Skip to main content

Joe Colombo Clocks

Italian, 1930-1971

He died tragically young, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. But through the 1960s, Joe Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, the creations of Joe Colombo have the power to surprise.

Cesare “Joe” Colombo was born in Milan, the son of an electrical-components manufacturer. He was a creative child — he loved to build huge structures from Meccano pieces — and in college he studied painting and sculpture before switching to architecture.

In the early 1950s, Colombo made and exhibited paintings and sculptures as part of an art movement that responded to the new Nuclear Age, and futuristic thinking would inform his entire career. He took up design not long after his father fell ill in 1958, and he and his brother, Gianni, were called upon to run the family company.

Colombo expanded the business to include the making of plastics — a primary material in almost all his later designs. One of his first, made in collaboration with his brother, was the Acrilica table lamp (1962), composed of a wave-shaped piece of clear acrylic resin that diffused light cast by a bulb concealed in the lamp’s metal base. A year later, Colombo produced his best-known furniture design, the Elda armchair (1963): a modernist wingback chair with a womb-like plastic frame upholstered in thick leather pads. 

Portability and adaptability were keynotes of many Colombo designs, made for a more mobile society in which people would take their living environments with them. One of his most striking pieces is the Tube chair (1969). It comprises four foam-padded plastic cylinders that fit inside one another. The components, which are held together by metal clips, can be configured in a variety of seating shapes (his Additional Living System seating is similarly versatile).

Vintage Tube chairs generally sell for about $9,000 in good condition; Elda chairs for about $7,000. A small Colombo design such as the plastic Boby trolley — an office organizer on wheels, designed in 1970 — is priced in the range of $700.

As Colombo intended, his designs are best suited to a modern decor. If your tastes run to sleek, glossy Space Age looks, the work of Joe Colombo offers you a myriad of choices.

Find vintage Joe Colombo lamps, seating and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Height
to
Width
to
1
1
1
260
125
67
56
42
Creator: Joe Colombo
1970s Ritz Italora Original Table Clock by Joe Colombo Optic Art
By Joe Colombo
Located in Biella, IT
Ritz Italora rare original table clock first edit by Joe Colombo design years 1970 optic art. Materialis plastic and metal particular and mecanism. ...
Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Plastic

1970s Ritz Italora Original Table Clock by Joe Colombo Optic Art
1970s Ritz Italora Original Table Clock by Joe Colombo Optic Art

1970s Ritz Italora Original Table Clock by Joe Colombo Optic Art

$1,677
Related Items
1970s Astonishing Table Clock by Omodomo in Crystal. Made in Italy
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Astonishing table clock by Omodomo in crystal. Made in Italy. It's in excellent condition and it works perfectly with battery (quartz mechanism) Dimensions: 6,69 x 2,75 x 2,75 ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Crystal

1970s Astonishing Table Clock by Omodomo in Crystal. Made in Italy
1970s Astonishing Table Clock by Omodomo in Crystal. Made in Italy

1970s Astonishing Table Clock by Omodomo in Crystal. Made in Italy

$312 Sale Price
20% Off
H 2.75 in W 2.75 in D 6.69 in
Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock, 1970s
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Skokie, IL
Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock Italy, 1970s Red Secticon T2 table clock designed by architect Angelo Mangiarotti. The clock features a brass tone dial with Rom...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Brass

Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock, 1970s
Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock, 1970s

Angelo Mangiarotti Red Secticon Model T2 Table Clock, 1970s

$750
H 5 in W 3.75 in D 3.5 in
Beautiful original 1970s Krups wall clock in typical Space Age design
By Krups
Located in München, DE
Beautiful 1970s original KRUPS wall clock in typical Space Age design. Made in Germany. Case is made entirely of plastic. Front is in bright shiny orange, back in black. No damage. N...
Category

1970s German Space Age Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Plastic

Beautiful original 1970s Krups wall clock in typical Space Age design
Beautiful original 1970s Krups wall clock in typical Space Age design

Beautiful original 1970s Krups wall clock in typical Space Age design

$587
H 8.08 in W 9.26 in D 2.17 in
Green & Golden Table Desk Alarm Clock with Tulip Base by Europa, Germany, 1970s
By Europa Clocks
Located in Vienna, AT
An elegant golden and emerald-green Space Age design desk or table alarm clock from the 1970s, manufactured by the German clockmaker Europa. The round case and flared tulip-shaped ba...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Metal

Green & Golden Table Desk Alarm Clock with Tulip Base by Europa, Germany, 1970s
Green & Golden Table Desk Alarm Clock with Tulip Base by Europa, Germany, 1970s

Green & Golden Table Desk Alarm Clock with Tulip Base by Europa, Germany, 1970s

$390
H 7.5 in W 5 in D 3 in
Willy Rizzo Lumica Clock Bicolor 1970s
By BD Lumica, Willy Rizzo
Located in Cork, IE
This is a rare find! We are delighted to bring this glamourous 1970's cubic mantle clock designed by Willy Rizzo and produced by Lumica to the market. In overall good condition wit...
Category

1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Brass, Chrome

Willy Rizzo Lumica Clock Bicolor 1970s
Willy Rizzo Lumica Clock Bicolor 1970s

Willy Rizzo Lumica Clock Bicolor 1970s

$1,138
H 17.72 in W 11.03 in D 4.73 in
Original 1970s table clock and alarm clock COMFORTIME 3 by Krups
By Krups
Located in München, DE
Original 1970s Krups table clock and alarm clock. Krups Type 672. Made in Germany. The 1970s Pop Art classic in typical red and orange. Clock and alarm functions are working. Quiet a...
Category

