Around 1860, Florenz Friedrick planted the first seeds of antique Kroeber Clocks in New York. In the city, Martin Kroeber began working for a tiny clock company called “Owen & Clark.” He had no clue where his new job would lead when he started working there, but as he developed an interest in horology, his expertise increased to the point that he desired further engagement in the business.
It was fortunate that Kroeber started when he did since the partnership collapsed later that year, in 1861, and one of the original partners, George B. Owen, took over the business. After three more years of working for Owen, Kroeber saw an opportunity to fully take over the business when Owen opted to accept a job with the Gilbert Clock Company.
From the time he took over in 1864 until 1868, Kroeber managed the company with little development up to the time he met Nicholas Mueller, a manufacturer of cast metal. A relationship was established because Kroeber saw that Mueller would be a valuable asset in the creation of vintage Kroeber Clocks.
Unfortunately, the alliance was not meant to survive, and in 1869 Kroeber started seeking for new partners. When he couldn’t find any appropriate candidates, Kroeber started creating his own clock casings. He was eventually able to work out a deal with a local clock movement manufacturer to get the movements he needed.
The production of vintage Kroeber clocks was a success, and for the following twenty years or so Kroeber prospered, creating a new retail location in Manhattan. Kroeber had a sizable stock of vintage Kroeber clocks for sale by the end of the 1880s, and the business was ultimately established as the F. Kroeber Clock Company in 1887.
Kroeber, like the majority of clock makers at the time, suffered greatly from the nation’s economic collapse that began in 1893. Actually, Kroeber would struggle to live during what would turn out to be the worst slump the US had ever experienced.
The Manhattan shop was closed in 1895, and the company progressively ceased to exist. The firm was no longer able to continue by 1899, and receivership was appointed. But Kroeber would carry on creating clocks, although on a much lesser scale. But eventually, even this endeavor would collapse, driving Florenz Kroeber into personal ruin.
In the following few years of his life, Kroeber worked as an employee for a number of New York horologists who had weathered the recession after being obliged to return to work. When Kroeber went away in 1911, he left behind a legacy of vintage Kroeber clocks for all of us to collect and cherish.