Gustav Becker

Gustav Becker (1819-1885) was one of the best German watchmakers, he being the founder of the Gustav Becker brand. He trained as a watchmaker in Germany and Austria, so in 1850 he opened a watchmaking workshop in Freiburg.

He soon became recognized as a watchmaker for the excellent quality and design of his watches, being present at several fairs (London, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Berlin and Amsterdam) and winning numerous medals and diplomas, including the Medal of Gold (at the Silesian Clock Fair, 1852, found inscribed on the clocks produced by him).

From 1847 to 1860, he creates clocks in the Viennese model, from which he covers large orders for the Royal Mail, the Silesian Telegraphy Center and thanks to the Duke of Martibore he produces clock cases for railway stations, then from 1860 he creates the Gustav Becker Clasic clocks.

The range of pendulum wall clocks created by this renowned watchmaker is very diverse starting from relatively simple clocks to complex and richly ornamented wall clocks, his sales peaking in 1875 with over 300,000 orders. Throughout the 1880s, due to competition from Black Forest watchmakers who produced quality but less expensive clocks, such as the Cuckoo Clock, Becker was forced to return to creating clocks of simpler design , because the most laborious models were no longer sold.

The Gustav Becker brand was created in 1899, and in 1930 it merged with the Junghans company.

With the end of World War II, the company stopped producing clocks, so the Gustav Becker pendulum wall clocks are no longer produced either.

Due to the reputation of quality and the fact that it is a Becker brand, such a watch is more valuable than a watch of similar quality, but made by a lesser-known watchmaker.

Becker brand watches can be easily identified, as it bears the trademark and serial number on the dial and mechanism, and his initials are inscribed on the weights. The serial number refers to the year the watch was produced (see table).