When was the first cuckoo clock made?

The beginnings of the Black Forest cuckoo clock industry that date back to the 17th century. The first Black Forest clock (not cuckoo clock) was made in the year 1640 at the Glashof near Waldau. The first cuckoo clock was made and designed in the year c1730 by a clock maker named Franz Anton Ketterer. He was located in the small village of Schoenwald which is near Triberg in the heart of the Black Forest.

Are all cuckoo clocks made in Germany?

 All cuckoo clocks of our range are guaranteed made in the Black Forest of Germany. There was a time, a few nations besides Germany tried to produce cuckoo clocks. Some were made in Japan, some others,  in China. Even in the USA was once a cuckoo clock factory which was founded by German immigrants. Today, Germany is the only nation left to make genuine cuckoo clocks.

Is "Black Forest" a brand name?

No, Black Forest is a region in the south western part of Germany. It often is confused with the cuckoo clocks brand names because cuckoo clocks are usually offered and advertised as "Original Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks" There is nothing wrong with this term but it only means that these products are made in the Black Forest of Germany.

What is a 1-day cuckoo clock?

A 1-day cuckoo clock is a cuckoo clock with a mechanical chain/weight driven movement which has to be rewound by pulling up the weights to the top once a day. These clocks are also often called 24 hour cuckoo clocks.

What is an 8-day cuckoo clock?

The 8-day cuckoo clock is in terms of functioning just like a 1-day cuckoo clock with the only difference that it has to be rewound only once a week. In Germany people used to say eight days when talking about one week. This expression was and still is associated to clocks able to run a time span of one week with just one winding.

What is a musical cuckoo clock?

Musical cuckoo clocks are regular 1-day and 8-day cuckoo clocks able to play 2 different musical tunes after the cuckoo sound. Usually the tunes will be played after the half hour cuckoo and after the full hour cuckoo in 1-day cuckoo clocks (MT-clocks). There are 1-day clocks with so called "roof mounted musicals" or "two door" cuckoo clocks, they will play the music only once after the full hour cuckoo (M-clocks). 8-day cuckoo clocks (8MT-clocks) are equipped to play two different tunes, too, but the inner technique only allows them to play the music after the full hour cuckoo. One hour the first tune and the following hour the second tune and the third hour the first tune again and so on.

How is the size of a cuckoo clock determined?

The size of a cuckoo clock is measured from the peak of the top carvings to the lowest end of the bottom carvings. The weights and pendulum is extra. Weights and pendulum can not be included in the over all measurements because the clocks are weight driven and therefore the weights will drop slowly towards the ground and would change the measurement every day.

What is "Linden" wood?

Linden wood is light colored fairly soft wood which is short fiber and related to bass wood. These facts make hand carving perfect because short fiber and soft wood will guarantee that the carvings will turn out well shaped and smooth on the surface.

What service do cuckoo clocks need?

Usually, our cuckoo clocks run perfectly for many years as long as it is guaranteed that they are hung in a friendly environment. It should not be hung in a humind or dusty area and also the temperature should not drop below 32° F or 0° degrees celsius. As long as the clock runs perfectly it does not need to be serviced. If it does not run smoothly anymore we recommend bringing it to a clockmaker where the movement can be cleaned and oiled with a special clock tools.

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