
What is a Swiss cuckoo clock?
Swiss cuckoo clocks, although they have not had as much recognition as Black Forest or German cuckoo clocks, are beautifully designed and add elegance and a traditional look to many homes throughout the world. Most Swiss cuckoo clocks feature a music box.
Are cuckoo clocks available in Interlaken?
Just a note that cuckoo clocks are mostly German. Yes they are available in Interlaken. As explained on an episode of Samantha Brown where she visited the shop in Interlaken, the mechanisms are often Swiss. I bought my cuckoo clock in Switzerland a few years ago.
How do you determine the value of an antique German cuckoo clock?
When determining an antique German cuckoo clock's value, this is an important factor. Clocks that don't need winding up so frequently are more valuable than 1-day mechanisms. We should also mention that for a collector, a clock’s value is at least partially dependent on whether the mechanisms work.
Where are Loetscher cuckoo clocks made?
Loetscher Cuckoo Clocks are now distributed exclusively by the California Clock Company in the USA. We have been impressed with their world famous mastery of this art, exquisite attention to detail, and almost 100 year tradition of manufacturing these timepieces in Switzerland.

Do they make cuckoo clocks in Switzerland?
Swiss cuckoo clocks are a prime example of Switzerland's spirit of innovation. The country began producing the world-renowned clock in the village of Brienz in the Bernese Oberland before it went on to be further developed and modernised.
How much does a cuckoo clock cost?
These hand-made clocks start at around $150 for a nice 1-DAY cuckoo clock and can reach $3000 or more for a beautifully detailed work of art. Black Forest cuckoo clocks are designed to suit many different budgets.
Which country is famous for cuckoo clocks?
Cuckoo clocks are among the most authentic souvenirs you can purchase in Germany to remember your holiday for ages, every hour! Germany is also peppered with cuckoo clock masterpieces, which are worth visiting for their sheer uniqueness.
How do I know if my cuckoo clock is authentic?
If you have an authentic Black Forest cuckoo clock, you should also find a sticker on the inside of your cuckoo clock in black, white, and gold with the letters 'VDS'. Here at Cuckooclocks.com, all our clocks come with certification, along with a five-year product warranty.
Are cuckoo clocks Swiss or German?
The Black Forest region of southern Germany is where cuckoo clocks - mostly depicting a hunting scene - have their real nest. But the Lötscher company, based near Zurich, can boast it makes the only genuine Swiss cuckoo clocks in the world.
How long do cuckoo clocks last?
How long do these clocks last? The movements in these cuckoo clocks are engineered to last at least 30 years. If you maintain them right, you will be able to pass them down to your kids or grandkids.
What does a cuckoo clock symbolize?
The cuckoo clock, more than any other kind of timepiece, has often featured in literature, music, cinema, television, etc., in the Western culture, as a metaphor or allegory of innocence, childhood, old age, past, fun, mental disorder, etc.
What do Germans call cuckoo clocks?
Ketterer's clock was the first authentic German cuckoo clock made. He added the rooster and the sound to make it say coo-coo.
Are all cuckoo clocks made in Germany?
Cuckoo clocks are one of the most popular items that come from Germany. These clocks that are manufactured in Germany are made by six renowed manufactures in the world. All these manufactures are members of the Black Forest Clock Association. The manufactures have to be certified.
Which cuckoo clocks are worth money?
Although many still associate cuckoo clocks with Switzerland, the cuckoo clocks we know today evolved in the Black Forest in Germany. Authentic Black Forest cuckoo clocks are the most valuable cuckoo clocks.
Do cuckoo clocks have any value?
Let's begin with the good news: if your Black Forest Cuckoo Clock is a genuine antique, you'll be thrilled to know that it could fetch anywhere between $150 to a cool $3,000; so checking its authenticity and features before you put a price on it would be one hugely-clever move!
How high should I hang my cuckoo clock?
Please note that a cuckoo clock, because of the chains, needs to hang 1,8 -2,0 meters (6-7 feet) above the floor. This height is necessary to give maximum extension to the chains. Use a strong srew with a plug and fix it with a small angle into the wall.
What is the difference between 1 day and 8 day cuckoo clock?
The difference in the two is that the 1-Day movement clocks must be wound every 24 hours and the 8-Day movement clocks must only be wound once each week. The cuckoo clocks are driven by weights or Fir Cones which hand down from the clock.
Can you silence a cuckoo clock?
