S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 Grand Modèle — Gold, Vertical Stripes
A vintage S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 in the full-size Grand Modèle, gold-plated and engine-turned with vertical striping.
The Ligne 2 appeared in 1977 and is the lighter the maison is known for. Its design language came out of a collaboration with the jeweller Jean Dinh Van, whose work was functional and spare, and it arrived after 1968 had made the open display of wealth unfashionable in France — a wider, longer, thinner case with the gas adjuster moved underneath, where it could not be seen.
Vertical striping is the quietest thing Dupont does well. Parallel lines cut the length of the case so the light runs down them rather than across, which makes a large lighter read as narrower than it is. On gold it is the pattern that most rewards being left plain.
Condition is good: the striping is clear across both faces and the plate carries the light marks of ordinary use rather than wear through to the brass. The cling is good — the note is clearly there when the lid opens. It is photographed lit: it lights and holds a flame.
It comes in its original S.T. Dupont box — the black case with the tan interior stamped Orfèvres à Paris. No papers or guarantee card with this one.
More in our Vertical Stripe S.T. Dupont Lighters. For the background, see our All S.T. Dupont lighter models: A guide from 1935 to present..