North Coast Imports, Inc.

Our supplier Ingolf Haas of Rombach und Haas has a nice interview about the current state of the Cuckoo Clock industry here.

We're pleased to introduce a new type of clock. As always, North Coast Imports is exploring new ideas in artistic horology. At the nexus between home design, horology, sculpture, and fashion you’ll find Sasa, a fresh expression of passing time. Rather than letting time control your life with schedules and limits, Sasa allows a more peaceful reminder of the flow of time. Each five minutes another bead clicks down. You can tell the hours by counting the number of colored beads that have fallen, and the minutes with the lighter beads. Tired of the reminder? Take the beads down and wear them as a necklace. Sasa, in Kiswahili culture, means “What is now.” By minimizing the focus on each minute that has past or is to come, we can instead live in the present. Visit our website for more information on these new and exciting clocks!

We were glad to see a great post on CLOCKS on Martha Stewart's website , by designer Kevin Sharkey. His blog post includes a great idea of stenciling a clock directly on his wall: He also has some pictures of a few cuckoo clocks, some are almost as interesting as our /design series...

This is a fantastic focus on our very own Rombach und Haas! See Ingolf and Conny Haas build their fantastic new creations.

Our new / design line is really attracting a lot of international attention. The Classic Space was recently featured in ReadyMade Magazine and now the Romba ART Clocks are featured in the in-flight magazine for Ryan Air.

We are pleased to announce a new member of the CooClock family! Please extend your welcome to the new character Olivier, the QuackCoo . She is part of a menagerie of different characters available.

Here's another new conception of an alarm clock - a re-definition of a clock that puts you to bed and wakes you after you've slept enough. This conceptual piece has two alarms. One to tell you when you should go to bed, and the other to wake you after you've had enough hours of sleep. The sound and design recalls the woodpecker and his tree. It's beautifully constructed. [via Treehugger ] Don't forget the bird-inspired alarm clocks available from North Coast Imports

We, at North Coast Imports , love to see homemade creations in horology... especially new and imaginative ones! Here's a very cool scope clock by Albert Y. that's based off of the Thiem-Work components . He was helped by Eric C. both in vision and execution. [via Adafruit ]

My family and I just had a short trip to California last weekend. While there we visited my aunt and uncle who have a decidedly "California-style" cuckoo clock. It has light-colored wood with a rustic finish... American Bungalow style, but still a cuckoo clock. When I got back, I was pleased to hear from our supplier at Romba that they have a NEW model that was similar to my uncle's old cuckoo clock in LA. This new model is similar to the BAUHAUS model that we introduced last winter. We are dubbing the new one the Craftsman ...

This is part of the Black Forest exhibition at the Expo in Shanghai. Notice all the Romba clocks! Here are some more pictures of the installation and behind the curtain. The clock in the center is by Stefan Strumbel (who's clocks have been featured on the blogosphere quite a lot lately) and the rest are from our Romba! Be sure and check out our websites for more information on these clocks. www.northcoastimports.com www.northcoastimports.com/design

You knew it was only a matter of time. This cuckoo clock calls whenever he is tweeted from Twitter. Plus, you can read the Tweet and past Tweets on the touchscreen. Twitwee Clock from Haroon Baig on Vimeo . From Heidelberg-based designer Haroon Baig . Via Wired Check out OUR novelty, battery-operated cuckoos!

Thanks to the creative people at ReadyMade Magazine for noticing our Classic Space cuckoo from our NEW /design line.

Images via Designboom We found these great new concepts for cuckoo clocks online which were created as part of a contest for forest conservation. Designer Naoto Fukawasa created a beautiful cuckoo clock using timber removed from over-planted forests. The project was done in conjunction with Isetan, a Japanese department store, and More Trees , an organization that works with forest conservation in Japan and overseas. But the fun didn't stop with just one cuckoo clock. The display consisted of 50 customized interpretations of the clock by 50 different artists and designers from all over Japan. The whimsical and amazing clocks are enough to stop anyone in their tracks. [via Treehugger and Designboom ] Don't forget about our popular design cuckoo clocks here . The Classic Space will soon be featured in ReadyMade magazine in early 2010. Stay Tuned...

Here's another creative approach to clock displays. [via core77 ]

Here's a new idea. It displays the amount of energy used in your home, all in the guise of a Modern Design clock! The more energy being consumed, the larger the diameter of the pattern. You're able to see how much was used at 1 PM, 1:15 PM, 2 PM and so on by glancing at it. This clock has already made its way around the internet. You can read more about it on the following blogs: TreeHugger Unplggd Dvice Be sure to check out OUR Modern Design cuckoo clocks at www.NorthCoastImports.com/design

There really isn't enough attention drawn to the beauty of craftsmanship in an Original Black Forest Cuckoo Clock. One must marvel at the complexity and quality of the mechanical clock works, particularly when these are made today in the midst of a throwaway market. In an age when you are paid to destroy and throw away aging machines, these Black Forest clockmakers are brave craftsman. They boldly construct these pieces according to the traditions of a forgotten era. Each precision-cut tooth of every wheel is painstakingly adjusted. The actions that these gears perform is something that is easily synthesized with some plastic, solder, and silicon, but the brass and steel make the experience more real somehow. The action ITSELF is more of an artistic piece. Sometimes it is not enough to ask "WHAT" but to ask "HOW." A mechanical clock performs the action of telling time in a far more interesting and fulfilling way. As each second ticks by on your mechanical c...

Here's something interesting... On this Continue Time clock, two out of the three pointers rotate around another pointer, instead of the central point on the clock face, as with traditional clocks. The resulting kinetic artwork, and functional clock, is continuously changing its shape during a full rotation of twelve hours. While creating mesmerizing patterns on your wall the pointers are still read as with any traditional clock. The Continue Time clock measures 105 centimeters from end to end; a full 12 hours will span a circle of 210 centimeters centimeters of wall. [via Makezine ] Remember, there are more fascinating clocks of modern design here: www.northcoastimports.com/design

It's not as classic as our Sternreiter Alarm Clocks , but it is very pretty: eReleases.com Press Release Distribution Services and Press Release Writing Web 2.0 Online Press Release Distribution

Fans of North Coast Imports already know about our new and exciting /design series clocks, but we've been adding materials to the website that you need to know about. Check out http://tinyurl.com/classicspace on our www.northcoastimports.com/design site for a new video of these great clocks. related articles: DESIGN

Happy belated Memorial Day. As usual, we at North Coast Imports spent a good part of our holiday thinking up ideas for new kinds of clocks... it's what we do! This is a special variation on our "Classic Space " series (found at www.northcoastimports.com/design ) with American Stars and Stripes. The "Classic Space " series already has a heavy American influence. The natural elements mixed with the machined simplicity definitely fits in an American aesthetic. The "Classic Space " clearly fits an American tradition with its visible wood grain (natural materials) and natural power. A mechanical clock is a perfect example of a machine running on renewable energy. The only power required to run this clock is gravity! There are no batteries, no electricity, no heat... it will even run in the dark. All of our clocks are packaged in recycled materials! This clock would fit perfectly in a modern decor... the natural wood slat style easily matches either a ...