Choosing between a mechanical cuckoo clock and a quartz cuckoo clock is first and foremost choosing how you want to live with your clock. Both come in the same styles, from the animated chalet to the carved cuckoo clock. What sets them apart lies inside: the movement, the call, the upkeep and the guarantee of origin.
The mechanical cuckoo clock, the traditional choice
The mechanical cuckoo clock runs without batteries or electricity. Its pine cone-shaped weights slowly descend along their chains and drive the movement. Depending on whether you choose a 1-day or 8-day movement, you wind it every day or once a week, simply by pulling on the chains.
Its call is entirely acoustic: every hour, two small bellows blow air into two pipes to create the “cuckoo”. Musical models add a music box, which usually plays two alternating melodies, and figures driven by a third weight. This is the case with this chalet where a woodchopper, a water wheel and dancers come to life to music. Our guide explains what happens inside the movement.
This type of cuckoo clock needs a little attention. It must hang perfectly straight so that its pendulum swings evenly, and you need to leave enough space below the case for the weights to descend. At night, a lever lets you silence the call and the music by hand.
It is also the only one that can carry the VdS certificate of authenticity. The Verein die Schwarzwalduhr association reserves it for mechanical cuckoo clocks made in the Black Forest. Find out what this certificate guarantees before you buy.
The quartz cuckoo clock, everyday simplicity
The quartz cuckoo clock runs on batteries: no winding, no pendulum adjustment. Its weights are decorative, and you only need to change the batteries from time to time. It keeps time even if you are away for several days, whereas a mechanical cuckoo clock stops when it is not wound.
Its call and melodies are recorded. Musical models can play up to twelve melodies, changing from one hour to the next, as on this chalet where a drinker raises his stein beside a water wheel. At night, a light sensor automatically silences the sound as soon as the room goes dark. Some models also let you adjust the volume, or choose between the call alone, the call with music, or silence. Our guide presents all the everyday advantages of quartz.
Mechanical or quartz: how to choose?
Choose a mechanical cuckoo clock if you enjoy the ritual of winding, the acoustic sound of the bellows and the guarantee of the VdS certificate. It is the piece for lovers of tradition and for collectors.
Choose a quartz cuckoo clock if you want to enjoy the call and the animations without any constraints, for a bedroom, a holiday home or a gift for someone who would rather not wind their clock.
Mechanical or quartz, all our models are made by the Hönes and Engstler manufactories: browse our collection of Black Forest cuckoo clocks to find yours.
