Gustav Becker (1819-1885) was a dedicated and successful German clockmaker. In 1850, after being thoroughly trained in clockmaking in Germany and Vienna, Mr. Becker 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. Gustav Becker Clocks prospered, and won many quality and performance awards worldwide from the 1860s to the 1890s.
Until about 1880, virtually all Gustav Becker clocks were weight powered regulator wall clocks similar to the one shown on the book 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 use in the mid 1930s.
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.
Tran Duy Lys book 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. The book covers 733 items in its 248 pages. A seperate year 2000 price guide is provided.
Price: $34.50
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