General Electric CT-455A Transistor Clock Radio (1959, USA)
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- I'm back with another transistor clock radio, this time a model CT-455A made by GE. This one is in exceptional condition, and I was surprised to find I hadn't already done a video on it. Enjoy!
Thanks for showing us this radio. It's in amazing condition!
I'm surprised that the clock makers chose to wind up the spring at such a short time interval. A regular clock main spring could have been wound every 12 hours. It would stop the owner being woken every half hour with a whirring noise!
Thanks, Colin! I suppose it was a trade off between winding often, or winding for a long time. Winding often, but briefly probably beats on the battery a bit less, plus it lets them uses a smaller (and probably cheaper) spring.
@@50sTransistorRadios That's another way of looking at it. I like my idea better! I wonder if cheapness is part of why this clock winds so often. Theoretically the battery is still being as busy whether it is every half hour or 12 hours. The "winding times" should be the same when added to power the clock. Maybe the D cells back then weren't able to provide much current for extended periods as a longer clock winding-up would need. Hmmm!
I know Me, I'd wake up every time the movement winds. 🥺
👍👍👍
It would drive me nuts too, maybe that's why it got packed away.
I have an old wall mounted office clock that runs the same way, about every 15 or 20 minutes, a motor winds the spring a bit. I honestly can't remember the name of the clock at this moment, but when I get back to the office on Monday, I'll update the comment with the clock manufacturer.
Interesting, I wonder if it also uses a Telechron movement.
@@50sTransistorRadios
The wall clock is a Syroco, model 1039 (made in USA). The movement is made in Japan and says Jeco Co. Japan has a stamp C61J "No jewels, Unadjusted"
It works like yours, rewinding itself about every 15 to 20 minutes or so.
I agree with you, the styling is actually rather nice for a clock radio. As for the condition, it’s as good as new.
Thanks, Colin! GE made some nice radios.
Cool radio! It's in amazing condition, over 60 years old and still looks like new. Thanks for sowing it to us.
Thanks, Steve! I'm amazed how well preserved this radio and it's packaging is too, it must have been carefully stored for its whole life.
Possibly bonded leather case. Everything in beautiful shape. Thanks for the review.
Thanks! I don't think bonded leather was around back then, 1950's fake leather is usually just vinyl over carboard, but this one looks to be a bit higher quality than that.
@@50sTransistorRadios
It was a thought.
Nice ge radio, interesting clock. Thanks, love your channel!
Thanks, I'm glad you've been enjoying my videos!
Very cool radio there. I like that warranty card as it asks the sex of who purchased it. Never get away with that now lol. I still use a GE clock radio from the 1980s as it’s like an air raid siren and I have to get out of bed when it goes off.
Thanks! I much rather wake up to the radio than a siren sound, but I'm not a deep sleeper.
I love a lot of GE’s 1959 sets. I can say that I’ve never ever seen one of these. It’s super cool. It sort of reminds me of a set I have from 1960, I believe you did a video on it called the “Super Six” or Model P791A. Has a little bit of a similar style around the tuning knob area. Anyways great video as usual!
Years ago we had a wall clock that ran the same way, made a growl every so often.
Is there a Sam's photofact for it? If so, you might find one on eBay if you want it. Otherwise, it looks like new old stock. Most pristine radio you've reviewed I'd bet. Thanks for another fun video!
Thanks! I'm pretty sure I already have it, as I wouldn't have known to look for a capacitor inside the clock movement otherwise. I've got a few other MIB radios, but this is definitely a nice one!
So that's what the packaging looks like. I think that one used a Diehl clock, mechanism. Just as you'd start to fall asleep, RRRRRRRRRRRRR! as the motorized winding mech kicked in. Zenith was the other manufacturer that used it.
I think the box for this one got saved because it's nicer than most. Gift sets seem to have a higher survival rate in general. The zenith "golden triangle" has a similar motor wound clock, with that same issue, though it's a bit quieter.
incredible radio..case..box..paperwork..a time machine result..lol..what a collection you have..wonder if you have a room to display these beauties, or are you afraid of UV/dust damaging?..
Thanks, Rich! I've got some of them on display throughout my place, but I don't have everything on display, just some of the best stuff, and recent fixes. I don't have them anywhere direct sunlight would hit them, as it can discolor plastic pretty quickly. Dust is a recurring pest, but it's manageable.
That's a nice radio. The clock must be similar to the one in my dad's old 1970 Mercedes. Every 1/2 hour or so, it would make a slight grinding noise when it rewinded. I see that in your disassembly video that it says the clock movement is from Germany.
Thanks, Michael! The back of the clock movement is marked "Made in U.S.A", but internally the movement is marked Germany, pretty sneaky! I guess it was just packaged in the USA by Telechron. It wouldn't surprise me if the clock in your dad's old Mercedes is a similar type of movement, and in a car, the rewinding noise wouldn't be so annoying.
It was a VDO Kienzle. From what I can determine online, Kienzle was a German watchmaker. I am guessing that VDO bought movements from Kienzle and maybe GE/Telechron did too but that's just a guess. That car was about 11 years old when I learned how to drive on it and it's surprising that the clock still worked.
Wow! Open a box from 1959, and the clock is still ticking!
*WARNING!*
If you receive a package that it TICKING just.... RUNNNNNN RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
LOL
😁😅😂🤣
Sorry. I just had to.
But seriously, that really does look like it was hermetically sealed in a dark vault for all these years.
I've NEVER seen anything that age look that good.
AND NO MIRROR COMMENTS EITHER, Y'ALL!
😁😅😂🤣
Woww what a beautiful radio. Was it made in Bridgeport? I want to get a GE radio made in Bridgeport CT but seems most were made in Utica NY or abroad. Thanks for the great video.
Beet
Joe
Thanks, Joe! It's marked made in Utica NY, and that does seem to be where most early GE radios were made.
@@50sTransistorRadios thanks buddy for the reply. I think in the 20’s and 30’s they made tube radios here. They demolished their huge beautiful factory here 6 or 7 years ago.
Thanks again.
Best,
Joe
Is that tall spring the main spring that's wound for the escapement mechanism?
It's actually a smaller spring behind that one. I'm not sure what the big one does, but it doesn't move when the clock winds.
James Scholz?