All S.T. Dupont Lighter Models: The Collector’s Guide (1941 to Today)

S.T. Dupont made its first lighter in 1941, and since then the house from Faverges has produced a long line of models: from the petrol Essence to the Ligne 1, the Ligne 2 with its famous cling, the ribbed Gatsby and the jet lighters of today. On the outside many look alike. On the inside they differ in flame system, gas, size and age.

This guide puts every model side by side, shows you how to tell which one you have, and gives the key facts per model. We service and sell vintage S.T. Dupont lighters every week, so the photos are pieces that passed through our workshop.

Every S.T. Dupont lighter model at a glance

How to tell which S.T. Dupont you have

1. Compare it with the photos below. Most models are easy to tell apart by their shape: ribs on both sides point to a Gatsby, rounded corners to a Soubreny, a very narrow body to a Line D.
2. Look at the box. If you have it, the reference on the box or guarantee card starts with the model code (see below).
3. Look at the size. The Ligne 1 and Ligne 2 each came in a small and a large size: the large Ligne 1 is 58 mm tall, the small one 47 mm.
4. Open the cap. A flame adjustment wheel or a gas cutoff wheel under the cap means a Ligne 1 (BS or BR) or a Soubreny. A screw under the base, next to the refill valve, means a Ligne 2, Gatsby or Line D.

Serial number and reference code

An S.T. Dupont carries two numbers, and they are easily mixed up. The serial number is engraved on the lighter itself and is unique to that piece. The reference code is printed on the box and guarantee card. It starts with the code of the model, followed by digits for the finish: 011 and 012 for the Ligne 1 BS, 013 and 014 for the Ligne 1 BR, 015 and 016 for the Ligne 2, 017 for the Line D, 018 for the Gatsby and 019 for the Soubreny. So two Ligne 2 lighters in different lacquers share the start of their reference, and differ in the rest. A guide to the known finishes and their references is on our list.

The colour dot inside the refill cap shows which gas a lighter needs, see our S.T. Dupont gas refill guide. And if you are about to buy one, check it with our guide on how to spot a fake S.T. Dupont.

Essence (1941 to 1952)

Before gas there was the Essence, the original S.T. Dupont petrol lighter. It burns lighter fluid on a wick, lit by a flint, and is filled through a single port in the base. There is no flame adjustment, and inside it is much simpler than every later model. In 1991 S.T. Dupont made a limited Jubilé edition on the same pattern.

Fuel

Lighter fluid and flint

Sizes

Small 35 × 14 × 47 mm, large 35 × 14 × 58 mm

Made

About 1941 to 1952; Jubilé edition 1991

Known for

Wick, classic rectangular shape, the start of it all

D57 (1952 to 1960)

The D57 is S.T. Dupont’s first real gas lighter and the bridge between the Essence and the Ligne 1. It already looks like the later models, but you recognise it by the solid ring on top of the flint wheel, an outside flame lever and the lack of a switch to cut the flame. It came in one size only, the size of the large Ligne 1, with the same turning valve, and it takes the same red refill.

Fuel

Butane (red) and flint

Size

35 × 14 × 58 mm, as the large Ligne 1

Made

About 1952 to 1960

Known for

First gas model, solid ring on the flint wheel, outside flame lever

In stock

D57 lighters

Ligne 1 BS (1959 to 1973)

The BS was the first S.T. Dupont with a gas shutoff built into the latch, and it brought standard refills and better flame control. It is the model that turned into the Ligne 1 as collectors know it. The small version is the BSP, the large one the BSG.

Fuel

Butane: small yellow, large red; flint

Sizes

Small (BSP) 35 × 14 × 47 mm, large (BSG) 35 × 14 × 58 mm

Made

1959 to 1973

Reference

011xxx (small), 012xxx (large)

In stock

Ligne 1 BS

Ligne 1 BR (1965 to 2013)

With the BR the Ligne 1 got its flame adjustment wheel under the cap, the layout that set it apart from everything before it. Its proportions and flint ignition became the blueprint for the Ligne 1 and Ligne 2 that followed. The small version is the BRP, the large one the BRG. Read the whole story in the history of the Ligne 1.

