Original cuckoo clocks
with traditional
carvings

Black Forest cuckoo clocks are mechanical wall clocks made in the Black Forest region of Germany. They are particularly well-known for their characteristic cuckoo call, which sounds on the hour. The clocks are traditionally made of wood and feature hand-painted dials and ornate cases.

The history of Black Forest cuckoo clocks goes back to the 17th century. The clocks were originally a kind of folk art and were made by hand in small workshops. Today they are still made by a few watchmaking companies in the Black Forest, but there are also many mass-produced items made in other parts of Germany or abroad.

There are different types of Black Forest cuckoo clocks, including simple clocks with only one cuckoo call per hour and clocks with more complicated functions such as striking, musical or animated functions. Some watches are also equipped with quartz movements, which allow for more accurate timekeeping.

Black Forest cuckoo clock prices can vary greatly, depending on the quality and complexity of the clock. There are both inexpensive mass-produced products and high-quality, handmade watches that are considered collectibles and are correspondingly more expensive.

Most Black Forest cuckoo clocks are powered by mechanical movements powered by weights. These weights are suspended from chain-shaped ropes and slowly move down as the clock ticks. They need to be wound regularly to keep the clock going. There are watches with 1 day term, which need to be wound daily, and clocks with 8-day term, which only need to be raised every 8 days.

Most Black Forest cuckoo clocks also have a striking mechanism that triggers the cuckoo call and displays the hours and quarters of an hour. This striking mechanism consists of a series of wheels and gears that are linked together and rotate with the movement of the movement. The cuckoo call is made by a small bell or sheet of metal struck by a hammer as the clock strikes.

There are also Black Forest cuckoo clocks with musical works, in addition to the cuckoo call Pieces of music can play. These clocks often have small music rolls that are read by a mechanism that creates the music. Some clocks also have animations that move when the cuckoo calls, such as a little cuckoo coming out of a door and disappearing again.