A new cuckoo clock is ready to run in twenty minutes – provided you work in the right order. These instructions apply to mechanical clocks from our manufactory; model-specific details are in the instruction manuals.
Step 1: Unpack and remove the transport locks
Take the clock carefully out of the box and lay it face down on a soft surface. Inside, we secure moving parts for transport: paper strips or clips between the bellows, sometimes a wire on the cuckoo door. These locks must be removed completely, otherwise the call will not sound. Also check that the chains hang freely and are not twisted.
Step 2: Choose the right place
The clock needs a solid wall – a plug and screw, not a nail in plasterboard. Allow for the total weight including the weights: an 8-day chalet can exceed ten kilograms.
There must be enough drop below the clock for the weights: at least about 60 cm for a 1-day movement and considerably more for 8-day movements. Avoid positions directly above a radiator, in full sun or on a damp external wall – wood moves, and strong climate swings are the most common cause of later problems.
Step 3: Hang the clock
Hook the case onto the fixing on its back and align it exactly vertically. A clock hanging out of true is the single most common reason a cuckoo clock stops.
Step 4: Fit the pendulum and weights
Fit the pendulum first: its wire is guided through the slot under the case and hooked into the pendulum leader of the movement. Then hang the weights on the chain hooks.
Take care not to swap the weights if they differ in mass – on music clocks the third weight, for the music box, is often heavier. The figures are given in the manual for your model.
Step 5: Start it running
Give the pendulum a light sideways push. The clock should tick evenly. If the tick is uneven („tick—tock, tick—tock“), the clock is not hanging vertically: shift the case slightly left or right until the beat is even. This is called putting the clock in beat.
Step 6: Set the time
Move only the minute hand and always clockwise. Let the cuckoo call at every full and half hour before turning further. Never move the hour hand by hand while doing this – it follows on its own.
If the number of calls does not match the hour shown, simply turn the hour hand alone to the hour the cuckoo called. It will stay correct from then on.
Step 7: Winding
Pull the free side of the chain until the weight is back at the top. Never lift the weight itself – that can make the chain jump off its sprocket. A 1-day movement is wound daily, an 8-day movement once a week, ideally always on the same day.
Step 8: Regulate the rate
Let the clock run for a full day, then compare it with an accurate time source.
- Clock runs slow: slide the pendulum leaf slightly upwards.
- Clock runs fast: slide the pendulum leaf slightly downwards.
Move it only a few millimetres at a time and wait another day. After two or three corrections a well-built mechanical clock will be within roughly one to two minutes a day – normal for a pendulum movement and not a defect.
Frequent questions
The clock stops after a short time
Check in this order: is it vertical? Was a transport lock missed? Is a chain twisted or caught? Is the pendulum touching the case or a weight? Are the correct weights fitted?
The cuckoo does not call
Usually the lock between the bellows is still in place, or the night shut-off is engaged.
The clock calls the wrong hour
Turn the hour hand alone to the hour that was called (step 6).
It has been moved and no longer runs
For transport always remove the pendulum and weights and secure the bellows. After a move, repeat these instructions from step 3.
If the problem persists, write to us – our repair service in Gütenbach also looks after clocks that are decades old. For ongoing care, see our page on clock care.