Chalet style cuckoo clocks are the most loved style of cuckoo clocks. These clocks usually depict themes common in the Black Forest region of Germany and Alpine farming lifestyles of the Schwarzwald. These clocks feature typical hand carved German Alpine house. And what makes these clocks so special is active animations such as wood choppers chopping, mill wheel turning, beer steins raising and couples dancing. All these details are handcrafted which creates an authentic piece of art.

Are you planning to buy your first Chalet style cuckoo clock?

When people decide to buy their first Chalet style cuckoo clock, many questions come in their mind. Today we will look at the things you need to know when buying your first Chalet style cuckoo clock. Let’s have a look.

Manufacturers

These days finding a real cuckoo clock in the market is not an easy task. Make sure manufacturer you are choosing is a member of the Black Forest Clock Association. All the original cuckoo clocks are certified form the Black Forest Clock Association or Verein Die Schwarzwalduhr(VdS). In order to achieve VdS certification, the majority of parts of the clock should be produced in the black forest region in Germany, and clock must have a mechanical movement. This certification ensures buyers that clock is genuine, and of high quality.

Clock Movements

Chalet style cuckoo clocks have two types of clock movement: Mechanical movement and Quartz movement. Both types of movements have pros and cons. Traditional cuckoo clocks feature mechanical clock movements. Clock with a mechanical movement needs to be wound regularly in order for the clock to keep continue working.

There are basically two types of mechanical clock movements. One is the one-day movement, and other is the eight-day movement. The basic difference between these two movements is one-day movement clock requires winding after every 24 hours to give an accurate reading, an eight-day movement clock must be wound after every 7-8 days. Winding a clock is not a difficult task. You just have to pull a chain hanging to the clock.

However, if you do not want to regularly wind the clock, you can purchase a clock with quartz movement. Quartz clock movements are battery powered and do not require regular winding.

Music and Melodies

Chalet style cuckoo clocks are musical in nature, and no doubt, people love listening to whimsical melodies at the strike of every hour. Traditional Chalet style cuckoo clocks often feature traditional German songs and melodies. A Chalet clock that features beer drinkers is more likely to play songs such as “In München steht in Hofbräuhaus” or “Trink, BrüderleinTrink”. Many people around the world consider music and active animations to be an essential part of their decision to buy a Chalet style cuckoo clock.

Night Shut Off

Worried about a cuckoo call and music playing at the top of each hour at night? Fortunately, you have a choice to turn off the sound at night. But all cuckoo clocks do not have night shut off feature, therefore, before you purchase your cuckoo clock ask about night shut off feature. Many cuckoo clocks have manual night shut off feature whereas some have automatic night shut off. Both types of options work well, but automatic night shut off have an advantage of automatically shutting the sound at night. However, manual shutting the sound is also not a difficult task. All you have to do is just pull a lever to shut off a sound.

Price

Price of Chalet style cuckoo clocks depends on various features such as size, movements, melodies, sound shut off, figurines and carving details. Large size cuckoo clocks with many active animations price higher than simple cuckoo clocks. Eight-day cuckoo clock movement will cost you more than its one-day counterpart. So the price of cuckoo clock varies as per features of a cuckoo clock. Price of cuckoo cock varies from $200 to $2500 according to features of the clock.

So these are a few things you need to know about Chalet style cuckoo clocks.

Hermle Clocks was founded in 1922, and since then, they are producing high quality, authentic and original mechanical cuckoo clocks. Hermle Clocks are sold in more than 100 countries.

But when you are buying your first Hermle cuckoo clock, you might find yourself a bit confused because there are a lot of decisions to be made. Today we will look at the steps to choose Hermle cuckoo clocks so that you can select clock that will bring joy for many years.

Step 1: Choose the Style

The first thing you need to do to narrow down your search is choose the style of cuckoo clock. Two main styles of cuckoo clocks are the Carved style cuckoo clock and Chalet style cuckoo clocks. These two styles are popular among the buyer and collectors all around the globe.

Carved Style Cuckoo Clocks

Carved style cuckoo clocks have beautiful carvings attached to the case. These clocks feature beautifully carved birds, deer, eagles, leaves, trees, or owl. These clocks usually depict the scene of black forest nature with animals or hunting theme. Carved style cuckoo clocks are also referred to as traditional style cuckoo clocks.

Chalet Style Cuckoo Clocks

Chalet style cuckoo clocks show themes common in the Black Forest Region and Alpine farming lifestyle. These clocks display finely carved details and have active animations like wood chopper chopping, bell ringer ringing, mill wheel turning, beer stains raising and happy couples dancing to the music. These clocks depict the scene of everyday life.

Once you know what style of Hermle cuckoo clocks you want, you can easily focus on other aspects.

Step 2: Choose Clock Movements

This is one of the most important decisions you need to make. Cuckoo clocks usually have two types of clock movements. One is mechanical clock movement, and other is quartz clock movement.

Mechanical Movement

Mechanical clock movements are powered by the weights and gravity. These movements are common in Black Forest cuckoo clocks. Even, in order to achieve VdS certification, a cuckoo clock must be driven by mechanical movement.

Mechanical movements require regular winding in order for the clock to continue working. Two options of mechanical clock movements are available. One is the 1-day movement, and other is 8-day mechanical movement. 1-day movement clock requires winding after every 24 hours, and 8-day movement clock needs to be wound once in a week to keep time accurately.

Quartz Movement

Quartz clock movements are powered by batteries and take away the need of regular winding. Maintenance of these movements is simple and only requires changing of battery once every year. These movements are alternative to mechanical movements and usually found in low priced cuckoo clocks.

Choose movement of a cuckoo clock as per your personal preferences.

Step 3: Decide on Music and Melodies

We all love the sound of the cuckoo call, but there is a lot more to enjoy. Cuckoo clock with musical elements plays the traditional German songs and melodies. A Black Forest cuckoo clock usually has two different melodies. Carved cuckoo clock will likely to contain popular German folk songs such as “Edelweiss” and “The Happy Wanderer.” And, chalet cuckoo clocks play melodies such as “In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus” or “Trink, BrüderleinTrink.” Music notes range from 18 to 36 notes in most cuckoo clocks. Higher the number of notes richer the quality of music and also more is the price.

Step 4: Choose Sound Shut Off Option

This might be the most helpful feature of a cuckoo clock. You can shut the sound of your clock using night shut off/ sound shut off feature. Night shut off is basically of two types. First is manual shut-off, and second is an automatic shut-off. Many clocks have a manual shut-off option. All you need to do to shut the sound is pull a lever hanged to a clock. However, automatic shut-off clock automatically shut sound at night. Choose the shut-off mechanism as per your specific needs.

So these are the four steps to choose Hermle cuckoo clocks. Hope you will be able to find the right cuckoo clock for your home.