Chalet Cuckoo Clocks

It sounds contradictory, yet it's true: Switzerland's role in the history and development of cuckoo clocks has been both overlooked and overhyped. That's unfortunate, because two of the qualities that define Switzerland in the public mind-its clock making proficiency and the quaintness of its historic architecture-are still evident in the Swiss cuckoo clocks, aka chalet cuckoo clocks, being made today.

The Overhyped Part
The cuckoo clock did not originate in Switzerland. The blame for this misconception is usually laid at the feet of Orson Welles, of all people. Welles' role as the villain Harry Lime in Carol Reed's classic 1949 film The Third Man is considered one of cinema's greatest performances. Lime's defining moment is when he says that despite 30 years of terror, warfare, murder, and bloodshed under the Borgias in Italy, they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance, but 500 years of peace and brotherly love in Switzerland produced only the cuckoo clock.

But the blame assigned to Welles should actually go to Mark Twain. In his 1880 travel book A Tramp Abroad, Twain included a chapter titled "The Nest of the Cuckoo-clock" in which he refers to the Swiss city of Lucerne as "the creature's home." Twain hated cuckoo clocks, and bought one for an enemy so he could "impair his mind."

The Overlooked Part
Twain was traveling through Switzerland at just the right time. The Swiss cuckoo clock originated toward the end of the 19th century, and was a very popular tourist souvenir. The chalet cuckoo clock style is a Swiss creation from that time period, inspired by the wooden Alpine dwellings that are such an iconic part of the Swiss landscape.

There are two types of chalet cuckoo clocks that are specifically Swiss: Brienz and Emmental. The village of Brienz is famous for its woodcarving, and Brienz-style cuckoo clocks typically feature small, finely detailed chalets with balconies, stairs, and windows graced by shutters and geraniums. The chalets of Emmental-style cuckoo clocks have steep roofs with large, overhanging eaves that reach almost to the ground.

But there's one more important Swiss contribution to cuckoo clock history that's too seldom mentioned: music. Switzerland is the birthplace of music boxes, and Swiss music movements of 22 to 36 notes are featured in some of the finest cuckoo clocks. A traditional cuckoo clock that plays music will almost invariably feature the song "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music, or both "Edelweiss" and "Froehlicher Wanderer" ("The Happy Wanderer").