The Origin of Jefferson Mystery Clocks
by Roger Russell

 

Copyright 1996-2005 by Roger Russell
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The Dutch Secret, the Golden Hour and the Magic Crystal.

 

The clock in the center is the Golden Hour and was made by Jefferson Electric in Bellwood, IL. The patent number 2,642,713 can be found on the bottom plate except for early versions that say Patent Pending. Jefferson Electric purchased the patent rights from Leendert Prins, who was from the Netherlands. After some delays, the patent was awarded to Prins on June 23, 1953. However, Production for the Golden Hour began in December 1949. Radium paint is on the numerals and lines for the hours and each hand has a line of along the center that glows. The 110 volt motor is mounted horizontally in the base. The clock is made of 24k gold plated zinc alloy. See my Golden Hour page for a more detailed description.

 

The clock at the right is the Magic Crystal. It was made by the Etalage Reclame Corporation in New York City. This is the clock that is described in the Prins patent and not the Golden Hour. Radium paint is not used on this clock. The 110 volt motor is mounted vertically and protrudes from the rear of the clock. The ring and hand assembly are gold plated. The base is solid walnut. There is a more detailed description of this clock and other Prins designs on my Etalage page.

 

The clock at the left is the Dutch Secret. It was made by Nederlandsche Uuwerkfabrieken (NUFA) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is made of brass and transparent Plexiglas and has a light in the base. The light illuminates the ring that has frosted indentations, which show up at night. Each hand has a line of radium paint along the center that also glows. The words “Made in Holland” are at the bottom of the ring and the motor operates on 240 volts.

 

The Golden Hour was designed by Warren Ferguson, an electrical engineer at Jefferson and it was the beginning of the clock division for Jefferson Electric. The design was based on the Prins patent, however, a mystery remains as to how anyone at Jefferson Electric first learned of the clock and the patent. I have heard from several sources that in the late 1940's, the wife of the owner of Jefferson Electric found an interesting clock while on vacation in the Netherlands. The husband thought the idea was very novel and brought it back to the USA.  This led to the patent purchase and clock redesign. It may have been the Dutch Secret that they saw.

 

Two Magic Crystal clocks that I found have motors dated August, 1948 and December, 1949. The Dutch Secret appears to be of earlier design and manufacture. The dial and ring are Plexiglas and the line cord is the older style with twisted cloth covered wires that connect to the power line. Plexiglas was introduced in Europe in the 1930’s. The motor is an older design with an extra voltage winding on the motor coil for the lamp.