The Content and Reason of VDS-Certificate

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Like in every industry you always will find products, which do not achieve a certain quality standard. There for industries look for ways to prove their quality by certain brand names or with quality certificates. These certificates proves certain characteristics like the used material, the country of origin, the guarantee or certain manufacturing methods and so on. One main reason behind the introduction of the VDS-Certificate is to allow the customer to distinguish between Clocks form the Black Forest or cheap imports made by foreign companies.

The organisation behind the VDS are the main clock producing companies out of the Black Forest. The members of the VDS organisation have been concerned about the authenticity of the product for a long time, a product which represents the Black Forest in a most important way. As a consequence it was decided to introduce a Certificate of Authenticity. The need to give collectors and customers all over the world the guaranty that a clock they bought definitely comes from this Black Forest area.

Black Forest Clocks allowed to carry this certificate actually have to keep up a high standard. One condition for example is that the clock has been made exclusively in the Black Forest. But the proof of origin alone does not suffice to be accepted for the certificate. The clock must also be working purely mechanically and all its essential parts have to be produced in the Black Forest, too. There is no chance to receive the well desired certificate for quartz clocks or for clocks running by solar energy. The certificate is given to Clock-makers from the Triberg and Titisee-Neustadt area who reach this quality standard. To show the internationality of the VDS Certificate - it is multi-lingual like in German, English and French.

Attention: Even if not all manufacturers have the VDS Certificate with there clocks that does not mean automatically that the clock is not an original Black Forest Clock or do not prove certain quality standards. For example the Clock Company Albert Schwab do not work with the certificate – but they are for sure a 100% Black Forest Cuckoo Clock Manufacturer.

The bottom line for you - the customer – should be that before you buy ask for a prove of the country of origin. Because a lot of shops sell cheap quality clocks in there stores or even more over the internet. Ask for the VDS Certificate – this is one way to make sure that you buy a high quality product.