Caslon and Copal badging

[Jumblejeff]

The Copal 101 and 201 have either Caslon or Copal on the inside bezel. They appear identical otherwise. Was the Caslon the earlier builds and then the Copal name went on later? The bottoms of both 101 and 201 have Copal on the molds when they were made.

[flipoclock]

Good question but in this case, your guess is as good as mine I have been racking my brains on this numerous times but have found no conclusive answer.

I vote we all chip in some money so we can send Mackey to Japan to investigate and if he does not want to go, I'll sacrifice myself Surely there must be someone out there still alive who has the answers...

[Mackey]

I've often thought that when I win the lotto I'll go to Japan for just such reasons as this.

[Jumblejeff]

I guess we will never be sure. May have been just a marketing thing. The 201 was one of my bucket list Copal’s. It’s the one in the second picture. It had to be a red one with silver trim. I haven’t received it yet. It looks like the cord might be dried out. I was in Japan (Hiroshima) back in 2007 for a few weeks. Unfortunately I hadn’t discovered flip clocks yet.

thanks for your reply…..

[flipoclock]

Now that you mention that about the being the importer, that rings a bell somewhere. It is a little bit confusing that the names are so much alike...

[flipoclock]

I checked and have seen Copal clocks branded as Caslon in Europe, 220 volts and 50hz, 24 hours... I wonder how that came to be if they were an importer in the US.

[Mackey]

Copal named the clocks "Caslon." Calson is the name of the font used. In Nidec-Copal's history, they stated that Japan's first flip clock was the "Caslon 101."

The earliest record of the introduction of the Copal Caslon to the West was in the April 1966 British Horological Journal where the name was given as "Caslon."

My belief is that the earlier clocks had "Caslon" and the later, Copal. I believe the company "Ropat-Caslon" picked up that name later.







Ref:
- more info on the journal article
- japan's first flip clock

[Jumblejeff]

Great information Mackey. Thanks for your reply.

I was working on the 201 this morning. Your video on this model gave me some good tips. I recently purchased a 101 for comparison. The 201 is nice upgrade. The chrome trim that surrounds the front give it a nicer look than the more plain 101. It’s the first flipper for me with white tiles. So far it looking really nice.

[Mackey]

Yeah, the 201 and the 101 are probably my top two favorite flip clocks. I'm a fan of the white tiles too.

[Jumblejeff]

Nice ad. I always look for flip clock ads in old magazines when I’m in a antique shop. I have never found one yet.

I bought a pair of identical off white Caslon's a few weeks ago for a great price. The cases were really yellowed, but whitened well. Both needed new lamps and the motors serviced. Then a few weeks later the red Copal 201 shows up on EBay. Both models are really well made. The glass front is nice. The non-radio flippers are so much easier to restore.

Thanks for sharing the vintage ad….love it.

[flipoclock]

I'm a fan of the white tiles too.

I have a Copal/Caslon 201 here with a black front bezel and black tiles and I have to say, although it is for sale, I would have a really hard time letting it go, it is AWESOME!