Silent Lever: Silent Lever: Most cuckoo clocks have a “silent” lever on the side or bottom of the case. Place the lever in the “on” position if you want your clock to “cuckoo” and play music (on models so equipped). In the “silent” or “off” position, both cuckoo and music are silenced.
How do you start a cuckoo clock?
Your cuckoo clocks start and stop lever is either on the side panel, or the bottom. Slide side levers up and pull bottom levers down. This regulates the cuckoo's call. To set the time, turn the cuckoo clocks long hand clockwise into position, then flick the pendulum to get it moving back and forth.
How do cuckoo clocks make sound?
The weights help control the actions of the clock — the first weight helps the clock tell time, the second weight helps the in and out movements of the bird and triggers the sound of the cuckoo call. The bellows squeeze air in and out of the whistles, and this is what makes the “cu” then “ckoo” sound of the bird.
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Why should you buy your Cuckoo Clock from Cuckooclocks.com?
We manufacture and sell original Cuckoo Clocks, direct from us to you. All our mechanical Cuckoo Clocks are certified by the Black Forest Clock Association (VdS). You receive up to 5 years product warranty on your Cuckoo Clock , we have service stations all over the world. We are partner of the premium clock manufacturers. Our Black Forest Clocks are from August Schwer, Anton Schneider, Rombach & Haas and Trenkle Uhren. Worldwide delivery service: For example, we have customers in USA, Canada, Australia, India, China and Japan
How long is the warranty on a cuckoo clock?
All our mechanical Cuckoo Clocks are certified by the Black Forest Clock Association (VdS). You receive up to 5 years product warranty on your Cuckoo Clock, we have service stations all over the world.
What is included in the assembly of a chalet?
Assembly includes adding dancing figurines, waterwheels, animals and of course the cuckoo sound to the chalets.#N#The mechanical movement is chain driven for one or eight days with cuckoo-call and gong strike every half and full hour. The more popular are those with the one-day movement because, it seems, people like the daily ritual of pulling the chain.#N#The most popular model is the number 570, which represents a typical chalet of the Bernese Oberland.#N#"If you go to the resort of Brienz, you can see plenty of them. When people see that particular model, they can see Brienz or the Oberland," said Vafi. "It's a memory for them."#N#Some of the clocks also feature music boxes, produced for Lötscher by the Reuge company of Sainte-Croix in the canton of Vaud.
What is the only Swiss cuckoo clock?
Founded in 1920, the Lötscher company is the only genuine Swiss brand of cuckoo clock. All clocks are hand carved and hand assembled using aged linden wood. The wood is aged for several years to ensure it won't warp or crack in humid or dry environments.
What is the number 570?
The most popular model is the number 570, which represents a typical chalet of the Bernese Oberland. "If you go to the resort of Brienz, you can see plenty of them. When people see that particular model, they can see Brienz or the Oberland," said Vafi. "It's a memory for them.".
Where are cuckoo clocks made?
The Black Forest region of southern Germany is where cuckoo clocks - mostly depicting a hunting scene - have their real nest. But the Lötscher company, based near Zurich, can boast it makes the only genuine Swiss cuckoo clocks in the world. "The one we make is the chalet type. It's typically Swiss and is a Swiss invention," company director Bijan ...
What is the Swiss souvenir?
For many tourists the ultimate Swiss souvenir is a cuckoo clock, and the number of shops selling them in all the big cities and resorts won't disappoint.
What did Leonardo da Vinci say about the Borgias?
In a memorable quote, he said: "In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed – they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock."
What is the dark side of Swiss life?
The much-lauded Swiss quality of life has a dark side – namely levels of consumerism and convenience that jack up the national carbon footprint.
What Material is Your Cuckoo Clock Made of?
The lime tree (or Linden) is found everywhere in the Black Forest, which is why antique cuckoo clocks are almost always made of lime trees. Linden carves well and possesses a smooth texture, making it ideal for decorative pieces. So if your cuckoo clock is made of this wood, it will speak of its authenticity and value. Speaking of materials, when it comes to the mechanics of the cuckoo clocks, the pieces must move with lead weights. In appearance, they’ll resemble small pine cones, and aren’t usually found in modern replicas.
Where Is Your Cuckoo Clock From? Where Was It Made?
Although many still associate cuckoo clocks with Switzerland, the cuckoo clocks we know today evolved in the Black Forest in Germany . Authentic Black Forest cuckoo clocks are the most valuable cuckoo clocks. To determine where your cuckoo clock is from, you should check out the manufacturer’s name, which should be visible either on the clock’s case or the stamps on the mechanisms inside. Keep an eye out for the Association of Black Forest Clock certificate of authenticity.
