History of the F. L. Löbner Berlin Watch Manufactory
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The watch factory F. L. Löbner was founded by Franz Ludwig Löbner in 1862 in Berlin at Potsdamer Straße 11. After some changes around Potsdamer Platz, he eventually found the permanent headquarters for his firm at Potsdamer Str. 23, while the showroom was located at Victoriastraße 22.
The Löbner company always saw itself as a watch factory rather than a watch shop, although it is evident from their product range that probably more than 90% of the watches offered originated from other manufacturers. Thus, watches were offered starting from 8 Marks, including ladies' and gentlemen's watches in a wide variety of finishes (steel, nickel, silver, gold), but focusing primarily on the finest precision watches from Geneva in the highest technical perfection, as well as Glashütte watches, right up to the so-called "anchor chronometer" from A. Lange & Söhne. Glashütte repeaters with self-striking mechanisms and grande sonnerie (priced at 8,000 Marks), Geneva anchor remontoir movements with split-seconds chronograph, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, etc. (up to 2,600 Marks), and the finest deck watches with chronometer escapements, including those from Ulysse Nardin.
He is also responsible for the modified tower clock at the Friedenau church "Zum guten Hirten" on Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz and the tower clock of the Friedrich-Bergius-Schule. Tower clock specialists suspect the manufacturers were Eduard Korfhage & Söhne from Buer or the Turmuhrenfabrik und Glockengießerei J. F. Weule from Bockenem.
Watch specialists discovered that more than 90 percent of the watches offered by F. L. Löbner originated from other manufacturers, including the highly refined, rare hunter-case watch (Savonnette), quality 1A, movement no. 46915, case no. 46915, 54 mm, 133 g, which was manufactured in 1901 by A. Lange & Söhne Glashütte as a custom-made piece for Löbner. Löbner also offered seconds-pendulum clocks that were signed F. L. Löbner, but which were identified by their numbering as movements from the company Strasser & Rohde in Glashütte.
Among Löbner's curiosities in 1894 was the Perpetual Calendar in the reading room of the Reichstag, a clock that, in addition to day, date, and month, also displayed the turn of the year and moon phases for the next 2000 years. Quite optimistic. The Perpetual Calendar was destroyed in the Reichstag fire of 1933. Löbner also created a musical pocket watch with a perpetual calendar and moon phases that plays the English national anthem every hour.
