North Coast Imports, Inc.

Dubbed the strangest clock in the world, it features a giant grasshopper and has 60 slits cut into its face which light up to show the time. Its creator John Taylor said he "wanted to make timekeeping interesting". BBC That's pretty much NCI's mantra - "Making timekeeping interesting." In addition to our own clocks, it's great to find extravagant works of horological art being produced throughout the world. This one is pretty fascinating. Although it has LED lights and an electric winding motor, it is otherwise all mechanical with a grasshopper escapement. By the way, our new cuckoo clock catalog should be finished printing by Friday. Make sure we have your favorite clock or jewelry or gift store on file so that they will receive our new catalog.

You saw it here first! North Coast Imports is pre-releasing our NEW Cuckoo catalog #56. You can download a PDF of the 40-page, pre-print, rough draft here: Please keep in mind that this is still a rough-draft copy. It's colors are not very sharp, and there are a few pictures missing. We were so excited, we wanted to put out an advance copy, but for full details and pics visit our main website at http://www.northcoastimports.com/ All of our cuckoo clocks are up there, even with movies of each clock! To have and hold your very own copy of the catalog you can print out the PDF!

This is the first of a series of posts about interesting early clocks. and the new clocks that were inspired by them. Su Song was a renowned Chinese statesman, astronomer, cartographer, horologist, pharmacologist, mineralogist, zoologist, botanist, mechanical and architectural engineer, poet, antiquarian, and ambassador of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). He was the engineer of a water-driven mechanical clock in medieval Kaifeng which used an escapement similar to the modern anchor escapement. It was also the first known clock to use the "endless chain drive." The clock was a giant astronomical clock with mechanically animated puppets. For more new clocks similar to this ancient idea, check out our website at www.NorthCoastImports.com

University Park (a suburb of Dallas) is the home of a man with a vision. Karl Kuby wants to install a huge outdoor cuckoo clock above his Snider Plaza restaurant and market, but the government may get in his way. What shopping center wouldn't look better with a cuckoo clock, let alone a giant one? Take comfort, Mr. Kuby, we cuckoo clock lovers are behind you! Fans of North Coast Imports know that our founder, Karl Schleutermann, built these giant cuckoo clocks for theme parks, shopping centers, etc. Here's his famous creation at Alpine Alpa or Grandma's Homestead:

Even though this little quote has done so much to spread the misnomer that the Swiss invented the cuckoo clock, I still love the movie. The Prater hasn't changed all that much, except there's no way you can open the door when it's up high. I rode on it again a few months ago. For a pretty good history on the cuckoo clock take a look at the Wikipedia