North Coast Imports, Inc.

Let's take a quick look at some of the terms that have been mentioned in recent posts.  To do that, we'll start at the basics of how mechanical clocks are usually powered. The clocks featured in recent posts are built before the general use of electricity.   Steam engines would normally be too large and inefficient to power such small devices, plus you would have continually stoke it to keep the clock running over night.  So what powers these clocks? We've discussed examples of the very earliest clocks that run on water power, but the tried and true method of running an accurate timepiece is to harness the power of gravity.  This is the original GREEN power.  Gravity is constantly renewable and reliable.  As long as we have a planet, we have gravity.  Weight-driven clocks also have the advantage of being very accurate.  The force of gravity is always constant in any particular location, so the clock won't speed up or slow down at any point because of an increase or ...

The conventional reading of a title "Another Beha Cuckoo Clock" would be that the adjective "Another" would modify the phrase " Beha Cuckoo Clock" with the implication that the topic of the post would be discussion of a Beha cuckoo clock created either personally by Johann Baptist Beha or, in later years, in collaboration with his sons Lorenz and Engelbert. In the case of this particular post, however, the topic is a bit more unique and thus the "'Another Beha ' Cuckoo Clock" title. Approximately a year ago I acquired a " Beha " cuckoo clock that became the topic of some debate amongst experienced Black Forest clock collectors as it's wooden plate movement, movement access door knobs/latches and maker's mark did not fully conform to the characteristics typical of a Johann Baptist Beha clock. In fact, the middle initial of Johann Beha maker referenced on the maker's mark on this clock did not appear to ...

In a previous post we spoke about curious innovations made by Johann Baptist Beha , which never made it "main stream"...resulting in unique and unusual clocks left for us today. This next post I would like to share a clock, and an innovation that did make it main stream. This piece is a very early, and special shelf clock with automation made by Johann Baptist Beha in 1849. First off we would like to thank Dr. Wilhelm Schneider of Germany for his assistance in researching this piece. Dr. Schneider ,besides being the authority on the Beha factory… is also a accomplished author and a good friend. This early Beha was made in late 1849, and sold January 1850 to Mr. Spiengelhalder a dealer from Neukirch for 19 Gulden along with one other identical piece. This is the only know surviving piece of the two. The Spiengelhalder family operated a retail store out of London during that time. (As a side note worth mentioning...Johann Baptist set up his shop in Eisenbach in 1845, thi...

Probably not, but he would have probably been pretty good at clock restoration because oftentimes, restoring an antique clock in a historically correct manner not only requires a mandatory high level of technical skills and knowledge but also the intellectual curiosity, deductive reasoning and persistent "detective" work to understand, and faithfully recreate, the original clockmaker's design given the typical situation of incomplete information and more than a few missing parts. Recently, I had the opportunity to acquire a rare, and very early ( ca. 1876), Johann Baptist Beha Number 932 cuckoo and monk clock. This clock is rather unusual for a Beha clock in that it not only has time, strike and cuckoo complications but also an animation complication in which a monk comes out of the lower door three times a day to ring the Angelus (the monk's arm goes up and down while clock's two gongs are struck to simulate the ringing of a bell in the church's steeple). ...

My good friend is an industrial scientist - he just sent me an email with the following quote: The clock, not the steam engine, is the key-machine of the modern industrial age. Lewis Mumford (1895-1990) He wanted a horologist's view on the statement. I immediately thought of how modern industry is so inextricably geared towards efficiency.  The quote brought to mind Fritz Lang's movie Metropolis... I thought of New York's subway system and automated assembly lines and factories all timed to work much like a clock. The clock is of course not an 'invention' of the modern industrial age though. To me, the horological development that would have made the clock so important to the modern work force and efficiency planning is the minute hand - which is credited to appear at about 1475.   But then again, if you consider the importance of travel (which leads to discovery and trade) then you can't overlook the impact of John Harrison's work in developing a clock acc...

Hand carving is a craft enjoyed by many.  You can go to any craft show or Boy Scout Jamboree and find some kind of whittled piece - it's one of the oldest forms of sculpture. Like any craft, there are certain parts of the world and certain examples which raise the practice of wood carving from a Craft to an Art.  Black Forest carvers have consistently shown some of the world's most excellent wood carvings for over a hundred years.  Black Forest carvings have adorned many household objects - and they work especially well when they are featured on clocks. You can see the fine and lifelike detail on the antique clocks shown in previous posts...  The delicate vines, leaves, and even the feathers on the birds' backs are incredibly real - almost as if, as in some Black Forest folkloric scenario, the bird itself was turned to wood after being caught by a lover's magic spell. This is an art not completely lost by the passing of time.  The tradition is still carried on by guard...

John in a previous post gave us a wonderful introduction to the Beha factory. He spoke of the quality of the clocks Beha made...despite the pressure to compete in a price driven market. Johann Baptist was also a pioneer in Black Forest Horology, and was responsible for many of the modern improvements used in cuckoo clocks for years to come. Some of these improvements never took flight or became mainstream... and has left us with clocks that are unique or different. This philosophy for improvement was also passed on to his Sons,who would later run the factory. Because of this philosoph, we can find Beha clocks with unique characteristics from the Early years to the turn of the century. I would like to share a special piece out of my collection, that echoes many of these things. This piece is a very special Beha cuckoo, and one of only a small handful known like it worldwide. The quality and detail of the carving on this piece is nothing but the best, typical of Beha factory. The vin...