1970s German Space Age Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Plastic

Original 1970s table clock and alarm clock COMFORTIME 3 by Krups
Original 1970s table clock and alarm clock COMFORTIME 3 by Krups

Original 1970s table clock and alarm clock COMFORTIME 3 by Krups

$323
H 3.15 in W 4.53 in D 2.96 in
Rare Midcentury Table or Desk Clock, 1970s
By Memphis Milano
Located in Praha, CZ
- rare type - functional
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Metal

Rare Midcentury Table or Desk Clock, 1970s
Rare Midcentury Table or Desk Clock, 1970s

Rare Midcentury Table or Desk Clock, 1970s

$226
H 4.73 in W 7.88 in D 1.58 in
Midcentury Brutalist Enameled Wall Clock by Kienzle, Germany, 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful round Midcentury Brutalist wall clock, executed by Kienzle Germany in the 1970s. The clock has a housing made of ceramic with a colorful enamel glaze in brown, green, yel...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Brutalist Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Enamel

Midcentury Brutalist Enameled Wall Clock by Kienzle, Germany, 1970s
Midcentury Brutalist Enameled Wall Clock by Kienzle, Germany, 1970s

Midcentury Brutalist Enameled Wall Clock by Kienzle, Germany, 1970s

$900
H 1 in Dm 12 in
Vintage Clock, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Clock is a decorative object realized in 1970s. A vintage plastic clock. The perfect gift for a jump to the past. Not in a perfect con...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Plastic

Vintage Clock, 1970s
Vintage Clock, 1970s

Vintage Clock, 1970s

$335
H 10.63 in W 1.97 in D 11.82 in
Brass Cylindric Table Desk Clock by Ferdinando Loffredo, Italy, 1970s
By Ferdinando Loffredo
Located in Rome, IT
Cylindric table and desk clock in brass by the Italian designer Ferdinando Loffredo made in Italy in the 1970s. The clock is not functioning, it is sold as a decorative object. His...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Metal, Brass

Brass Cylindric Table Desk Clock by Ferdinando Loffredo, Italy, 1970s
Brass Cylindric Table Desk Clock by Ferdinando Loffredo, Italy, 1970s

Brass Cylindric Table Desk Clock by Ferdinando Loffredo, Italy, 1970s

$1,054
H 4.73 in Dm 3.15 in
Large Brass Table World Time Zone Clock by Kundo / Kieninger & Obergfell, 1970s
By Kundo, Kieninger & Obergfell
Located in München, BY
Large modernist brass table world time clock by Kundo / Kieninger & Obergfell, West Germany circa 1970s. Beautiful clock with a large 9-inch round dial in white with a gold world ma...
Category

1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Brass, Metal

Large Brass Table World Time Zone Clock by Kundo / Kieninger & Obergfell, 1970s
Large Brass Table World Time Zone Clock by Kundo / Kieninger & Obergfell, 1970s

Large Brass Table World Time Zone Clock by Kundo / Kieninger & Obergfell, 1970s

$1,114
H 10.24 in W 9.26 in D 4.14 in
Aluminum Wall Clock from the 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
Aluminum frame with battery movement. Used but still in a good condition, made in Germany in the 1970s.
Category

1970s German Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Aluminum

Aluminum Wall Clock from the 1970s
Aluminum Wall Clock from the 1970s

Aluminum Wall Clock from the 1970s

$699
H 18.51 in W 13 in D 1.19 in
Previously Available Items
Joe Colombo Design Clock 02/R Optic for Alessi, Minimalist Italian Design
By Joe Colombo, Alessi
Located in San Benedetto Del Tronto, IT
Discover a rare piece of design history with this Alessi 02/R Optic alarm clock, an iconic reissue of Joe Colombo's visionary 1970s design. First produced by Ritz Italora, this strik...
Category

1980s Italian Minimalist Vintage Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Plastic

Joe Colombo Design Clock 02/R Optic for Alessi, Minimalist Italian Design
Joe Colombo Design Clock 02/R Optic for Alessi, Minimalist Italian Design

Joe Colombo Design Clock 02/R Optic for Alessi, Minimalist Italian Design

H 3.15 in W 3.15 in D 3.15 in
Black Optic Clock by Joe Colombo for Alessi
By Joe Colombo, Alessi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Optic clock designed by Joe Colombo and produced since the late 1980s by Alessi is a rare and collectible piece of design history. Imagined by the leg...
Category

Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Joe Colombo Clocks

Materials

Metal

Black Optic Clock by Joe Colombo for Alessi
Black Optic Clock by Joe Colombo for Alessi

Black Optic Clock by Joe Colombo for Alessi

H 3.25 in W 3.25 in D 3.25 in

Joe Colombo clocks for sale on 1stDibs.

Joe Colombo clocks are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plastic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Joe Colombo clocks, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original clocks by Joe Colombo were created in the modern style in italy during the late 20th century. Prices for Joe Colombo clocks can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $350 and can go as high as $1,553, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $952.
Questions About Joe Colombo Clocks
  • What is Joe Colombo famous for?
    1 Answer
    1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025
    Joe Colombo is famous for his career as a designer. He died young, at 41 in 1971, and his career as a designer lasted little more than 10 years. Through the 1960s, Colombo proved himself one of the field’s most provocative and original thinkers, and he produced a remarkably large array of innovative chairs, table lamps and other lighting and furniture as well as product designs. Even today, his creations have the power to surprise. Shop a selection of Joe Colombo furniture on 1stDibs.