How Intricate Is Your Cuckoo Clock?
When trying to determine an antique German cuckoo clock's value, examine the clock to see how intricate it is. The more detailed, intricate, and artistic, the more it will be worth. German clockmakers from the 18th century took great pride in their attention to detail.
How often do cuckoo clocks need to be wound?
There are two types of cuckoo clock mechanisms: 1-day and 8-day running time mechanisms. 1-day running time clocks need winding up each day, while the 8-day cucko o clocks only need to be wound up once a week. When determining an antique German cuckoo clock's value, this is an important factor.
What is the difference between quartz and mechanical cuckoo clocks?
Mechanical movement cuckoo clocks are more valuable than quartz movements, and you would expect most antique German cuckoo clocks to have a mechanical movement. Mechanical clocks will require constant winding, while quartz cuckoo clocks are battery operated.
Is a cuckoo clock battery operated?
Mechanical clocks will require constant winding, while quartz cuckoo clocks are battery operated .
Where are cuckoo clocks made?
Built by highly skilled German cuckoo clock makers, every cuckoo clock you see here is hand crafted in the southwestern region of Germany known as The Black Forest.
Who makes cuckoo clocks?
Some of the most prominent brands we carry, who are all highly esteemed manufacturers of hand-carved and hand-painted German cuckoo clocks include companies like Hand Carved Clocks by Hones, Chalet Clocks by Schneider, Vintage Clocks by Herr, or Modern Cuckoo Clocks by Rombach & Haas, and several more. All of the German cuckoo clocks for sale in our marketplace are as unique as our customers that buy them.
What is the second innovation in cuckoo clocks?
The second innovation in the German cuckoo clock’s evolution was the Chalet style. Though often misrepresented as an invention of the Swiss, the cuckoo clocks made in Switzerland were primarily souvenir-quality and not up to the standard of the Black Forest clocks.
What is a chalet clock?
The Chalet style took off in German cuckoo clocks: the standard Chalet style clock depicts a Chalet, a farmhouse, a mill with a water wheel, or some other pastoral scene. These clocks are intricately carved and painted, but the detail is in figures and architectural details (though there are still occasional items from nature).
How long does it take to build a German cuckoo clock?
Oftentimes German cuckoo clocks can take years to build, and the process can date all the way back to the sourcing of the wood. To ensure that the wood is ideal for fashioning the clock, wood is commonly selected years in advance so that it can be properly cut and dried before any carving work starts. Only the finest quality Black Forest wood is selected for use in creating a German cuckoo clock.
What is the sound of a German clock?
While not all German clocks featured the signature cuckoo and coo-coo sound that defines the type, by the late 1700s the sound was inextricably intertwined with the ornate clocks that we all love today.
What is the last step in clock making?
After the clock has been designed and carved, the last step is to install the clock mechanics. Since each clock is built as a custom work of art, the mechanical workings of the clock are built right into the clock itself. Anything that needs to move, including the clock hands, are connected to the clock movement so that they can be triggered and everything works like, well, clockwork!
Where are Loetscher clocks made?
All of the initial steps involved in building the clocks are done in the woodworking facility in Brienz, a small village in central Switzerland in the canton of Berne. Their woodworking artisans take linden wood that has been aged several years (to ensure it won’t warp or crack in humid or dry environments) and hand-carve every chalet and all the figurines that adorn them. This initial process takes time, and it’s the most costly way to build clocks, but it’s what distinguishes Loetscher from the rest. The finished clock bodies are then brought to their assembly plant in Kreuzlingen, by the lake of Constance, where the clockworks, music boxes and gears that enable the figurines to move are assembled and positioned into the clocks. And then finally, the weights and pendulums are added, completing the last steps of assembly.
When was the first cuckoo clock made?
Loetscher built their first clock in 1920, and they're deeply gratified to say that the same loving care and craftsmanship that went into their first clock, still goes into every Loetscher cuckoo clock built today, making each one a truly timeless timepiece.
Who makes the kit cat clock?
The California Clock Company is the world famous manufacturer of the USA Made Kit-Cat Klocks since 1932. We have imported these exquisite Cuckoo Clocks in bulk to our Ohio warehouse in order to ensure that the shipping is both safe and more affordable for collectors in the U.S.A. California Clock Company and our authorized speciality clock shops ...
