ZEGARY_BECKER(1).doc

ZEGARY – GUSTAW BECKER

Fine quality clocks from well-known makers are readily available to collectors. One of the better makers from the mid to late 19th century was Gustav Becker. Becker was born in 1819 and trained as a clockmaker in Germany and Austria. He opened his workshops in Freiburg, Silesia, Germany in 1850. Becker struggled with untrained help at first but won a Golden Medal, the Medaille d’or, at the 1852 Silesia Trade Exposition for design. Becker incorporated that first medal and his initials, G.B., into his trademark. This award gave him the recognition that he needed to attract skilled craftsmen to his workshops. Numerous awards and certificates followed, from trade expos as far-flung as Australia and as close to home as Vienna.

Becker clocks are not too difficult to identify. Until 1880 and the introduction of the spring driven mechanism, almost all of Gustav Becker’s clocks were weight driven Regulator wall clocks. Becker’s clocks bear his trademark and serial number on the dial and weights are usually marked with his initials. Serial numbers reference the year of manufacture, so determining age is made very simple. An excellent resource for this information and more is available in the book “Gustav Becker Story” by Karl Kochmann.

After the introduction of the spring driven mechanism, a whole new variety of clocks was made possible. The Becker workshops at their height produced more than 400 varieties of clocks. The cases of these clocks reflect the furniture trends of the day and range from very simple to elaborately ornate. The casework is extraordinarily well done and often incorporates hand carving. Germany has never lacked for skilled carvers and the talent of the region’s artisans is evidenced in the Becker clock cases.

Becker clocks aren’t limited to wooden wall clocks, though. Everything from anniversary clocks to wristwatches is available with the Becker trademark.

Gustav Becker clocks are known for their quality workmanship and the Becker name on a clock will make it more valuable than lesser-known maker’s clocks of similar quality. These collectible works of art are not as expensive as their furniture counterparts and can range in price from $500 to $5,000 and more. Although Gustav Becker only lived until 1885, clocks bore his trademark until 1935.

When shopping for antique clocks there are some things that you’ll want to keep in mind. First of all, as with any valuable investment, know what you’re buying. To do this, you’ll need to read up on the subject of clocks, cases, mechanisms, makers and marks. An educated buyer will always get a better deal.

An old clock case with a modern clock mechanism will be virtually valueless. Similarly, a clock mechanism that has been heavily repaired and parts replaced will be much less valuable than its original condition counterpart. A damaged dial also devalues a clock. All of the features of a clock contribute significantly to its value, so give every clock you consider for purchase a thorough going over. For Gustav Becker clocks, look for trademark and initials in appropriate places but look at the quality of the work, too. No shoddy work came out of the Becker workshops.

Features such as moving figures or musical chimes and quarter, half and hour gongs add to the value of a clock. Consider also how long it will run on a wind. Those that require winding everyday are not generally as valuable as the 8-day or 30 day clocks. Check to see if finals and crowns are missing from the clock. The loss of these is common, especially in oversized tallcase clocks. It’s also not uncommon to find cases that don’t match their mechanisms. To judge this, you’ll have to have some experience with clocks in general or get an evaluation from an appraiser with experience in clocks.

One last tip; if you start to collect antique clocks with chimes or gongs, be sure to set them each a few minutes apart. If they all strike at precisely the same time, you’ll likely have the neighbors complaining!

CLOCKS and TIME

Gustav Becker Clocks

Gustav Becker Clocks, by Tran Duy Ly Published 1993 by Arlington Book Company, Inc., 2706 Elsmore Street, Fairfax, VA. 22031-1409 - Phone 703-280-2005 8 1/2 x 11 - 000 pages - 000 B & W illustrations in high gloss enamel text. Smyth sewn Hardbound $00.00

Tran Duy Ly created this book to meet the need for information concerning the products of the Gustav Becker company, a successful German firm from 1850 to 1935. Most of the contents shows the clocks which were available in 1912, when the firm was producing almost four hundred models. Undoubtedly, many of these were identical to designs used in previous years, so that the book really represents the range of clocks which grew out of the weight-regulator business from 1880 to the start of World War I.

Gustav Becker (1819-1885) was a dedicated and successful German clockmaker. In 1850, thoroughly trained in clockmaking in Germany and in Vienna, he established a small clockmaking shop in Freiburg, Silesia (not the Black Forest Freiburg.) He struggled to produce clocks with an unskilled labor force until a design award in 1852 gave him the prestige to attract the quality of workers needed for success in this new industry. The firm prospered, and won many quality and performance awards worldwide from the 1860' s to the 1890' s Until about 1880, virtually all Gustav Becker clocks were weight powered regulator wall clocks similar to the one shown on this book's cover. Then, spring powered clocks were introduced and many new styles followed. Almost four hundred models are pictured in the text. Several million clocks were produced and sold by the end of the trademark's use in the mid 1930's.

