Member of the Black Forest Clock Association
A cuckoo clock is a typically pendulum-regulated clock that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo’s call and has an automated cuckoo bird that moves with each note. Some move their wings and open/close their beaks while leaning forward, whereas in others, only the bird’s body leans forward. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call has been in use since the middle of the 18th century The design of a cuckoo clock is made of Black forest Pine Wood in the “Traditional style” or “Chalet” to hang on a wall. In the “traditional style” the wooden case is decorated with carved leaves and animals. They have an automation of the bird that appears through a small trap door while the clock is striking.
There are two kinds of movements: One-day and Eight-day clockworks. Some have musical devices, and play a tune on a Swiss music box after striking the hours and half-hours. Musical cuckoo clocks frequently have other automation which moves when the music box plays. The weights are made of cast iron in a pine cone shape and the “cuc-koo” sound is created by two tiny bellows (pipes) in the clock, the clock’s movement activates the bellows to send a puff of air into each pipe alternately when the timekeeper strikes.
“Verein die Schwarzwalduhr” Vds Certification from the Black Forest Clock association is awarded to the clocks made entirely of wood (except the movements), with all essential parts produced in the Black Forest and that meet quality controls set by the association.
The cuckoo bird emerges from its enclosure , flaps its wings and opens its beak while it sings. During the call the double doors open and the cuckoo emerges as usual, but only on the full hour.The movement of the cuckoo is regulated by an electromagnet that pulses on and off.It is a recording of a cuckoo with a corresponding echo and sound of a waterfall.
In musical quartz clocks, the hourly chime is followed by the replay of one of twelve popular melodies (one for each hour). Uniquely, quartz cuckoo clocks often include a sensor, so that when the lights are turned off at night they automatically silence the hourly chime, the function is referred to as a ‘night silence’ feature. On quartz clocks the weights are conventionally cast in the shape of Aleppo pine cones made of plastic /wood.
The pendulum is often hand carved. Here, the weights and pendulum are purely ornamental as the clock is driven by battery power. The dial is usually small, and typically marked with Roman numerals. The benefits of Quartz Cuckoo Clocks are definitely appealing to some as the maintenance required is often quite minimal, usually a simple change of batteries.
