Viking Illuminated Alarm Clock
Hammond Illuminated Alarm Clock
This early 1930's alarm clock was made by Viking Products, the maker of the "Moonglow" clocks.  The case is black Bakelite, and the face is a 1/4 inch thick piece of glass into which the numerals were cut.  The hands were finished in a silver wrinkle type of paint, and it appears that the numerals were also filled with the same silver paint.  A small light bulb in the base shone up through the glass to illuminate the numerals.  The movement was made by Hammond, and as with all Hammond clocks, it was necessary to spin a small knob on the back to start the motor.
This clock suffered from several design flaws.  Most importantly, the designers didn't provide for an effective way to illuminate the hands (the silver paint was, no doubt, an attempt to do this).  So, in a totally dark room, the hands are almost invisible. 

The on-off control for the alarm is a tiny metal prong which projects out the back of the clock.  This must have been difficult to operate, especially when having just been roused from a sound sleep.  Grabbing the clock while attempting to find the alarm switch could also result in stopping the non-self-start motor, an even worse problem.

So, I think this clock must have been something of a failure as a consumer product, what with the ineffective illumination, and the difficult alarm controls.  This clock would have been only weak competition for the contemporary Telechron "Electrolarm", which shared none of its faults.  So, because of poor sales, it is a rarity today, and a very striking design, indeed.

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