The traveling clock merchant was once a familiar figure in the Black Forest. On his back he carried a wooden pannier (so-called “Krätze”) containing his wares. One of the first clock merchants, Joseph Winterhalder, reached Holland in 1720. He founded a company of clock and bird merchants in Gutenbach. A special clock carriers company for trade with Holland was formed in 1760. Trade was also carried out with other foreign countries such as Turkey, Egypt and North America.

Painted tin figures dressed in historic costume and with a clock on the front were made up until the end of the 19th century. These clock-men (so-called “Uhrenmänle” or “Uhrenträger” often stood in the clockmaker’s window for recognition purposes and were also known as shop-window figures (so-called “Schaufensterfiguren”).

As the bourgeoisie increased during the renaissance, so did the demand for smaller horizontal table clocks and neck watches increase. These clocks were driven by a spring and used a balance as regulator which enabled them to be transportable. They originated in Southern Germany, particularly in Augsburg and Nuremberg. In Holland, clockmakers such as Salomon Coster, Severijn Oosterwijck and Jan Janse Boekelts were also developing these clocks in cities such as Haarlem, Amsterdam and The Hague. Examples originating from Danzig (Pomerania) were, for instance, designed by Johann Eichstedt, Wolfgang Günther and Johann Anton Horn.

A review of the literature appears to indicate that authors in the English language have distinguished the importance and specifics of Dutch clockmaking much at a much earlier stage and with rather more verve than their Dutch colleagues. This phenomenon is shared in other areas. Great Dutch architects like Berlage and Dudok, and even the old masters of the 'Golden Age of Dutch painting'seems to attract greater interest abroad than in the Netherlands itself.