Cuckoo Clock – Emitting Waves of Sweet Sounds

Although the first cuckoo clock was made of wood, they are a great deal simpler in style than the intricately decorated and heavily carved creations that are usually thought of to be a cuckoo clock. Instead of just the case being made of wood, early Germany clockmakers made every piece of the clock from wood, including the gears and other working parts. This is one of the reasons why these early clocks have fallen into disrepair or are completely lost. Furthermore, many of these early wall clocks were painted with watercolor paints, which do not have the potential to hold their pigments over time and are easily removed by simply cleaning the clock with a damp cloth.

Although these early wall clocks were more primitive than their modern day counterparts, they included the famous cuckoo bird instead of more traditional chimes to mark the hour. Native to Asia, Africa, and Europe, the cuckoo bird is a unique bird that lays their eggs in the nests of other birds, which in turn rear the cuckoo’s young as surrogate parents. This bird was commonly grey in color, although the female features a vibrant tuft of red feathers atop her head.

The cuckoo clock is far older than the popular clocks made in the Black Forest region of southwest Germany. This is known because in 1650 the cuckoo clock was part of reference book knowledge recorded in books. It actually took almost a hundred more years before the cuckoo clock arrived in the Black Forest.

For many decades after its arrival the cuckoo clock was only an unimportant niche product. However, although the basic design of putting a cuckoo into a clock didn't begin in the Black Forest, it's certainly true now that the modern Black Forest Cuckoo Clock reproductions are faithful copies of the clocks made there.

As easy as it is to assemble finished parts at a company that has been doing it for a few hundred years, it's very difficult for a beginner to achieve the same success - even when using the same parts. Also, since most of the artistry that draws people to appreciate the cuckoo clock is the look and sound of the finished product, there is no way to create a hand carved, artistic finished cuckoo clock and then disassemble it so somebody else could put it together. It simply cannot be done.