You can’t put a price on sentimental value, and that’s why I decided to get my grandmother’s cuckoo clock fixed, after it hadn’t worked for probably more than 35 years. My father originally bought it, I think in Switzerland, and gave it to her. My grandmother’s story is that my uncle and grandfather couldn’t stand listening to it, so she brought it to the basement, and over the years I suppose it just stopped working.
After an all-round fix, then a secondary fix that took far longer than the first fix, it’s now working again, and my grandmother is happy about it. However, she’ll leave it on the wall for show, and perhaps use it only for company, because the truth is, the clock is fragile and we don’t want it to break again. Still, I say it’s worth the price I paid.
Roman numerals.
The doors have hooks in case we want to turn off either the bird or the boy.
The bird comes out to cuckoo on the hour and the half hour. I don’t really think he’s paying attention to the real time, though.
The little man comes out to play music but the door doesn’t open as far as it should and he merely stands inside, instead of poking his head out. Oh well.
Three standard weights hang from the chains. I think they must be pulled to the top once a day to stay working. It must be completely level on the wall for it to work.