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What Is the Best Modern Cuckoo Clock? Read Our Cuckoo Clock Reviews to Find Your Favorite!
Many of today's modern cuckoo clocks have quartz movement. But if you are going for a traditional cuckoo clock, choose one that has heavy weights and is built in a top quality design. Either way, sure it’s attractive and is detail-oriented for an appealing look. Find out if one of our recommended cuckoo clocks is what you need by reading on.
Related: DIY Holiday Decorating Ideas for that Old Fashioned, Rustic Look
Our Top Choice
The Hekas Chalet-Style Cuckoo Clock is crafted from walnut wood and is hand-painted for a personal touch. It calls every half and full hour. In addition to this beautifully Black Forest cuckoo clock, there are also ones designed with moving pieces such as beer drinkers, wood choppers, and this
delightful turning windmill vintage cuckoo clock.
Kammerer Uhren Hekas Authentic Black Forest German Cuckoo Clock - Antique Cuckoo Clock Design with 8-Day Movement & Night Shutoff
Features
Cuckoo Palace boasts a team of well-trained professionals that work hard to ensure reliable and authentic cuckoo clocks are easily accessible online. The company promotes the production of hand-made German artisanal products such as premium clocks. The customer support team is available during the company’s business hours to answer queries sent by clients from various parts of the world. It’s also a member of the Black Forest Clock Association.
Designed by Kammerer Uhren Hekas, this Chalet-Style Cuckoo Clock is a miniature of a black forest house. The cuckoo resides below the roof and comes out through its door to call. It’s simple, but delightfully furnished and detailed. The cuckoo clock is decorated with roof shingles, benches and trees to suggest a black forest environment. The charming clock is basically a mill with a moving wheel.
With a cuckoo and pendulum as its moving elements, the clock features a wooden clock dial. The cuckoo calls every half and full hour, and the clock makes eight-day movements. The night shutoff is achieved manually using a lever. It’s also highly authentic, even if it doesn’t play music. Measuring only 7.9 x 12 x 12 inches and weighing 12 pounds, you can easily hang this clock on your wall for an appealing center of attraction.
Here are a few other Cuckoo Palace cuckoo clocks to consider:
- Cuckoo Palace Modern Art Cuckoo Clocks — modern and artisanal designs
- Cuckoo Palace Antique Style Cuckoo Clocks — handcrafted & features original historical templates
- Cuckoo Palace Shield Cuckoo Clocks — lacquered shields with a square case & semi-circular arches
Best Value
The River City Clocks Hand-Carved Cuckoo Clock supports 1-day movements and is crafted in Germany for top of the hour calls. It’s both painted and carved by hand for a unique look. Looking for a multi-colored cuckoo clock with greater detail and three pendulums? Opt for the
River City Clocks One Day Musical Cuckoo Clock in the form of a cottage. It features cuckoo dancers that appear every half hour accompanied by a boy and girl on a seesaw.
River City Clocks One Day German Cuckoo Clock with Five Maple Leaves & Bird - Antique Cuckoo Clock Style Hand-Carved by Master Craftsman
Features
River City Clocks uses a combination of authenticity, quality standards and unique styles and designs to distinguish its products from the competitor’s. Designed for amateur athletes and practitioners, the company was founded by health community and yoga enthusiasts. The company also crafts cuckoo clocks, hourglasses, weather instruments and chiming clocks in multipurpose designs. These are excellent interior décor pieces with cozy looks and elegant accents.
The River City Clocks 1-Day Hand-Carved Cuckoo Clock features a wooden bird, a dial and five maple leaves for a detailed rustic look. Handcrafted by a master craftsman in Germany’s Black Forest, this cuckoo clock has a cozy look and is designed in the form of a hut. Built with brass mechanical movements, the cuckoo clock has a dial, a bird and hands as moving elements.
Available in the form of a bird, the cuckoo calls every hour. The dial has roman numerals carved on it whereas the bird sits on top of the roof. Two brass chains separate the two cast iron pine cone weights below the clock. The clock’s timing is controlled by the continuous back and forth swinging of the leaf pendulum. Slide the maple leaf up (increases the speed) or down (decreases the speed) the pendulum stick to adjust the timing of the cuckoo clock.
The cuckoo bird appears each hour from a swinging door hidden on top of the clock dial to make a cuckoo call corresponding to the hour. This means that if it’s six o’clock, the bird cuckoos six times and when it’s four o’clock it cuckoos four times. The cuckoo call is made once to announce the turn of a half hour. The two pine cone weights are raised once daily to power the cuckoo clock; the cuckoo and call are powered by one weight and the time is powered by the other weight.
