My vintage GE clock collection

[Reaper]

I just finished my clock collection (for now!). I like the look and quality of the GE clocks so I collected one of each type of technology they made. Not all of them are flips, but they're all vintage and restored to great working condition.

GE 7-4305C




This was the first vintage clock I restored. It's a rolling clock, or rolling flip, whatever the correct term is. It has solid double sided tiles which spin around a cylinder and flip over at the same time. The numbers smoothly slide down into place instead of flipping instantly. As far as I can tell from the date code this one was manufactured in 1971.

GE 7-4310F




After getting my first vintage clock I wanted a flip as well, and I really like the look of a radio with a light-up tuner display. Luckily I found this one and with some maintenance it's working good as new again. It also has a sleep timer, which I didn't expect on an older clock. The knob is actually connected to the clock mechanism to allow it to count down. I believe this one was manufactured in 1978.

[Reaper]

GE 7-4642B



Having been born in the early 80s, I always liked 80s tech. I heard of vacuum fluorescent displays, but the only thing I ever owned with one in it was an old Beta player. I decided to add one of these clocks to my collection and I fell in love with the display as soon as I turned it on! It's very bright and crisp, but it also lights up the whole room with a bluish glow at night! Thankfully there's a dimmer switch on the side. This clock easily sounds better than any of my others, the quality is great. The alarm is a constant ear-piercing tone though! It has a battery back-up, but it takes two 9-volt batteries for power. I have only ever seen clocks with a single 9-volt battery to keep the time. This one was made in 1983, the same year I was born!

GE 7-4612BKA




I know LED clocks are extremely common these days, but I wanted a good quality GE clock to replace my old no-name one I had since I was a kid. This one sounds good for a more modern clock radio, but not as good as the older ones. Probably because of the smaller cabinet size. This one was manufactured in 1992.

I'm satisfied with my collection for now, but I'm sure I'll find something else that catches my eye one of these days! There are a few other flip clocks I like but they're way too expensive. I got these clocks for around $30 each or less, and they only needed cleaning and maintenance for the most part.

[RetroFlip]

Thanks for sharing. They look well cared for! Keep an eye out for the GE C4600A clock radio, if has a mechanical occlusion style display (Like a smaller version of a LUMITIME) that at first looks like an led. Sort of straddles both of the techs. Prices do seem to be a bit crazy right now as far as ebay goes...

[flipoclock]

I can certainly appreciated a nice, vintage LED clock. Copal also made some nice ones.

[Reaper]

I forgot all about the Lumitime displays! I didn't know GE made that style of clock. Never actually saw one in motion, guess I'll have to keep an eye out for one to add to my collection. I was also looking at a GE 7-4885 vacuum fluorescent. It's huge and looks like it swallowed a phone! It has a programmable digital tuner and a photocell to dim the display automatically after dark. Pretty advanced for an antique. I decided on the VFD clock I have because of the sleek modern (for the time) look of it.

[flipoclock]

You can find them in Japan (www.buyee.jp), but they're getting more expensive over there too... I would like to have one, but getting one in 220v is hard and when you do come across one, they are very expensive...