Care of the chiming mechanism in our steeple clock

NCI is proud to announce the newest member of it's AMERICAN COLLECTION. We have had several requests for a large mantel clock at a good price and have commissioned STERNREITER to build us the NEW HAVEN STEEPLE CLOCK.

Due to the vast majority of new clocks sold with Westminster chime verses time-and-strike we knew we had to go with a Westminster chiming movement. As you know most manufacturers don’t even bother with time-and-strike anymore unless cabinet space doesn’t allow for Westminster.

So, in order to have a chiming movement we had to use the smallest mechanism possible. In the interest of space we used short chime rods instead of the large, deep-sounding rods used in our Bauhaus model.

In order to get the biggest sound possible out of these little rods I had to use my knowledge of acoustics.

There is no access door in the back of the clock for this very reason. A small door with wing-nut latches is handy for adjustments to the movement, but it seriously deadens the sound. Whenever you have a backboard on a clock which isn’t one solid piece it will not resonate like a drum. Instead we used one thick piece of solid wood which is able to vibrate the entire length of the clock.

I did consider using the wing-nut latches for the entire one-piece backboard. We tried making a few to test this approach. The trouble was that when the backboard wasn’t firmly attached to the body of the clock vibrations were loose and not as resonant. When the backboard is firmly attached to the body with several screws it allows the entire clock to act as a resonating chamber. Just as the body of any string instrument is firmly attached to the fretboard to allow the vibrations of the string to resonate fully.

To adjust the hammers it is possible to remove the dial after taking off the hands. Another option would be to VERY SLIGHTLY move the rods themselves. To do this you can just reach in without any disassembly to the clock. I’ve noticed that sometimes the chimes get slightly out of adjustment just by taking the packing material out of the rods. That can be fixed simply by moving the rods one way or the other with just your index finger (no bending required).

Good Bye to the 8202

After a long and hard deliberation we have decided to retire the 8202 cuckoo clock from our regular line. It is very similar to the 8200, 8200T, and 8240. You might consider these models to replace the 8202.

We can still special order the 8202 with a minimum quantity of five.

Eleventy-First Birthday

The clockmakers of Rombach und Haas celebrates its 111th anniversary this year in the best way they know how. They are making four limited-edition cuckoo clocks.

These beautiful Black Forest clocks are a charming and beautiful way to celebrate the long and distinguished heritage of Romba clocks. There will be only 111 of each of the four models and each will be inscribed with a number of production.

These clocks are now available!

NEW Sternreiter Mantel Clocks

NCI is proud to announce the newest member of it's AMERICAN COLLECTION. We have had several requests for a large mantel clock at a good price and have commissioned STERNREITER to build us the NEW HAVEN STEEPLE CLOCK.

Elias Ingraham (1805-85), a cabinet maker, was commissioned by George Mitchell to design and build a new style of clock case. Ingraham came to work for Mitchell in May of 1828 and eventually designed the sharp gothic clock case in about 1845. This “steeple clock” style has ever since been one of the most popular designs in American cabinetry. It has been copied and redesigned countless times over the last two centuries.
The New Haven steeple clock from Sternreiter is named for the town in Connecticut which holds some of America’s most beautiful examples of gothic architecture. Available with either mechanical or quartz Westminster chimes, the New Haven features a reverse-painted glass which harkens the beauty and complexity of a gothic cathedral’s rose window.

The NEW HAVEN is now available!


NCI is proud to announce the immanent arrival of the LINCOLN TAMBOUR CLOCK. This clock will be a great addition to our AMERICAN COLLECTION. Finally we have added another fine design to our line of tambour clocks. For too long has our great-selling BRAHMS stood alone.
STERNREITER is set to release the LINCOLN in the summer of 2005. The LINCOLN will feature a large readable dial and warm Westminster chimes on rods.

Difficult Exchange Rate

The Associated press has done an interesting article on the plight of the German clock industry in recent years. The article cites the recent weakness in the value of the dollar as contributing to clockmakers' deficits. Although there are two obvious inaccuracies (Rombach u. Haas does not have annual revenues in the hundreds of millions - the entire industry does) it is an article worth reading.

Click Here for a PDF of the article.

NCI is featured in WCR magazine

Celebrating its fifty years, North Coast Imports is featured in this month's issue of WCR (Watch and Clock Review) and next month in Chronos Magazine.

Click Here for a PDF of the article.

Advertising Material

Most store owners don't have the time to create layouts for their advertising needs. North Coast Imports is proud to supply professionally created ad layouts in PDF format. No longer will you have the expensive burden of supplying your local newspapers and circulars with the proper material. Just download any of the following ads and have them drop in your store name and phone number. Or, you can download the following ads and use the individual images to create your own ads.

Full page ad on our AMERLING and ITHACA wall clocks

Full page ad on our astronomical clocks

Full page ad on our BAUHAUS wall clock

Full page ad on our Black Forest clocks

Full page ad on our HAPSBURG and AMERLING wall clocks

Full page ad on our ITHACA wall clock

Full page ad on our floor clocks

Full page ad on our NEW HAVEN and STRELA

Half page ad on our NEW HAVEN steeple clock