A Dunhill Rollagas from the 1970s, finished in a mottled brown lacquer that reads almost like tortoiseshell, streaked and clouded rather than laid down as a flat colour. The pattern is uneven in the way marbling always is, darker in some passages than others, and it catches differently depending on how the light falls across the body. Gold plating edges the panels and frames the base, giving the marbled lacquer a warm surround rather than a hard boundary.

The roller is what people come back to with this model. It sits under the thumb and does two things in one motion, striking the flint and opening the gas together, so lighting it is a single continuous action rather than a strike-and-adjust. Dunhill developed the mechanism with the Geneva firm La Nationale, and it was among the first butane lighters to work reliably enough to replace petrol ones, which is why the roller became the detail collectors look for first on any Rollagas. There is no flame adjustment to fumble with in a coat pocket, only the wheel itself.

This one comes with its original box and papers, which is worth having on a lighter of this age. Condition is good, meaning it carries visible wear from genuine use rather than having sat unhandled in a drawer, and the photographs show exactly what that wear looks like on the lacquer and plating. It has been through our workshop and serviced so that it lights properly, ready to be filled and carried rather than displayed.

– Brand: Dunhill
– Model: Rollagas
– Material: Lacquered
– Serial Number:
– Accessories: Original Box & Papers
– Year: 1970s
– Condition: Good

Please refer to the “Specifications” tab for detailed dimensions and approximate weight of the lighter.