Laque de chine is the finish that, more than any other, defines what a hand-finished S.T. Dupont lighter actually is. It's slow, it's difficult, and it's the reason two lighters in the same pattern can still look subtly different from each other.
Where It Came From
Chinese lacquer was introduced into S.T. Dupont's workshops in 1935 by Georges Novossiltzeff, the maison's first Master Lacquerer. It was, even then, an ancestral craft — passed down through generations of Asian lacquer masters — that Dupont adopted and built its own workshop expertise around. Every lacquered Dupont piece since has descended from that decision.
The Material Itself
Genuine Chinese lacquer is a natural resin, sourced from lacquer trees grown in Asia. It isn't a paint or a synthetic coating — it's a living material that has to be worked with, not just applied, which is a large part of why the process can't be rushed or automated.
How It's Applied
The lacquering process at S.T. Dupont involves repeated cycles of application, drying, and polishing, with individual pieces receiving anywhere from twenty to thirty separate layers of lacquer. Each layer has to be laid, dried, and polished before the next can go on, and colour development in particular demands, in the maison's own words, “infinite patience, a steady hand, and a keen sense of perfection.” It's this build-up of layers that gives laque de chine its characteristic depth — you're not looking at a surface colour, you're looking several layers deep into it.
How to Spot the Real Thing
Genuine lacquered S.T. Dupont pieces traditionally carry a small engraved leaf mark, a discreet signature of the craft behind the finish. Into the 1970s this hallmark was removed. On a well-preserved piece, the lacquer should show real depth and shine rather than a flat, uniform colour, and patterns like tortoise, Windsor, or the wood-look finishes should show natural, slightly irregular variation — a sign of hand work rather than a factory print.