Not Your Grandma's Cuckoo

Cuckoo clock clichés are hard to avoid: Say the word 'cuckoo' and people instantly picture kitschy dark-wood relics hanging in the homes of aging relatives. Justin Miller is painfully aware of this stereotype, but his fascination with primitive cuckoo technology long ago spread to the more obscure history of Black Forest clocks.

Miller's interest in the clock-making region of southwestern Germany began innocuously enough with a childhood gift from his grandfather, whom he actually called 'Grandpa Clock.'