The Movements of a Cuckoo Clock

Weight-Driven Movements

• The movement in a cuckoo clock is the set of gears and mechanisms pieced together with precision and accuracy. These gears are responsible for keeping accurate time on the face of the clock, for sending the cuckoo bird forward at just the right time and for that distinct cuckoo bird call that rings in the hour or half hour. The movement is driven by weights that hang by chains under the clock. As gravity pulls the weights downward, the clock keeps time. The clock is wound by pulling the chains and raising the weights from time to time, which keeps the clock working properly.

One-Day and Eight-Day Movement Clocks

• Cuckoo clocks that have one-day or eight-day movements look very similar to each other. The cuckoo announces the top of the hour by calling out the same number of times as the hour. For example, at 4 o’clock, the cuckoo calls out four times. At the half-hour, the cuckoo calls out once. The main difference between the one-day and the eight-day clocks is that the one-day cuckoo clock must be wound every 24 hours to keep accurate time, and the eight-day clock gets wound weekly. The weights on the eight-day clock are also a little larger and heavier than those on the one-day cuckoo clock.

One-Day and Eight-Day Musical Clocks

• One-day and eight-day musical cuckoo clocks not only have the cuckoo bird announcing the number of the hour but also play a melody at the top of the hour. A rotating, studded drum pings a series of chimes, playing a simple tune such as “Edelweiss.” The musical mechanism is similar to the mechanisms found in wind-up jewelry boxes. Like the movement clock, the musical clocks are weight-driven and must be wound regularly to keep accurate time. Raise the weights on the one-day musical clock every 24 hours and once a week on the eight-day musical clock.

Electric Movements

• Traditionally, cuckoo clock movements have always been weight-driven. However, the modern cuckoo clock is also available with battery-driven quartz movements. Obviously, these clocks lose a little of their old-fashioned feel with their plastic cuckoos and recorded sounds, but the owner no longer has to remember to wind the clock regularly. Some of these more modern cuckoo clocks have volume controls and cuckoo shut-off switches. A few even come with photo cells that turn the cuckoo sounds off when the lights are off.