5 Lessons I Learned From My Cuckoo Clock

I was sitting in my kitchen the other day having a cup of coffee when my cuckoo clock announced that it was Noon with twelve cheerful "cuckoos." I began to think about a few things -- things I have learned since I purchased my cuckoo clock years ago. Here's what I was thinking about exactly:

Have a Nice Voice
Don't you hate it when you hear a voice that sets your teeth on edge. They are women's shrill voices as they fuss and nag at their husbands or children. They are men's terse and harsh voices when they're talking to their wives and kids. Everybody hates hearing a voice like that. My cuckoo clock has a fabulous voice. It greets each new hour with hope and enthusiasm. We should all have that kind of voice when we greet other people. If we do, people won't mind if we hang around a while. My cuckoo clock is vintage and antique. It's been welcome in people's kitchens and lives for many years.

Better Late Than Never
My cuckoo clock isn't the most accurate clock I own. In fact, it's not very accurate at all. I have to make corrections to it each day by moving the minute hand forward a couple of minutes. It always runs a bit slow. But, it's also an antique. It's outlasted many contemporary timepieces I own. Why? Did they quit working? No, they still function perfectly fine. They just lacked the character and style that my cuckoo clock has. Those two qualities often win out over mere function. I'll take my "better late than never" cuckoo clock over any contemporary quartz clock any day. My cuckoo clock could be referred to as "fashionably late." It shows up hourly a minute or two tardy, perhaps, but always in style. Point yourself toward the finish line and arrive in style -- even if you do end up being a little later than expected.

Maintain the Small Things, So You Can Avoid the Big Things
It's a simple task, but each day I have to pull the pinecone weights on my clock back up to the top. These keep the clock's movement functioning. If I forget to do this simple task, the clock ceases to work. It simply stops. Life is kind of like that too. If you quit pulling your weight each day -- the little things you need to do to maintain your life -- it will stop working too. Deal with the small things so they don't become big things.

Quality Matters
I was shopping at Target the other day and happened to look at some kitchen clocks. These were contemporary clocks with simple lines (which to me seemed plain). They weren't constructed well and I could see glue oozing from some of the joints. Across the aisle they looked kind of pretty, but when I got up close I could see the poor craftsmanship. I love my cuckoo clock because I can get right up in front of it. The workmanship is superb. Each part of it was carefully handcrafted to complement the others. The leaves and deer showing the signs of true art. Yes, quality matters. Show the world that you are a quality human being. Let your quality shine. Make the decision to be a person of quality. Allow others to stand close to you so they can admire the quality that you've become.

It's Okay If You're Different
Often when new friends visit my house for the first time they are surprised by my cuckoo clock. They might even laugh, thinking it's kind of cute. It's a whimsical clock, different from contemporary kitchen clocks. But, once we've been friends for a while, they anticipate coming to my home and hearing the familiar call of my cuckoo clock. Don't be afraid to be different. Most modern clocks will be tossed aside, put in a garage sale, or given to Goodwill within a few years. But, my cuckoo clock will still be hanging on the wall ticking away -- beloved in my heart because it's unique and different.

A Brief History of the Cuckoo Clock

While many of us love the cuckoo clock, the history of its origin is shrouded in mystery. There are two legends surrounding its beginning. The first legend is that a clockmaker named Anton Ketterer from Germany’s Black Forest added a cuckoo bird to one of his existing clocks around 1738 and the cuckoo clock took off as a result. The second story is that a Bohemian peddler (from what is now the Czech Republic) traveling through the Black Forest sold two cuckoo clocks to two of the clockmakers there. They copied the clock design and began the thriving cuckoo clock industry of the Black Forest. Since neither tale can be verified, we’ll have to be content with the part of the story we actually know for sure – which came later.

The Black Forest had a clockmaking history that began at least a hundred years before cuckoo clocks came to the Black Forest (by whichever of the two stories). Since the winters were harsh in the Black Forest, people stayed indoors and worked on handcrafted items. This is common in many cultures that have extreme winter weather. So, when the cuckoo clock was introduced to the Black Forest, it was a perfect fit for the residents in the Black Forest region. Building the cuckoo clocks gave them something profitable they could do during the long, hard winters when their fields lay dormant. In the spring, traveling peddlers would sell the handmade cuckoo clocks throughout all of Europe on behalf of the Black Forest craftsman.

Shield Style - Schilduhr

There are several different styles of cuckoo clocks that emerged over the years. In the beginning, most cuckoo clocks were crafted in the Schilduhr (or “shield clock”) design. These designs were open on the sides and revealed the clock’s mechanical movement. This style included a half circle just above the shield which housed the cuckoo bird. This was the standard cuckoo clock style from the 1750s to the 1850s.

Railway House Style - Bahnhäusle

In 1850, a school of clockmaking in the town of Furtwangen in the Black Forest announced a contest to create a clockcase that combined the look of handcrafted design with the professionalism of a manufactured clock. The victor of the competition was an architect from Italy who had built railway guard houses for the new railroad that cut through the Black Forest. He integrated grape leaves from his native Italy into his design, as well as the façade of the many railway houses he had built. This style was instantly popular and is the style people imagine when they think of the Black Forest cuckoo clock.

The cuckoo clocks that are sold today as souvenirs are based on this winning design. Today’s clocks have some variations on the original railway house style – some have birds, leaves, deer, hunting equipment, or other woodland animals. These clocks are synonymous with Germany’s Black Forest.

Variations by Other Countries - Swiss Chalet Style

In the late 1800s, Swiss clockmakers felt they could improve the cuckoo clock’s style, so they designed what is known as the Swiss Chalet style cuckoo. Chalets come in three varieties:

Black Forest Chalet
Swiss Chalet
Bavarian Chalet

Besides just adding to the outward design, the Swiss clockmakers also added music to their clocks. They added Swiss music boxes (for which they were already famous), moving figures, and other animated features to their clocks. These could include children swinging on rope swings, movable water wheels, beer drinking figures and woodcutters,. The Swiss musical cuckoo clocks played a song at the top of every hour. The song was usually Edelweis or some other traditional one.

Conclusion

While other countries have tried to get on the band wagon, Germany’s Black Forest region is still the center of production for cuckoo clocks. It is more than just a source of income for the people of the Black Forest. It has become part of their identity as a people. This close tie between a people and their product is one of the reasons the cuckoo clock has such an enduring history and is beloved by people throughout the world.