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Few inventions have a more disputed and hotly contested history than the cuckoo clock. The iconic wall clock dates back at least several hundred years, but just how far remains a mystery. Here, Tic Toc Shop, based in Mason, OH, reveals a few details about the clock's surprisingly riveting history. 

Check out these interesting facts about the origins of the cuckoo clock:

  • The Ketterer Theory: For many years, scholars believed the cuckoo clock traced its origins to the Black Forest village of Schonwald. It was there, in the 1730s, many believed, that a talented clockmaker named Franz Anton Ketterer invented the cuckoo clock, largely inspired by the sound of church organs. This theory had enough story and texture to hold up for several decades. 
  • cuckoo clockNew Evidence: As the years passed, the Ketterer Theory, which originated in a 1979 book called “The Black Forest Cuckoo Clock,” didn’t hold up to scrutiny. As noted by the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, there is evidence of similar clocks dating back to the mid-17th century. These inventions, however, are not nearly as sophisticated as the those that emerged out of the Black Forest nearly a century later. 
  • Scant Information: For such a universally recognizable invention, there is very little written history about the cuckoo clock. The 1979 historical account of the cuckoo clock's origins, for example, was self-published, but it still managed to hold something of a monopoly on the clock's history for years. One thing historians do know is that, after it was perfected in the Black Forest in the 18th century, the cuckoo clock remained relatively unchanged for centuries. Perhaps this is why so many people simply assumed the distinctive wall clock was also invented there. 

The Tic Toc Shop has been one of Greater Cincinnati's finest clock repair shops for over 50 years. Their horologists are masters of this highly specialized field and work with everything from cuckoo clocks to grandfather and vintage wall clocks. The shop stocks a wide variety of parts so the horologists have exactly what they need to repair even the rarest antique clocks. Visit their website to learn more about the highly skilled staff's repair expertise, or give them a call at (513) 922-0315. 

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