Craftsmanship and history: Black Forest clockmaking

For nearly three centuries, the Black Forest has been making clocks that travel the world. Behind every cuckoo clock there are hands, skills and stories: those of the clockmakers, carvers and painters, but also of the peddlers who carried clocks on foot across Europe.

In this section, we tell you the history and the making secrets of the cuckoo clock: where it comes from, how it imitates the bird’s call thanks to the secret of the bellows, which manufacturers carry on the tradition, such as Hönes and Engstler, and what sets apart a genuine Black Forest cuckoo clock.

A journey into a unique craft, to better understand and appreciate the clock that sings in your home.