Cifra 2/S alarm clock by Gino Valle for Solari, 1960s

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Solari Udine production, Cifra 2/S Synchron desk alarm clock, 1966. 220 Volt power supply. Electromechanical with direct reading, designed by Gino Valle and produced by the Solari company in the late 1960s. The clock has been part of the permanent collection of the Science Musem in London and of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA) since 1967. The clock assembly, consisting of the motor, the mechanical part and the vane rollers, is made of PVC. The inner panel, on the other hand, is made of transfer-moulded polyester and fibreglass. The case that surrounds it consists of three parts: a transparent front part made of polymethyl methacrylate, a rear casing made of ABS thermoplastic, and a side clasp with a lever for correcting the hours and minutes, also made of ABS. The mobile mechanical components of which the watch is composed are: two vane rollers (one of 48 for the hours and one of 60 for the minutes) and a motor placed on the same axis as the rollers. The operation is simple, perfect and unchanged since 1966. The relationship between Gino Valle and the Solari company began in 1954 with the design of the Cifra 5 electromechanical numeral clock (patented in 1957), consisting of four vertical pallets of ten numerals each making up all the hours. The Cifra 5 watch was the progenitor of a full-fledged family of industrial clocks and was awarded the Compasso d'Oro in 1956. With the help of Belgian inventor John Meyer, a roll of 48 pallets was obtained, which led to the creation of the smallest direct-reading clock, the iconic Cifra 3, ideal for keeping at home or in the office. Gino Valle, architect, designer, painter, known throughout the world, left his mark in the design of the vane roller (patented in 1966) and, at the end of the 1960s, in the unmistakable shape of Cifra 3, the smallest of the direct reading clocks. "Design as the language of objects, as a form that transforms their relationship with man, as a communicative force that modifies the environment and space in which they are placed." With Cifra 3, Solari's design is part of the permanent collection of the Science Musem in London and the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, where it is also displayed as a palette display for public information. Dimensions: H. 6.5 cm - W. 13.5 cm - D. 10 cm.

ID: 60840-1671622459-53095