What is a Cuckoo Clock?
A cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum driven, that strikes the hours using small bellows and pipes that imitate the call of the Common Cuckoo in addition to striking a wire gong. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call was installed in almost every kind of cuckoo clock since the middle of the eighteenth century and has remained almost without variation until the present.
Above: Traditional Cuckoo Clocks, carved in the German Black Forest Style
To learn more about the history of Cuckoo clocks, click here.
Cuckoo Clocks have come a long way since the Black Forest Bavarian-looking traditional clock. Take a look at some of the contemporary versions now on the market.
The Cucù (or Forest Clock) made for Diamantini & Domeniconi in 2005 by Pascal Tarabay was one of the first modern cuckoos on the market. It's a silhouetted stainless steel, powder-coated, colored modern cuckoo clock:
Also available in wood:
Another modern version of the cuckoo by Pascal Tarabay is the Meridiana Clock:
available for purchase here.
Barbero Design of Italy is one of the biggest manufacturers of modern Cuckoo Clocks. Here are some of their clocks:
The Gazebo:
The Kalimero:
The Auckland:
The Picchio:
The Nonsparatesulcucu:
Momento Italia carries most of the above clocks by Barbero as well as these below:
The Tu-Tu, designed by Mattia Cimadoro:
E Gamina's The Merlino:
Tip Top by Ilya Titov in maple or wenge:
Designed by Rnd_Lab, this comes in painted colors as well as natural wood:
The Silos, designed by G. Lacchetti
Many designers and manufacturers have jumped on the Cuckoo bandwagon, here are some more available for purchase below:
Modern Cuckoo Clock designed by Tobias Reischle, available at the SF MOMA store
Kikkerland's fun retro plastic chrome cuckoo, available at The Abstract Home:
Modern Cuckoo in Pink or Silver, no longer available-sold out at Chiasso:
The Digital Stag Cuckoo Clock by Fly-Pitcher:
This nice chrome cuckoo for sale at Chiasso :
The all wood Cosine Cuckoo available here:
This Minimalist Beauty in Wood and Brass is designed by Reddish and is available here:
These two cu_cu clocks (as they are named) are available at Unica Home along with many of the Barbero clocks shown here:
And for the kids....
This fun series of modern colorful plastic Cuckoos called CooClocks have been designed for kids and have various animals. On the hour, a wacky farm or jungle character pops out of the doors and sounds with a ’Moo’, ’Neigh’, ’Bawk’, etc. These funny clocks are ideal as children’s clocks or for young at heart adults. Coo clocks are usable as wall clocks or mantle clocks. :
Coo Clocks are made by HeadsUp and are available here