Fuel

Butane: small yellow, large red; flint

Sizes

Small (BRP) 35 × 14 × 47 mm, large (BRG) 35 × 14 × 58 mm

Made

1965 to 2013

Reference

013xxx (small), 014xxx (large)

In stock

Ligne 1 BR

Ligne 2 (1977 to today)

The Ligne 2 became the S.T. Dupont flagship and is still made today. It is taller and slimmer than the Ligne 1 and opens with the unmistakable cling. The flame is set with a screw under the base, so the bottom has two openings: one to refill, one to adjust. The small version is the PNP, the large one the PNG.

Fuel

Butane: small green, large yellow; flint

Sizes

Small (PNP) 37 × 11 × 56 mm, large (PNG) 37 × 11 × 62 mm

Made

1977 to today

Reference

015xxx (small), 016xxx (large)

In stock

Ligne 2

Comparing it with its great rival? Read Dunhill Rollagas vs S.T. Dupont Ligne 2.

Gatsby (1989 to today)

The Gatsby is a Ligne 2 with character: same mechanism and the size of the small Ligne 2, but with a double gadroon, raised ribs running down both sides. The cap also looks a little heavier against the body.

Fuel

Butane (green) and flint

Size

37 × 11 × 56 mm

Made

1989 to today

Reference

018xxx

In stock

Gatsby lighters

Line D (1989 to 2012)

The Line D, sometimes called the Lady, is the smallest gas lighter S.T. Dupont ever made. It has the same two openings in the base as the Ligne 2 and Gatsby, in a slim, compact body. Early examples have an oval refill cap, which makes them easy to spot.

Fuel

Butane (blue) and flint

Size

32 × 9 × 54 mm

Made

1989 to 2012

Reference

017xxx

In stock

Line D lighters

Soubreny (1994 to 2004)

The Soubreny has rounded edges and a softer, more modern silhouette. Inside it keeps the Ligne 1 layout, with the flame wheel under the cap and a single cap in the base. It was made for ten years.

Fuel

Butane (blue) and flint

Size

38 × 14 × 47 mm

Made

1994 to 2004

Reference

019xxx

In stock

Soubreny lighters

Maharadjah (1996 to 1998)

The Maharadjah is a rare, bold lighter with a mechanism of its own: a sculpted flint wheel, a purpose made latch and a flame slider built into the lock. S.T. Dupont used this mechanism, known to collectors as the Superhammer, for only four limited editions, about 8,500 pieces in all: the Maharadjah of 1996 (numbered out of 2,000), the Teatro of 1997 in two colours, and in 1999 the Black Maharadjah in black Chinese lacquer with palladium, 1,500 numbered pieces. Without the familiar cling it never caught on, and the Urban took its place.

Fuel

Butane (yellow) and flint

Size

35 × 15 × 58 mm

Made

1996 to 1998; Black Maharadjah 1999

Known for

Limited editions only, sculpted flint wheel, flame slider in the lock

In stock

Maharadjah lighters

More rare pieces in our guide to S.T. Dupont limited editions.

Urban (1999 to 2005)

The Urban is modernist and heavy, with asymmetrical lines and a locking system of its own. The flame is set with a slider at the back instead of a wheel or a screw in the base.

Fuel

Butane (blue) and flint

Size

35 × 15 × 58 mm

Made

1999 to 2005

Known for

Own lock design, flame slider at the back

In stock

Urban lighters

Fantaisies (late 1990s)

The Fantaisies are among S.T. Dupont’s most playful lighters: built on the Line D format, with bright designs such as poppies, pandas and abstract patterns, and a small flint wheel. They were never widely advertised and are now sought after. Have you got one, or know more about it? Let us know, we are still completing this entry.

Modern jet and torch lighters (2000 to today)

From 2000 S.T. Dupont added lighters with a jet flame and piezo ignition: no flint, a blue wind resistant flame, aimed at cigar smokers. We focus on vintage flint models, but for completeness:

Ligne 1, Ligne 2 or Gatsby?

The three models collectors ask us about most, in short:

• Ligne 1: squarer and thicker, flame wheel under the cap. The classic of the 1960s and 1970s.
• Ligne 2: taller and slimmer, flame screw under the base, the loud cling. Made since 1977, so there is a wide choice of finishes and ages.
• Gatsby: the size of a small Ligne 2 with ribbed sides. The same mechanism and cling.

Keep yours working well with our S.T. Dupont maintenance guide, or look for one in our S.T. Dupont collection, all serviced in our workshop.