 

[Tinker Dwight]

I'm beginning to think it is a bell ringer.
It looks like it has a windup part that when
tripped would close and open the switch.
For mines, that would make sense. You wouldn't
want a normal bell with a switch in it.
Just another wild ### guess.
Tinker Dwight

 

[Dick C]

I'm beginning to think it is a bell ringer.
It looks like it has a windup part that when
tripped would close and open the switch.
For mines, that would make sense. You wouldn't
want a normal bell with a switch in it.
Just another wild ### guess.
Tinker Dwight

How would one set the bell time?

 

[Tinker Dwight]

It is probably not user settable. It could
be for shift and break times.
I think we need to hear from the OP. He is most
likely laughing at us now, talking about the options.
I would like to know what it does. It doesn't look like
the typical master clock. It would most likely be used
in mines or things like petroleum industry ( fire works? ).
Tinker Dwight

 

[Dick C]

The later one that I found was evidently used in a Paint Factory

 

[Tinker Dwight]

Colorful?
Tinker Dwight

 

[coldwar]

This is a typical General Electric "A" case watt hour meter enclosure, of which I have many contemporaneous examples. My immediate hunch was the case and mech did not start life together, however I'd like to ask for you to snap a pic of the back of the case, and another of the mech removed from case, viewing the back of the mech. The dial appearance suggests Seth Thomas but I'd like to see pics of it a bit more apart, to offer a better opinion.

If this was made up for some purpose, it would not come as a surprise. "A" case meters were (are) customarily presented to retiring utility employees usually mounted and connected to some sort of table lamp, examples of which pop up on ebay on a regular basis. I have seen other special purpose meters presented this way which have complications, including those which have timepieces. This unit may have been a example of some kind of momento, but without a better look it's hard to know.

 

[ElectricTime]

I thought the same at first - but the electrical connections are not sealed - we used to make "Explosion proof clocks" - but there were very very serious sealing of electrical connections.

 

[Tinker Dwight]

I saw a lamp on ebay that had the exact same enclosure.
It had the watt meter in it.
Still, the instalation doesn't look like something someone
just hacked together.
Tinker Dwight

 

[skruft]

I have a few of these GE industrial clocks, not identical but similar. I could find no way to set them except with the hands. Some have a very basic mechanism that makes an electrical contact at one minute or one hour intervals. I have one that looks like a large size GE electrical meter, others larger that look like home electric meters.

I have never seen any literature or manuals for them. Does anyone have any?