German clockmaker Gustav Becker (1819–1855) was a committed and accomplished craftsman. After receiving extensive training in clockmaking in Germany and Vienna, he opened a modest clockmaking firm in Freiburg, Silesia, in 1850. (Not the Black Forest Freiburg.) He struggled to make clocks with a labor force that lacked skills until he won a design prize in 1852, which gave him the status to recruit the kind of competent employees this new industry required to succeed.
From the 1860s until the 1890s, the company thrived and received several accolades for quality and performance on a global scale. Most Gustav Becker clocks were weight-powered regulator wall clocks up until around 1880. Following the introduction of spring-powered clocks, several different designs appeared. By the time the trademark’s usage came to an end in the middle of the 1930s, many million clocks had been made and sold.
Although Gustav Becker passed away in 1885, the success of his business preserved his legacy. The United Freiburg Clock Manufacturing Company Inc., originally Gustav Becker, a merging of Freiburg clockmaking firms in 1889 did not affect the trademark or manufacturing. The Gustav Becker brand was used by this business until around 1935 when it merged in 1926 with the Junghans clockmaking business.
It’s not too difficult to recognize a Becker clock. Nearly all of Gustav Becker’s clocks were weight driven Regulator wall clocks until the invention of the spring driven mechanism in 1880. On the dial of Becker’s clocks are his trademark and serial number, and his initials are frequently imprinted on the weights. The year of manufacturing is referenced in serial numbers, making age determination fairly straightforward. Karl Kochmann’s book “Gustav Becker Story” is a great source for this data as well as other facts.
Gustav Becker clocks are noted for their fine craftsmanship, and having the Becker brand on a clock will increase its value over clocks from lesser-known makers of comparable caliber. These valuable works of art can cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000 and beyond, although they are not as pricey as their furniture counterparts.