Gustav Becker died in 1885, but the strength of his enterprise carried his name forward. The trademark and production survived an 1889 consolidation of Freiburg clockmaking companies into the "United Freiburg Clock Manufacturing Company Inc., formerly Gustav Becker". In 1926, this firm combined with the Junghans clockmaking company, and the Gustav Becker trademark continued until about 1935.

This volume demonstrates the great variety of clocks, (and a few watches) manufactured by Gustav Becker. The clear pictures and current value estimates will be useful to potential purchasers or appraisers of Gustav Becker and similar German clocks. Equally important, the many views of movements, dials, hands, weights, gongs, and pendulums will help determine authenticity.

The text is organized alphabetically by clock type, beginning with Alarm clocks. Regulators, both weight and spring powered, are to be found in the Hanging Clocks section.

Tran Duy Ly's excellent books are essential resources for purchase and/or restoration of collectible clocks. Whether you collect or research, you need this well laid out and very informative book. There is nothing like it available elsewhere

DOUGLAS G. COWAN Cincinnati Ohio

CLOCKS and TIME / Clock Books / New Books

Copyright © 1997 Gordon T. Uber Review courtesy of Tran Duy Ly. Content last revised 17 June 1995. Updated 18 Jan 1997 <clocks/bib/newbk/gusbecc.html>

webmaster@ubr.com

Gustav Becker (1819-1885) was a dedicated and successful German clockmaker. In 1850, thoroughly trained in clockmaking in Germany and in Vienna, he established a small clockmaking shop in Freiburg, Silesia (not the Black Forest Freiburg). He struggled to produce clocks with an unskilled labor force until a design award in 1852 gave him the prestige to attract the quality of workers needed for success in this new industry. The firm prospered, and won many quality and performance awards worldwide from the 1860's to the 1890's. Until about 1880, virtually all Gustav Becker clocks were weightpowered regulator wall clocks similar to the one shown on this book's cover. Then, spring powered clocks were introduced and many new styles followed. Almost four hundred models are pictured in the text. Several million clocks were produced and sold by the end of the trademark's use in the mid 1930's. Gustav Becker died in 1885, but the strength of his enterprise carried his name forward. The trademark and production survived an 1889 consolidation of Freiburg clockmaking companies into the "United Freiburg Clock Manufacturing Company Inc., formerly Gustav Becker". In 1926, this firm combined with the Junghans clockmaking company, and the Gustav Becker trademark continued until about 1935.

This volume demonstrates the great variety of clocks (and a few watches) manufactured by Gustav Becker. The clear pictures and current value estimates will be useful to potential purchasers or appraisers of Gustav Becker and similar German clocks. Equally important, the many views of movements, dials, hands, weights, gongs, and pendulums will help determine authenticity. The text is organized alphabetically by clock type, beginning with Alarm clocks. Regulators, both weight and springpowered, are to be found in the Hanging Clocks section.

With this book, publisher and editor Tran Duy Ly continues his excellent program to provide educational and reliable clock reference and price guides. He, with the support of forty-two other experts nationwide, has made every effort to produce an accurate, informative reference for anyone interested in Gustav Becker clocks.

Whether you are just beginning to collect, wish to know more about a clock which you already own, or simply enjoy having a good clock reference library, you need this book. Mr. Ly will also publish periodic updates of prices for every clock in this book so that this guide will never be outdated. Thus, this Gustav Becker book becomes an even better choice with time and allows the clock connoisseur to make more intelligent decisions when it comes to buying or selling.

Gustav Becker

Die Firma Gustav Becker wurde 1847 als Uhrengeschäft gegründet. 1850 begann die Produktion von Regulatoren. 1854 erfolgte ein grosser Postauftrag, der zu einem starken Anstieg der Produktion führte. 1892 wird die 1.000.000ste Uhr hergestellt. Gustav Becker stirbt 1885, sein Sohn Paul Albert Becker übernimmt die Leitung der Firma. 1.10. 1899 erfolgt die Gründung der Vereinigte Uhrenfabriken AG, vormals Gustav Becker zusammen mit einigen anderen Freiburger Uhrenfabriken 1926 bildet sich eine Interessengemeinschaft mit Junghans und Hamburg-Amerikanische Uhrenfabrik, die Uhren werden aber noch unter eigenem Namen hergestellt. 1930 übernimmt Junghans die Firma, 1932 wird die Produktion eingestellt. Als Fabrikmarke wurde ein Anker mit Krone und G B zu beiden Seiten des Ankers verwendet.

Das Produktionsjahr kann bei Gustav Becker Uhren nach der Seriennummer festgestellt werden.

Hamburg-Amerikanische Uhrenfabrik

Eine Zusammenstellung von Werknummern und Produktionsjahren:

Da die Werknummern und die Produktionsjahre ungfähr die gleiche Reihenfolge aufweisen, sollte diese Tabelle zur zeitlichen Einordnung auch nicht darin verzeichneter Werknummern geeignet sein. Ich bitte um Ergänzung und Korrektur!