Welcome to the Mistletoe home of clocks. I specialise in cuckoo clocks, especially those of Johann Baptist Beha, one of the original Black Forest companies creating a range of decorative clocks during the 1800's. Please keep visiting this site to see a selection of different clocks as they become available.

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This is a genuine Beha clock you are looking at.

The clock is very rare and appears in Karl Kotchman’s book
Black forest clock maker and the cuckoo clock. It appears in the catalogue
section for Beha clocks. You will notice that the crown is missing but this
does not detract from the appearance. It dates from about 1870 and has a little
paper label on the backboard for Eschwan clock dealers.

 The clock is a cuckoo and quail movement and will strike on
the quarter hours with the quail and on the hour with the cuckoo. The two birds
are both present and have not been repainted.

The carving is of large blooms and small flowers with
foliage and a scroll apron. The dial has a lovely rosette carving with original numbers. The hands are original bone. The pendulum is the original to the clock and echoes the
foliage present in the apron. 

All three weights and chains are present and in good order.
The movement is clean and oiled.  

Sold






 




    

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Black forest wall cuckoo clock, Beha style movement c1880’s

The clock has oak carvings with vines and topped with a grouse in classic pose. The casing is a pine body with dark stain. The carving is wonderful and the colour is very good for its age.

The inner movement is a wood plate movement typical of Beha movements with the telltale signs such as the white metal strap that the count wheel is mounted on. The pendulum continues the theme of vines and has a leaf shaped bob suspended on a ladder pendulum arm. The weights are original cast iron pinecones along with the original brass chains. All together a very nice clock indeed.

A rather interesting label is on the back of the clock, either placed there during resale of this clock or during one of the maintenance sessions.

The label advertises Camerer, Kuss & Co who were a jewellers, clock makers and repairers and according to the label had won awards for inventions and clock making. These labels are very important, not only to the history of the clock, but also to the history of horology in general.

Sold!

Black forest cuckoo clock c1890’s

It is made from a lightwood, probably beach and is carved with wonderful scrolls of vine foliage. The wood is in great condition with no worming. The numerals are all original with small pin fixtures. The hands are original with no sign of damage. The cuckoo is original and in working order. All together this is a wonderful clock.

The crown has a cuckoo and is detachable from the clock.

The movement is brass plate and is marked with GHS and the number 42.

The back of the clock has an old service label on it that is slight worn in places.

The readable bit states the following-

Established 1905

HART BROS.

Jewellers & Watchmakers

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This is a wonderful Gothic revival mantle or shelf clock made by the German factory Junghan's. The clock strikes on the hour and half past the hour and has the original cuckoo bird that pops out of the door to greet you. The clock case is Oak and the movement is brass. The clock face is made from soft metal that is covered with celluloid, a common feature for Junghans but quite rare for clocks in general.

 The clock orignates from the late 1890's.

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Oak cuckoo clock-altered c1890’s

This is an oak clock that was once a cuckoo clock.

The movement has no distinguishable marks but is original to the clock and is mostly brass cogs and brass plate. It is a spring movement with twin barrels for going train and chime train.

The clock stands 19” high, (38cm) and is 13 ¾ “ (35 cm) wide across the apex roof that is the widest part of the clock. The clock is supplied with a key.

Sold!

A Beha clock from the 1890’s. The clock case is decorated in gothic revival carvings and devices. The cuckoo strikes on the hour and half past the hour.

The clock has its original cuckoo bird that is in untouched state (I don’t agree with repainting them) and the bird has a moving beak.

The weights are the original cast iron pinecone weights.

The clock face is in fantastic order and the original bone numbers are all still pinned in place and in tight order.

The movement is cleaned and oiled.

SOLD!

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The origins of the Cuckoo Clock

The original Black forest clocks were made around the mid 1700’s and were very primitive in construction. Having said that, how many people these days could make a clock completely out of wood? As the craft of clock building grew, the clocks became more elaborate with more moving parts including cuckoos. These clocks were traditionally crafted during the winter months when workmen were snowed in and times were bleak. As wood carvers created more stunning clocks, they travelled from village to village to sell their wares and popularity for cuckoo clocks grew. Part of a brides wedding chest would include a new carved cuckoo clock for their new home. As cuckoo clocks became a factory industry, great names appeared such as Theodore Ketterer, Fidel Hepting and of course, my favourite, Johann Baptist Beha.

 

Johann Baptist Beha

JB Beha was trained by his father who was a master clock maker. This lead to JB eventually reaching to the dizzy heights of mass-producing clocks from his Beha factory in Eisenbach and had a strong workforce. The types of clocks produced at Beha were extremely diverse as JB produced a range of clocks and movements but favoured traditional methods of production. Beha clocks can be simple wall clocks, mantle clocks, and shelf clocks and then become more elaborate with cuckoo and quail movements, musical workings and fabulous enamel dials. Not all Beha clocks are marked or have their original paper certificates within, but they are noticeable for several features. Beha clocks have wood birdcage plates as apposed to brass. The Wood plates are fixed with metal pins to secure them in place. The count wheel always has a white metal back plate. The cuckoo birds are very well carved and unique and are instantly recognisable as Beha. In my opinion, these are probably the best and most reliable of all Cuckoo clocks and shame the plastic and cheap MDF wood clocks produced today with their cheap movements and plastic cuckoos. During the production of their clocks, Beha won many medals at trade exhibitions and scientific societies for their movements. Today, tourists can visit the Hotel BAD, the origins of the Beha family business where JB made his early table top clocks. His most impressive clock is now relocated into the hotel restaurant, a clock that has a compensation pendulum that is longer than the clock itself and is built into the wall so that it can be viewed from all sides. The clock is one of his most impressive works and indicates the time in several cities around the globe.

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Purchasing and payment information

To purchase any of the clocks shown on this page then click on the cuckoo clock email link at the base of the page. Only contact me if you are genuine and wish to sell or purchase a clock. No timewasters please. You can also email me for further information about the clocks shown. Payments can be made using PayPal, personal cheques in UK pounds sterling, bankers drafts in UK sterling and UK steriing cash sent by registered post with insurance. I post worldwide and postage will be quoted on request. All items will be posted with insurance and special delivery (signature required). Items will only be posted once funds have cleared into my account.

Disclaimer

All valuations and condition reports are my opinion only and no responsibility will be taken for confilcts in opinion. I will always commit to ensuring my descriptions are as accurate as possible so to avoid any disappointment please email with any questions to clarify points and descriptions with regards to condition.

If you have a cuckoo clock you would like to sell, then send a picture to my email address with a suggested amount you would like for the clock. Please detail any damage and the current working status of the clock including any known faults and repairs. Please note, I do not buy any clocks that are post war or mass produced clocks with resin coated wood. Anyone wishing to sell a clock must pay for the postage themselves and will receive payment after I have safely received the clock and inspected it personally. If I am not happy with the clock then I will return it and pay for the return postage myself. I can't pay for any clock before seeing it first as I have my interest to look after and realise that not everyone is an expert on the condition of clocks. If you do not agree with these conditions or are not able to provide an initial photo of your clock then please do not bother to contact me as I will not respond. Sorry

Please note, I do not do condition or valuation reports so if you need a valuation then go to the Antiques Roadshow or contact your local auctioneer who can do valuations.