Telechron began in 1912 as the Warren Clock Company, founded by Henry Warren, who invented a self-starting electric clock motor in 1918. Renamed Warren Telechron in 1926, the company became a major manufacturer of synchronous electric clocks, leading to a partnership and eventual full integration with General Electric in the 1940s. Telechron clocks were known for their reliability and stylish Art Deco designs, and the company's operations in Ashland, Massachusetts, earned the town the nickname "Clocktown". After a decline, GE closed the Ashland plant in the late 1970s, but the building is now undergoing rehabilitation.