What Is It?: Brionvega

I’m excited: I had my first reader-submitted “What Is It?” entry this month. Mike sent me these photos with the following comment: “It’s a clock radio, but what kind (the orange thing)?”

It took me a minute to look away from the blender and find the orange clock in question, but it is there in both pictures and quite stunning.

I had no idea what it is or who made it, so I submitted the photos to a few design experts I know.  Stephen at The Mid-Century Modernist was able to identify it almost immediately.

“I believe this is a Brionvega,” he said. “I adore it.”  And he sent a few links with better pictures.

Retro to Go talks about these museum-worthy clock radios here.

There’s one currently for sale on eBay but it is from China, so be warned.  If you want to nab future eBay listings, just set up an eBay alert for Brionvega.

Here’s another great post about the Brionvega ts522 from Gizmodo.com, via Stephen.

I’ve had the same clock radio since 1987 and it looks oddly similar to the ts522.  So if you’re looking for a slightly cheaper version, scour the second hand scene for the Sony Dream Machine.  (I found one at a garage sale and another at a thrift store last year so I have back-ups.  It’s a great clock, too.)