Lux Clock Company Collection

The Lux Clock Company of Waterbury, CT, was founded in 1914 by Paul Lux (1868 – 1947) and his family, including his wife, Caroline, and their sons, Fred and Herman. Mr. Lux was a German immigrant to the United States. Census and other records suggest that the family name may have originally been Lix, but by 1912 all reference the name Lux. The company officially incorporated as the “Lux Clock Manufacturing Company” in 1917. At first it only made clock movements, and was majorly set back by a factory fire in the midst of World War I, but by the 1920s or 1930s it had grown and become involved in building complete clocks.

Lux is best known for its novelty Pendulette clocks, which were often used in promotions and were originally very inexpensive, but can be valuable collectibles today. Many of them were molded into shapes honoring relevant pop culture icons of the time, such as the Liberty Bell or President Roosevelt, using a mixture of sawdust and resin called Syrocowood at first, then using plastic as time progressed. Lux also built a variety of other timepieces, including alarm clocks, automobile clock, cuckoo clocks, bank clocks, and kitchen timers, as well as movements for other clock companies. Timers in particular are still produced with the Lux name even into the present.

After spending World War II producing items for the war effort, the company expanded and built manufacturing facilities in Lebanon, TN, and Ontario, Canada. In June 1961 the company was bought out by the Robertshaw Controls Company and continued to produce clocks and timers under the name Robertshaw Controls Company, Lux Time Division. In 1991 Robertshaw divested its consumer products division, and the resulting corporation, Lux Products, operated as a standalone company making timers, thermostats, and other household items, until its 2014 acquisition by the Hong Kong-based multinational Edwin McAuley Electronics. It continues to run as an independent manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, under the EME umbrella today.