A two-year limited warranty provided by the manufacturer offers protection from manufacturing and workmanship defects. This cuckoo clock is available in two different height options to choose from, that is, either 9 or 13 inches tall.
Looking for a cuckoo clock with waterwheel and dancers? River City Clocks has that, and so many more. Here are a few other River City Clocks cuckoo clocks you might like:
- River City Clocks Musical Quartz Cuckoo Clock — 8 inches tall & multi-colored
- River City Clocks Quartz Cuckoo Clock — five leaves, a bird & 12 melodies
- River City Clocks Quartz Cuckoo Clock — Westminster chime & painted chalet with dancers
Designed by a master craftsman, this German Traditional Style Quartz Cuckoo Clock is built on a frame house and features a mill wheel, rocking horse and dancers that appear when the music plays. Do you prefer a simpler design modern cuckoo clock? The
BENREN A Frame House features an analog clock face with ornate swans on each side. And while it looks traditional, it uses quartz movement.
Engstler e.K. Schwarzwalduhren Traditional Quartz Black Forest Cuckoo Clock - Chalet with Dancers and Rocking Horse
Features
Whether you’re looking for a present, souvenir, gift, collector’s item or a business gift, MyGermanStore has you covered. With its headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, the company has an online shop for retailing its range of products to various customers worldwide. The company makes its clocks in various designs, sizes, and themes to satisfy the unique needs and tastes of consumers.
The MyGermanStore Traditional Quartz Cuckoo Clock is highly-detailed and based on quartz movement. Crafted on a Black Forest frame house, the clock has twelve melodies, namely: Holzhacker, Kuckuckwalzer, Fur Elise, Home Sweet Home, Salut d’amour, Clementine and Lorelei, among five other amazing musicals. When the cuckoo calls, the mill turns, dancers appear and a little girl rides the rocking horse, creating a cozy and traditional European ambiance.
Here’s a few more important features of this exquisite cuckoo clock:
- Hand–carved and painted figures on a Black Forest hut
- Supports night and music shutoff for a peaceful, quiet night
- Wooden bird and dial for a classic rural elegance
- Measures 16 inches high withought the weights and pendulum
- Cuckoo calls every half hour
- Backed by a two-year warranty
- Made in Germany
The Bradford Exchange ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Cuckoo Clock is handcrafted and features LED lighting. Characters from the film, namely Sally, Jack Skellington, and Zero, appear on the hour as music from the movie plays. Another popular choice is the the
Disney Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Light Up Cuckoo Clock (pictured).
Bradford Exchange Animal, Pop Culture, Disney & Movie Themed Cuckoo Clocks - Modern Cuckoo Clock Designs Such as Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’
Features
With decades of experience and as a trusted global brand in the collectibles market, Bradford Exchange boasts at least one hundred innovation and artistic awards for its unique collectibles. Today, the company is a leader in the collector’s marketplace with the finest collectible offerings, figurines, dolls, apparel, jewelry and home décor, atop providing an exceptional shopping experience to all consumers.
The Bradford Exchange ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Cuckoo Clock brings the movie it’s based on to life. The clock is handcrafted to bring out Tim Burton’s creative yet spooky charm. It’s hand-painted in clear Halloween colors to illuminate the haunted town and its scary creatures. The on/off switch lights up the Jack’s Tower windows to illuminate the pumpkins and ghosts roaming the town.
In front of Jack’s Tower and the Town Hall is Sally and Jack Skellington. Barrel and Shock hang from the pine cone weights on the clock as Lock cheers them on. Featuring a spider web, the clock is based on quartz movement and has off-kilter numbers to reflect the movie’s town hall clock. The pendulum has a brass finish and is decorated to represent the spiral hill of the Halloween town.
The clock also features pine cone weights and has a height of twenty one inches. Every hour, Zero the ghost appears through the door located at the top of the town hall as ‘This is Halloween’ is played. Although this cuckoo clock is powered by a single ‘AA’ battery and three ‘AAA’ batteries, you have to buy them separately. The clock comes with an authentication certificate from the company to confirm its authenticity. What’s more, the clock is multi-colored to accentuate your interior space.
Here are a few other Bradford Exchange modern cuckoo clocks you might like:
- Bradford Exchange Train Cuckoo Clock
- Bradford Exchange Farmall Times Cuckoo Clock
- Bradford Exchange Linda Picken German Shepherd
- Bradford Exchange Disney Pixar Toy Story Hand-Painted Sculptural Cuckoo Clock
- Bradford Exchange A Charlie Brown Christmas Sculptural Cuckoo Clock
The Kendal Large Deer Handcrafted Cuckoo Clock is built on a bird house with a bird cuckoo that sings every hour while four dancers move to the rhythm of the song. Looking for something less expensive? The
Kendal Handcrafted Wood Cuckoo Clock is a best seller and features a classic look with beautiful details, delicious tone, and superior timekeeping abilities.
