S.T. Dupont’s Roulette-Themed Lighter Puts A Little Las Vegas In The Palm Of Your Hand
You’ve heard the term “complication” used when referring to high-end watches, but lighters? Luxury accessories company S.T. Dupont has borrowed this vocabulary from the rarified world of horology and applied it to its newest project, the Casino Pocket Complication Lighter. It was made to celebrate S.T. Dupont’s 150th anniversary in opulent style, and features a working roulette wheel within the unit. This special cigar lighter will be shipping next month.
In the casinos of Sin City, the word “complication” can mean a lot of things, but in the world of watchmaking (and this lighter), it simply refers to any function of a watch other than the display of time. More than a means to simply light a cigar, the Complication Lighter is an intricately crafted mechanism that looks more like a luxury timepiece with a built-in roulette wheel set into one side displaying all its various gears, screws and other inner workings. A pushbutton on one side of the lighter sets the wheel spinning and Las Vegas is brought to life in your hand.
On the opposite face of the lighter is an engraving of a roulette board, and the rest of the lighter features various casino-inspired etchings.
Incorporated into its design are 26 rubies. In high-grade watches, rubies (which are one of the hardest materials after diamond) are used to create bearings for the mechanisms.
Handmade in France, each lighter takes about three to four months to make. Despite the moving roulette wheel and mechanics, the Casino Pocket Complication Lighter still remains small enough to fit comfortably in your pocket. It measures approximately 2 1/2 inches long, 3/4 of an inch thick and about 1 1/2 inches wide. The handmade lighter will be available in three eye-catching finishes: Palladium, Yellow Gold and Rose Gold.
There are several custom options: you can have a precious stone set either next to your lucky number on the roulette board or into the casino-inspired decorations on the sides of the lighter. Or, you can just have your initials engraved below the wheel.
To keep this lighter safe, it comes in a cushioned slot in the Cube Humidor. Finished in matte-black, the individually-numbered humidors measure approximately 9 1/2 by 9 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches.
The set doesn’t come cheap, as the retail price is 45,000 euros or $49,950.
Production will be limited to up to 88 individually numbered lighters.
