North Coast Imports, Inc.

We just posted some new videos!

Lots of exciting news from North Coast Imports this month, including these NEW models that just came out:

Another big cuckoo! Alright Portland! KPTV - FOX 12

We've updated a few webpages on some favorite cuckoo clocks. There are better pictures now, and movies... Check them out:

 The artists at work! You can see the creators at Romba and Christophe's creations!

Here's a nice article by Gary Brown of the CantonRep . It features my Uncle Schleutermann's clock, but with some interesting background...

Here's a great little video on the two World's Largest Original Cuckoo Clock... http://dw.de/p/19XrR

We're excited to introduce these new models to our collection! Please take a moment to follow the links to learn more about these great clocks! The Tristan This one is really fantastic, and we spent a long time in development. It features a German enamel dial and a CAST-BRASS bezel. This clock is leaps and bounds over similar clocks with spun metal dials. It's available in oak or cherry finish. The Verdi The Verdi combines the elegant Brahms wooden case with the high quality enamel and brass dial and bezel. Bavarian Chalet This is a beautifully made clock with lots of eye-candy - and at a Great Price! Quartz Chalet A great cuckoo at a great price! Beer Drinker Animated chalet. One-day musical. ...and there's still more to come! Stay tuned to see what we have coming.

Sometimes we're asked, "What is the difference between those clocks which are VdS certified and those that aren't?" This can mean many things in an age of outsourcing and Chinese manufacturing, but in our case VdS certification means that the clock has been certified by the Black Forest Clock Association of clockmakers as being an Authentic Black Forest Clock. While all of our cuckoo clocks from North Coast Imports are made in Germany and have the highest-quality mechanisms that are made in the Black Forest, some of our cuckoo clocks may have parts from other regions of Germany, Italy, and possibly Eastern Europe. The VdS certified clocks have a higher percentage of parts that come from the local Black Forest area.  Cuckoo manufacturing is a matter of strong local pride for Black Forest artisans. It is a cottage industry that all takes place within a few square miles. The VdS also provides a wealth of extra support and information on their Authentic Black Forest ...

We're pleased to be announcing some new cuckoo clock models early this year. We don't have them ready yet, but our workshops in Germany are busy putting them together. We've got a NEW clockmaker commissioned to make some Sternreiter models, so we're very excited!  There are more coming, so be sure to stay tuned either here or on our Facebook and/or Twitter feeds.  

Here's a cute new clock. We are having a Pre-Order Special on them before they arrive from Germany. Ask your favorite clock dealer for more info...

Our followers who appreciate clocks are also often lovers of automata and early robots. There is a great article at The Smithsonian Magazine on a short history of robot birds. There's also a great preceding post on the history of the cuckoo clock.  We at North Coast Imports have often pointed out the importance of the development of the cuckoo clock and it's eventual ancestral relation to the modern computer. Be sure to check out our website at www.NorthCoastImports.com/museum for a wealth of information on the history of clocks in general.  The Smithsonian article cites the work of Archytas of Tarentum (c. 350 B.C.) which included a mechanical wooden dove and flying, and of course the famous 18th Century automata from France and Switzerland.   [via  The Smithsonian Magazine ]

Here's a great video from the VdS (Black Forest Clock Association) on how to troubleshoot your cuckoo clock hands. You can also find more information on this topic on our page here.

An endangered cuckoo bird was nursed back to health and then shipped back to Turin Italy.

Here's a very interesting mechanism - especially the singing bird device. You can see a better video below and can hear the birds chirping. The clock was recently built by a retired hydrogeologist Richard Pim , who spent his long career bringing water to arid farmlands in Saudi Arabia and Nepal. [via Daily Mail ]

Have a great weekend!!

Here's a nice article about our friend Justin and his NEW BOOK! From the article: Collectors Weekly : Was Johann Baptist Beha a well-known clockmaker? Miller : Yes, he’s definitely the most prominent cuckoo clockmaker in the Black Forest, and his clocks are collected aggressively. His clocks are usually regarded as the pinnacle of cuckoo clock making, whether deservedly or not. If you look at Black Forest clocks as a whole, a lot of them were very cheaply done. They were made for middle- or lower middle-class customers, and most manufacturers were competing with each other, racing to have the lowest price. And how do you lower price? Well, you cut quality and you cut costs. One of Miller's most exotic clocks is a cuckoo with a three-train movement and a life-size bird perched on top, designed by Johann Baptist Beha around 1880. But Beha basically said, “We’re not going to race to the bottom. We’re going to make clocks of high quality for people who can afford them...

We've been watching the restoration and re-installation of our founder Karl Schleutermann's giant cuckoo clock in Sugarcreek, Ohio. Sugarcreek Mayor Clayton Wellery, left, and Freeman Mullet line up the clock house of the large cuckoo clock that is being set in the intersection of Main and Broadway Streets in Sugarcreek on Wednesday, May 30, 3012. The wooden clock measures more than 23 feet tall, 24 feet wide and 13 feet deep, and is one of the world's largest cuckoo clocks. (AP Photo/The Times Reporter, Jim Cummings) Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/photos/2012/may/31/301088/#ixzz1ww9AWtYJ