Kendal Vivid Large Deer Wood Cuckoo Clock - Handcrafted with 4 Dancers and Musical Sound
Features
Kendal is a registered trademark of Shining Images. It manufactures various products under different categories for its large base of consumers across the globe. The company uses premium materials and advanced industry standards to manufacture top quality products that are functional and attractive to last many years of regular use. The company also backs its products with a guarantee of quality or money-back to all its customers.
The Kendal Large Deer Handcrafted Cuckoo Clock is what you need to accentuate your interior space with a cozy look and feel. Use it to match your wooden furniture for a uniform aesthetic or introduce it to your modern space for a warm appeal. Built from solid wood, the cuckoo clock is carved on a bird house with two deer for a true look of a Black Forest. It’s then handcrafted by expert carvers to bring out fine decorative details in a unique piece.
One deer is located at the top of the bird house and another at the bottom. A rotating proscenium is home to four dancers that appear on the hour when the bird cuckoo sings. The performers rotate as the music plays. The night silencer has a button for adjusting sound and automatically goes off at night to ensure that your clock doesn’t interfere with your night’s sleep. The clock is also battery operated, but you have to buy the batteries separately.
Best Cuckoo Clock Guide - What to Look for in a Modern Quartz Movement, German Antique Style, or Traditional Black Forest Cuckoo Clock
Cuckoo clocks are both functional and decorative with deep roots in Germany and, a little while later, Switzerland. They’re handcrafted and given a personal touch with fine details carved out for an appealing look. Whether you want one for its functionality, aesthetics or both, there are many styles and designs to choose from. Replace your ordinary wall clock with a cuckoo clock to reflect your unique taste and complex personality with a touch of style. Just like music alarm clocks, cuckoo clocks also play musicals and make perfect gift ideas.
You can also buy a retro cuckoo clock to add to your collectibles if you’re an antique collector. Just like cat clocks, cuckoo clocks are available in various designs, so you must first decide whether you want a traditional, chalet, railroad house, antique, shield, or modern style cuckoo clock. Traditional, carved or classic designs are built in Black Forest settings to feature nature, wildlife and deep carvings. They also feature different games, rifles and hunters, among other themes.
Chalet styles are finely carved and hand-painted with music and animated characters. A cuckoo usually appears on the hour to announce a coming ballet on the Black Forest hut. They can also feature mill wheels, bells, dancing couples, among many other styles. A railroad style is built in the design of a station house façade and finished with oil painting. Antique cuckoo clock styles were built centuries ago to work based on mechanical movements.
Shield styles are miniature and might have cuckoos or not. They also use animated characters as cuckoos depending on design. On the other hand, modern styles are built in iconic yet simple designs in bright colors, clean lines and geometric shapes and appealing finishes for a contemporary touch. This is a review of various kinds of the best cuckoo clocks in varying designs. Whether you want a German cuckoo clock or Black Forest cuckoo clock, we've got you covered. We hope that it can help you make an informed buying decision.
Video: How Are Traditional German Cuckoo Clocks Made
The Making of German Cuckoo Clocks. | Courtesy of DCODE by Discovery
Price
A cuckoo clocks’ movement type, country of origin, music, complexity of carvings, materials and figurines and ornaments, sound/night shutoff and casing are some factors that influence its price. Premium cuckoo clocks with advanced features and craftsmanship are costly. Musical cuckoo clocks with one day movements cost anything from $300 to $750 while those with eight-day movements range in price from $600 to $3000 or more. Quartz movements are the cheapest with prices ranging from $130 to $495.
One-day movement non-musical cuckoo clocks range in price from $150 to $1070 while those with eight-day movements cost from $260 to $2000. Generally, they range in price from hundreds of dollars to thousands to meet various budgets. Avoid cheap cuckoo clocks as they might not last or even serve the purpose they’re designed for. Whichever style you choose for your clock, make sure it’s made from premium materials for lasting use.
Features
Cuckoo clocks are built to tell time and enhance the appeal of interior spaces. They’re handcrafted and carved by master clock makers and wood carvers for detailed surfaces to accentuate interiors with a personal touch. The cuckoo clocks feature figurines and ornaments, movement elements and a cuckoo, among other features. They’re also themed for use on various occasions.
Here are the important features to look for in cuckoo clocks:
- Handcrafted and painted for a personal touch
- Carved surfaces for decorative details
- Movements such as one-day, 8-day, etc.
