S.T. Dupont Ligne 1 BS — Solid 18k Gold Jacket, Small
A S.T. Dupont Ligne 1 BS in the small size with a solid 18 carat gold jacket, stamped 750, engine-turned in a fine wave pattern across both faces.
S.T. Dupont produced its first luxury lighter in 1941, and the Ligne 1 BS of 1959 was its second generation of gas lighter — Briquet Standard, with the gas metered by the mechanism and a lever for regulation rather than a screwed nozzle. The BS is the shorter-lived of the two Ligne 1 types, replaced by the BR in 1964, so there are simply fewer of them about, and far fewer again in solid gold.
The construction is worth understanding before you buy, because it is what the word jacket means here. The gold is not plating over brass: it is a separate shell, drawn and engine-turned in solid 18k, which slides over the working mechanism. One of the photographs shows the jacket lifted clear of the mechanism so you can see the two as separate pieces. The 750 stamp sits on the base beside the adjustment screw, and it is photographed in close-up — 750 parts per thousand is 18 carat.
The wave engine-turning is unusually fine for the period, cut in close parallel ripples that break up across the face rather than running straight. Gold takes that kind of cutting better than plated brass does, and holds it, which is why the pattern is still sharp.
Condition is good and honestly vintage. The engine-turning is crisp across both faces; there are light surface marks and small handling scuffs on the base and along the edges, which is normal for soft 18k gold that has been carried. It is photographed lit: it lights and holds a flame. It is offered as the lighter alone, without box or papers.