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German Clockmakers: Hamburg American, Junghans and Gustav Becker

Paul Landenberger started out as a bookkeeper for the Junghans clock factory in Schramberg, Germany. He advanced in the company to an authorized executive business manager. Landenberger married Frida Junghans, daughter of company founder Erhard Junghans. In 1872 Landenberger demanded a position on the board of directors. The Junghans family declined his request and Landenberger left the company in anger. This was the beginning of a long family feud. In 1875, together with his partner, Philipp Lang, he founded the company Landenberger & Lang clock factory. He had taken some know-how from his experience at Junghans, but the company was bankrupt by 1882/1883. In 1883 converted to a stock holding firm and with new investors, the company was re-named to Hamburg-Amerikanische Uhrenfabrik (Hamburg American clock factory). Also known as HAC.

“Hamburg” appeared in the name, because the investor coming from Hamburg wanted it that way. “Amerikanische” was connected to the movements that were made by the new efficient American production methods. The older company logos of HAC may not be as familiar as the well known “Pfeilkreuz” (Crossed Arrows) mark, registered in 1891.The company used many different trademarks but the best known is the “crossed arrows” symbol.Later the discount “Lux” trademark with the logo of a burning oil lamp in 1905.

The competition with Junghans, was fierce. HAC managed to flourish. HAC built its own worker’s homes housing district.By the mid 1920s HAC, Junghans and Gustav Becker were forced to cooperate because of dropping sales figures and economic depression. Junghans gained influence by this cooperation and in 1930 was able to completely take over both companies (HAC and Gustav Becker).

Erhard Junghans, founder of the Junghans factory. Died in 1876. Junghans History

Junghans Factory

Much of the old HAC factory, including all of their archives, were destroyed during a flood in 1959.

HAC movements cannot be dated by serial numbers or dating codes prior to the takeover by Junghans. Some of the movements displayed both the HAC and the Junghans star.

Hamburg Amerikanische Uhrenfabrik

Gustav Becker (1819-1885)

Gustav Becker learned the craft of watch making in Silesia (now part of Poland)and extended his knowledge on trips to watchmakers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.These trips enabled him to refine his craft and to become an outstanding watchmaker. During his time in Vienna he wished to establish a watch factory. In 1847 Becker opened a watch shop in Freiburg. This is a town in the province of Lower Silesia, Poland.

In 1854 he had a large order for the Royal Mail and the Telegraph Office of Silesia.The Duke of Ratibor gave him a generous loan with which he could build near the train station.From this factory the simple pendulum clocks were soon replaced in 1860 by more elaborate clocks with richly ornamented and carved housings for high quality works.

Clock Movement Trademark Identification – German Clockmakers

Antique Clock Museum of German clocks – German Clockmakers

All the clock and watch repair courses are now available online and are all viewable on the new Tick Tock Productions Online School  Additionally, there is an online library consisting of over 85 classic and rare watch and clock repair books with more watch and clock videos.

Famous people and their clocks

Rap and Hip-hop’s most famous hype man, Flavor Flav, knows the value of time.

Flavor Flav on Jimmey Kimmel Live!

The reality star, author, and member of 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Public Enemy has been wearing a dinner-plate-sized clock around his neck since 1987. The comical artist, whose birth name is William Drayton Jr., made the timepiece one of music’s funniest fashion statements.

Flavor Flav clock store

William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), better known by his stage name Flavor Flav is an American musician, rapper, actor, television personality, and comedian who rose to prominence as a member of the rap hip-hop group Public Enemy.

Drayton was born in Roosevelt, New York and grew up in nearby Freeport, two communities each within the town of Hempstead, New York. He began playing the piano at age five and is self-taught. A musical prodigy, he sang in the youth choir at his church and mastered the piano, drums, and guitar at an early age. According to Chuck D, he is proficient in 15 instruments.  He set a house on fire as a small child while playing with a lighter; by the time he dropped out of school in the 11th grade, he had been in and out of jail for robbery and burglary.  Flav graduated from culinary school in 1978, and has cooked in several restaurants. He attended Adelphi University on Long Island where he met Carlton Ridenhour, who would become known as Chuck D.  They first collaborated on Chuck D’s rap hip-hop college radio show, and then they began rapping together. The two worked for Chuck D’s father’s delivery service.

Flavor Flav on the red carpet

Flavor Flav, who gave clocks to the top candidates during the three seasons of his dating show, “Flavor of Love,” explained the origins of his unusual necklace during a 1994 MTV interview: “Before I started out wearing these clocks, we started off with little stopwatches, and one day I just wanted to do something out of the ordinary,” he said during an interview with the cable channel.

A rapper friend dared him to replace the stopwatch with an actual clock, and he tried it. “It was looking crazy, but I liked it,” he said. Public Enemy front-man Chuck D wore a clock for a brief stint, too, but it became a staple for Flavor. He told Vanity Fair in an interview that he owns more than 100 timekeepers.

Flavor Flav with actress Brigitte Nielson

Flavor said the clock joke eventually served a more serious purpose. But there’s actually a deeper meaning behind it.

“The reason why I wear this clock is because it represents time being the most important element in our life,” he said. “Time can’t afford to be wasted, but not only that, but God only gave us one life. Each minute we live, we got to live each second to our best value. Time brought us up in here, and time can also take us out.”

50th Birthday party for Flavor Flav

Even though Flavor often seems aloof, his accessory is a reminder that he is actually quite aware. “I always say, ‘I’m clockin’, I’m clockin’.’ That means I’m paying attention, so you can’t get fast on me because I know what time it is.”