- Animations used as cuckoo to call on the hour
- The right theme for the intended use or area of application
- Stylish design for an attractive master piece
- Automatic night silencer to prevent noise at night
- Warranty for protection from manufacturing and workmanship defects
With the best cuckoo clock, you won’t just be able to tell the time and decorate your house with a warm accent, but also invest in a valuable clock that’s built to last a lifetime.
Construction and Design
If you’re shopping for a cuckoo clock, the following factors will help you make an informed decision:
- Type/Design — Decide whether you want a chalet, traditional, modern, antique, shield or railroad house cuckoo clock. Whichever design you opt for, make sure it’s in a finish or color that’ll go well with your existing interior décor.
- Size — Cuckoo clocks are built in various sizes and heights. Choose a size suitable for your space and fits your budget. Determine the amount of space on your wall before picking a cuckoo clock to buy.
- Material — Made from wood and/or plastic, choose the right material for your cuckoo clock. Opt for hardwood to ensure your clock lasts a lifetime.
- Movement — The movement a cuckoo clock is based on depends on its style. It doesn’t just drive your clock to keep time, but also influences its night silencing capability, performance, lifespan and accuracy. Mechanical movements can be either 8-day for weekly winding or one-day for daily winding with the former being costlier and using heavier weights. Quartz movements are battery-operated, easy to maintain, more cost-effective and reliable, but come with no certification for authenticity.
- Sound — Choose the kind of sound or musical your cuckoo clock is made to make. Find out if a clock you’re considering has a feature for adjusting volume or not.
Video: Cuckoo Clock Repair
How to Repair a Cuckoo Clock. | Courtesy of Just Mike
Performance and Ease of Use
Buy a cuckoo clock that works as intended by the manufacturer. Make sure it’s easy to set up and that all its parts work fine. Decide on the cuckoo you want on your clock; whereas some are animated, others aren’t. Also choose between cuckoos that call every half an hour or every hour to create a lively environment indoors. Make sure it’s unique, attractive and is built from wood for lasting use if you want to make the most out of your new cuckoo clock.
The theme you pick should also be right to suit your intended area or interior space. Make sure the clock is properly sized and lightweight to fit on your hanging hook on the wall without dropping as it can easily break. A cuckoo clock that’s easy to set up and use is also important. Finally, buy a cuckoo clock that’s suitable for your interior space in terms of size and color for an appealing look; with the right cuckoo clock you’ll find that it’ll do wonders to enhance the livability of your home, as well as ensure that your guests keep coming back for more coffee and strudel!
Get the Best Cuckoo Clock of 2023!
Whether you’re buying a cuckoo clock for yourself or you’re giving one to a friend or family member as a gift, there’s one out there to meet your unique needs. We hope this review was helpful and that you were able to locate the best cuckoo clock you could possibly find. In case you need something different, and entirely more modern, check out our Bluetooth alarm clock reviews.
Our Top Choice
Chalet-Style Black Forest Cuckoo Clock by Hekas
Best Value
River City Clocks Hand-Carved Cuckoo Clock
Chalet-Style German Cuckoo Clock by Engstler
Bradford Exchange ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Cuckoo Clock
Kendal Handcrafted Deer Cuckoo Clock
Cuckoo Clock FAQs
How does a cuckoo clock work?
A cuckoo clock works by initiating movements that expose and conceal the cuckoo bird. A mechanical clock has two small wooden bellows with wooden pipes. Some clocks may also have air chambers on any side. As the cuckoo clock gets activated, the chambers become full of air, triggering the bellows. The air gets squeezed through the whistles inducing a cuckoo sound. More oversized cuckoo clocks have deeper cuckoo clocks than the small timepieces. In quartz clocks, an electronic mechanism produces the cuckoo sound. Read our buying guide for more on cuckoo clocks.
How to fix a cuckoo clock?
To fix a cuckoo clock, take the minute hand and move it through the next full hour. As you do that, count the number of cuckoos and then move the hour hand to the minute hand's position. You can then reset the cuckoo clock to the correct time using the minute hand. By moving the decoration on the pendulum, you can also regulate the cuckoo clock.
How to set a cuckoo clock?
To set a cuckoo clock, get hold of the minute hand and turn it back until you see it pointing to the correct time. You can let the hour hand move on its own because that's how it's supposed to behave. When you hear a cuckoo sound, hold on until it ends and continue turning the minute hand.
How to determine cuckoo clock weights?
To determine cuckoo clock weights, check out what the manufacturer had used. It would help if you matched the new value with the old one in terms of theme, color, and size to keep the cuckoo clock working the same way.
