From the Journal · A field guide
The S.T. Dupont Ligne 1, explained
The lighter that made the house: two lengths, two mechanisms and a great many finishes. Here is how to read one.
A leather house that made a lighter
S.T. Dupont began in Paris in 1872 as a maker of fine leather goods and travelling cases. Its first lighter followed in 1941, and the tall, rectangular case that grew out of it became the Ligne 1: plain sides, a hinged cap and a flint wheel set into the body. The shape has barely moved since, which is much of its appeal.
Grand or Petit
The Ligne 1 comes in two lengths. They share the same width and depth; only the height changes.
- Grand
- about 60 mm tall
- Petit
- about 48 mm tall
- Both
- about 36 mm wide and 13.5 mm deep
A ruler settles it in a second.
BS or BR
Dupont moved its lighters from petrol to butane gas in the 1950s, and the Ligne 1 was built in two main gas versions:
- BS
- Briquet Standard: a small valve shuts off the gas when the cap closes, with no flame adjustment.
- BR
- Briquet Réglable: adds a small wheel under the cap to set the height of the flame.
To tell them apart, open the cap and look beside the gas jet. If there is a small adjusting wheel, it is a BR.
The finishes
Much of a Ligne 1's character lies in its surface. The best known is pointe de diamant, diamond point: a grid of small cut pyramids that catches the light from every side. Lined guilloché, with fine parallel engraving, is quieter and wears in beautifully. Then there is lacquer, and in particular laque de Chine, built up from many thin layers of natural lacquer and polished to a deep, glassy finish.
The sound
Every Dupont owner knows it: the clear, high note when the cap is opened. It is the first thing a collector listens for, and a crisp one usually means a cap and hinge in good order.
On our pages
We currently have two Ligne 1 Grand lighters in the collection: one in diamond point with its full set of papers, and one in lined guilloché. Write to us for more photographs of either.
Questions about a Dupont of your own? Write to hello@thelightergazette.com.