Clever Marketing – Carrying on the Clock Trade with the Entire World
The low-priced Black Forest clock was a success throughout the world. The painters of the lacquered shields would design the dials according to the tastes of any given country. Black Forest traders, the so-called clock carriers, sold the clocks on site.
As from the second half of the 18th century, the Black Forest clock dominated the European market. Later, it also made its way overseas and to the Far East. The design of the shields would vary depending on the intended country. In England minimally decorated white lacquered shields were in demand. In France the opulently coloured dials sold best.
The Black Forest clock carriers would travel abroad for several years. They would have clocks sent to them from home and would pedal them or even sell them in their own shop. The clock trader‘s name and the place of sale can also be found on the lacquer shields.
Initially, the clock traders were organized in companies that were founded on the basis of verbal agreements. As mutual trust increasingly became abused, these companies would fail. Even though the clock traders ran a risk as independent businessmen, they could keep any profits for themselves alone.