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General Electric Model 8B22 "Executive" |
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| This is the 1948 General
Electric model 8B22, which they called the "Executive". If that
name sounds familiar, it was the third GE model with that name, a followup
to the original AB8B02
"Executive" and the 8B04
"New Executive".
The case is silver plated brass , with a matte "butler" finish. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the person who threw this clock in the trash at an auction a few years ago. I was more than happy to take it home for free! Just after WW-II, GE issued this clock along with a companion model, the 8B23 "Register" that was sold under the Telechron name. The 8B23 had a metal case with a bronze finish (they called it "gunmetal"). These were the last of the GE/Telechron digital cyclometer models. A picture of the 8B23 can be seen here. They are very different from the prewar clocks. The movements were made by Pennwood, which was a much simpler design than the Telechron, though they used the Telechron rotor and coil assembly for motive power. The lower cost of the Pennwood movement may have been a factor. These clocks were expensive (about $30 each). The money, apparently, went for the case, not the movement. The design, construction, and individual parts of the 8B22 and 8B23 are strikingly similar to the Lawson metal-cased clocks, such as the "Zephyr" and the model 202 clocks featured elsewhere on this site. In fact, a clock that, apart from the finish, was identical to the GE 8B22 was sold as a Lawson. An example of this clock can be seen below. It was identified as the "Model P-40 Style 500". |
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Notice the two small holes on either side of the
Lawson decal on the bottom of this clock. The GE version had a
metal nameplate that was mounted using these holes. So, that would
indicate that the case was made to GE specifications, but was made
available to Lawson. I believe that cases for these clocks were not made either by GE or by Lawson, but by the Smith Metal Arts Company of Buffalo, NY. This is discussed in more detail here. The pictures of the Lawson 500 clock appear here courtesy of Bob's Clock Gallery. |