Clock - Mokalyto Caffè – Avanzini Parma – Italian Advertising Wall Clock – Junghans Quartz – 1970s/1980s - Industrial Metal, Glass, Plastic - 1970-1980

Mokalyto Caffè – Avanzini Parma – Italian Advertising Wall Clock – Junghans Quartz W733 – 1970s/1980s
Original vintage Italian advertising wall clock produced for Mokalyto Caffè, a coffee roasting and trading company based in Rovato, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy.
Historical Italian business directories document the company as Mokalyto di Campana Pierino & C. SNC, active in the processing, roasting and wholesale trade of coffee, with premises in Via XXV Aprile 161, Rovato (BS). Impresa Italia
This makes the clock much more than a simple timepiece: it is a surviving piece of Italian coffee advertising and bar culture, created at a time when regional coffee roasters supplied cafés and bars not only with coffee, but also with branded promotional objects designed to remain permanently visible to customers.
The dial is signed in the lower right:
AVANZINI M. PARMA
indicating production by Avanzini in Parma for promotional/commercial use.
Italian coffee culture and Mokalyto
During the post-war decades, and particularly throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, Italian coffee roasters competed intensely for visibility inside bars and cafés.
Advertising was not limited to posters or signs. Coffee companies distributed branded cups, trays, ashtrays, thermometers, illuminated signs and wall clocks, turning ordinary functional objects into permanent advertisements.
This Mokalyto clock is a particularly attractive example of that tradition.
Mokalyto was a regional coffee company based in Rovato, in the province of Brescia, an area of Lombardy with a long tradition of small and medium-sized food and beverage businesses. Historical listings identify the company specifically with coffee roasting and wholesale coffee trading, confirming that Mokalyto was an actual commercial coffee brand rather than a purely decorative name. Impresa Italia
The Mokalyto name is also documented among Italian coffee brands represented in specialist collections of historic coffee cups and coffee-related memorabilia, further illustrating its place within the broad landscape of Italian regional coffee brands. Il Vecchio Macinino
Design
The clock has a strong Italian Mid-Century / 1970s commercial graphic design aesthetic.
The square dial is divided horizontally into two bold colour fields:
- warm burnt orange / terracotta on the lower section
- soft ivory / cream on the upper section
Across the centre, the large MOKALYTO name appears in bold white block lettering, immediately giving the clock the appearance of a commercial sign rather than an ordinary domestic clock.
The word CAFFE' is printed in black against the lighter upper section.
Instead of conventional numerals, the hours are indicated by simple outlined rectangular markers. Their minimalist geometry, combined with the extremely long black hands, gives the composition an architectural and almost poster-like quality.
The overall design combines elements of:
Italian Mid-Century Modern
1970s Retro Design
Commercial Graphic Design
Industrial Advertising
The orange, ivory, brown, black and white palette is particularly representative of interiors and commercial graphics from the 1970s.
Construction
The case is made of brown-painted metal, with a substantial depth of approximately 6 cm.
The front is protected by real glass, not plastic.
The deep metal case gives the object considerable presence on the wall and reinforces its original commercial character.
The back is also metal and retains its integrated hanging point.
Movement
The clock is currently fitted with a genuine:
Junghans Quartz W733
Made in Germany
The movement has been tested and the clock is working correctly at the time of listing.
The Junghans W733 is a German quartz wall-clock movement associated with Junghans production from the late 20th century.
Powered by:
1 × AA battery
Battery not included.
Specifications
- Advertising brand: Mokalyto Caffè
- Company: Mokalyto di Campana Pierino & C. SNC
- Company location: Rovato, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
- Dial marking: Avanzini M. Parma
- Country of advertising production: Italy
- Period: circa 1970s–1980s
- Style: Italian Mid-Century Modern / Retro / Commercial Advertising
- Movement: Junghans Quartz W733
- Movement origin: Made in Germany
- Display: analogue
- Case: painted metal
- Front: real glass
- Colours: burnt orange, ivory, brown, black and white
- Dimensions: approximately 30 × 30 cm
- Depth: approximately 6 cm
- Weight: approximately 1.4 kg
- Power: 1 × AA battery
- Battery: not included
Condition
The clock is in good vintage condition, consistent with its age and previous use.
The brown metal case shows normal signs of age and use, including small marks, light scratches, patina and minor areas of wear.
The rear metal panel also shows age-related marks and traces of previous use.
The glass is intact.
There are no cracks or structural breaks.
The dial remains visually strong, with attractive colours and clearly legible Mokalyto advertising graphics.
The photographs show the actual condition of the clock and form an integral part of the description.
A surviving piece of Italian café history
What makes this object particularly interesting is its original commercial purpose.
It was not designed merely as a household wall clock, but as a branded advertising object, intended to remain permanently visible inside a café, bar, grocery store or other Mokalyto customer premises.
For decades, objects such as this formed part of the familiar visual landscape of Italian bars: coffee machines, branded cups, metal signs, calendars, ashtrays and clocks all carrying the identity of the local roaster.
As interiors were modernised, much of this original advertising material was discarded.
Surviving examples therefore offer an appealing combination of:
Italian graphic design
coffee memorabilia
commercial advertising history
functional vintage design
The Mokalyto logo, large-format typography and warm orange/cream palette give this example particularly strong decorative impact.
Ideal for a vintage kitchen, bar, café, restaurant, loft, office, design interior or collection of Italian advertising memorabilia.This is a vintage item and is sold in the condition clearly shown in the photographs and described above.
The clock has been tested before listing and is working at the time of sale.
Due to the age of the object, no guarantee can be given regarding future accuracy, long-term performance or possible future maintenance requirements.
Battery is not included.
The photographs are an integral part of the description.
Any visible signs of age, wear, patina, oxidation, scratches, marks or imperfections are consistent with the vintage nature of the item and are shown as clearly as possible in the photographs.
Colours may vary slightly depending on lighting conditions, photography and individual screen settings.
The item will be carefully packed using appropriate protective materials, with particular attention to the glass front, hands and metal case.
The clock will be securely immobilised inside the package to minimise movement during transport.
Where considered necessary, the item may be double-boxed for additional protection.
The seller documents the condition and functionality of the item before shipment and may also document the packing process.
Please note that vintage clocks and quartz mechanisms can occasionally require minor adjustment after transport due to vibration or movement during shipping.
By placing a bid, the buyer confirms that they have carefully reviewed all photographs, read the complete description and accepted the condition of the item as shown and described.