Before the cuckoo came into vogue many other animated figures were used on Black Forest clocks. Bell ringing monks, laughing faces, and the dumpling eater were charming examples. Justin showed us a beautiful example of a very early shield clock with animated figure.  Here is a modern example, made today with the same tradition of craftsmanship. This clock is an authentic replica of a Black Forest clock of the early Nineteenth Century. The Hand-painted shield clock features a face whose eyes move with the movement of the pendulum. "The Turk" also laughs, or gasps counting each hour on the hour and once on the half-hour. This piece is handpainted by the award-winning shield painter Conny Haas.  The clock is built by Ingolf Haas who represents the fourth generation of Black Forest clockmakers.

“The most curious branch of art is, without exception, the manufacturers of automation clocks and the ingenuity of the Germans has produced some wonderful mechanical clocks.” As quoted in “The Watchmaker and Jewler” June 1875 issue. The clocks that have been produced in the Black Forest Region of Germany, represent some of the most interesting timepieces every created by man…and are truly a work of art. Although the above quote was published almost 135 years ago… it is no less true today. I would like to take a moment to take a step back in time… And see what this unknown writer back in the 19th C. would have seen in 1875...that would have prompted this comment. Below is a clock that would have been nearly 50 years old at the time of that publication… It is a Black Forest shield automa…a type of clock the Germans call “Figurenuhren”. These early Black Forest pieces highly sought after today. This clock is called a “Schnappuhr”, and was made by Lorenz Bob of Furtwan...

Hello! First off I would thank Dolf and North Coast Imports for the invitation to contribute to this Blog. I am excited to share my knowledge of Black Forest Clocks, as well as learn from others. Growing up in a family interested in Antiques and Horology, I became a member of the NAWCC ( http://www.nawcc.org/ ) at the age of 2. As far back as I remember as a young boy… I attended NAWCC Regional Meetings and Chapter Meetings in sunny Southern California. I was almost immediately drawn to clock collecting myself at a very early age. Saving my money to be able to add clocks to my little collection, and reading everything I could on the subject. Although there are many different and wonderful types of clocks available to a collector, I was almost immediately was drawn to Black Forest Clocks made in Germany. I think this is because they always seemed to do something special! Whether it was the cuckoo bird coming out and calling the hour, or the painting clock with the eyes moving back and ...

The 10,000 year clock....

The Beha hotel... While you are planning your travels to Cuckoo Country, consider this... Books on automata, and an automata blog... ...and here are some more book selections to check out, consider it your North Coast Imports' Book Club reading list: The Turk by Tom Standage Black Forest Clockmaker and the Cuckoo Clock by Karl Kochmann Black Forest Clocks by Rick Ortenburger The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick Connections by James Burke

Perhaps the most celebrated of the Black Forest cuckoo clock makers in the mid- to late-nineteenth century was Johann Baptist Beha of Eisenbach, Germany. The life and many horological accomplishments of Beha have been diligently researched and very professionally documented (see, for example, the excellent articles authored by Dr. Wilhelm Schneider and Monika Schneider in the NAWCC Bulletin , April 1988, pages 116-132 and Dr. Wilhelm Schneider in Antiquarian Horology , Autumn 1988, pages 455-462). Thus, the objective of this post is not to recount factual information that is readily available elsewhere. Rather, the purpose of this post is to try to convey what makes these clocks special to me 150 years after they were made in a small factory located within a town in the Black Forest (which was so tiny that the Beha label sometimes affixed to the clock would not only include city of manufacture (Eisenbach) but the larger neighboring city of Neustadt as a reference locality!). In my ex...

Hello everyone, Dolf and I have been sharing our mutual passion for Black Forest clocks over the last year and when Dolf recently invited me to join North Coast Import's blog I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet new collectors and share information and enthusiasm for these wonderful clocks. My wife and I have for many years shared an interest in clocks and antique folk wood carvings. These interests have naturally evolved into an interest in the intersection of these hobbies-carved antique clocks. And of course once we were hooked on carved wooden clocks the temptation to start collecting finely carved Black Forest clocks was much too tempting to resist! Because the scope and variety of Black Forest clocks available is very broad and diversified, we quickly found ourselves trying to restrict our active collecting of these clocks to a manageable scope. Based upon our natural gravitation toward fine wood carvings and some initial research and discussion with experien...

We at North Coast Imports and GermanClocks.org are very pleased to welcome a new member to our blogging community.  John is an expert on antique Black Forest clocks and has a wealth of information to share. He also has a beautiful collection of rare and unusual timepieces. Remember, these antiques are very rare and not for sale... but North Coast Imports is pleased to offer a line of new clocks built in this grand tradition of craftsmanship.  Just take a look at this modern Black Forest clock that preserves the Black Forest tradition of incredible carving:   Ask your favorite clock dealer, or send us an email, to find out  about North Coast Imports and our wonderful timepieces.

I thought I would do a quick follow-up post on the delicious Rat Eater owned by our friend and collector J. Miller.  This information and material is copied from the previously-mentioned discussion at the NAWCC forums ... Apparantly it was quite common, during time of war, for soldiers and citizens to be driven to eating rats - especially during sieges.  There are some accounts (during the Franco-Prussian war) of rat-sellers and one American journalist even writes about the best rat recepits and the comparisons between dog, cat, and rat meat. Here is a painting by  of a "Rat Seller"(c.1870) Here is an account from 1871 by an American journalist, shut in in Paris during the Franco-Prussian war ...and another account of eating rats in Metz c. 1814