S.T. Dupont has partnered with renowned Swiss watchmaker, Franck Muller, to create a first-of-its-kind lighter that reveals a double-sided skeleton watch. Named the Master Lighter, this technical achievement took over two years to develop with the skilled artisans at both maisons working closely together on the cutting edge micromechanics. It truly reflects an elite level of craftsmanship that has been developed over generations at S.T. Dupont and Franck Muller.
For over 150 years, S.T. Dupont has been synonymous with luxury —combining creativity, uncompromising quality, and unique expertise passed down from generation to generation. .S.T. Dupont was founded in Faverges in 1872 by Simon Tissot Dupont, an entrepreneur from Savoie who tried his hand at Champagne and luxury horse-drawn carriages, before finding his calling in leatherwork and becoming the trunk-maker to the world's elite. S.T. Dupont is synonymous with French style and elegance, producing lighters, pens, bags, and accessories.
With the encouragement of Empress Eugenie, the company produced its first travel kits, before the Dupont sons, driven by the family spirit of boldness, began manufacturing bespoke trunks and small luxury accessories after the war. Their customers included the eccentric Maharaja of Patiala, who commissioned a special item —a minaudière containing a small lighter for each of his favorites— which led to the creation of the first luxury gas lighter. Its patent was registered by S.T. Dupont in the 1940s.
During the early 1970s, the first luxury ballpoint pen designed by the company won Jackie Kennedy's heart; then the Riviera bag was adopted by Audrey Hepburn, who would never be without it. A favorite with stars and artists, including Picasso, S.T. Dupont is renowned above all for its expertise and mastery of age-old techniques, which it is constantly reviving. These include the signature guilloche and craftsmen’s work, as well as Chinese lacquer applied to metal using a closely guarded secret method. Now more creative and innovative than ever, S.T. Dupont embodies timeless elegance and artisanal excellence.
Two luxury sectors, two factories, two areas of expertise. It took all the experience and expertise of two exceptional companies just over two years to develop the S.T. Dupont x Franck Muller Master Lighter, an extremely intricate object and technical achievement. This is a unique partnership, uniting Franck Muller's masterful watchmaking with the precious metal work skill of the S.T. Dupont craftsmen, to create an exceptional item. This is the world’s first skeleton watch lighter with a power reserve.
Franck Muller's signature skeleton movement with power reserve has been modified to create a double-sided skeleton watch with a three-day power reserve in the body of the lighter. On one side, the hours and minutes are indicated by central hands, enhanced by a sunray-stamped lacquered dial in authentic Franck Muller manufacturing tradition. The other side of the lighter reveals the watch's skeleton movement in all its glory.
With its double-sided design, the Master Lighter is entirely dynamic. With its gentle twin flame, a characteristic of S.T. Dupont lighters, it will delight both cigar lovers and timepiece collectors, who will appreciate its sophisticated colors. The S.T. Dupont x Franck Muller Master Lighter comes in White —silver sunray stamp dial—, Blue —dial in Franck Muller's signature blue—, Black —sunray stamp dial, and black PVDt— and the Franck Muller trademark Color Dream with multicolored numerals and mechanism decoration.
For the ultimate sophistication, a second dial, identical in finish to that on the front, is revealed behind the mechanical components of the skeleton movement. To bring this strikingly visual part of the lighter into sharper focus, Franck Muller's watchmakers have created a system for displaying the second’s hand on this skeleton face, affirming their skill in the manufacturing of horological complications. The technical achievement lies in the fact that the axis indicating the hours and minutes runs right through the lighter, passing through the center of the gas reservoir.
These cutting-edge micromechanics were developed in tandem by the two teams. The expertise of S.T. Dupont’s master craftsmen is reflected in every detail. Each engraving testifies to a skill handed down from generation to generation, transforming these lighters into works of art and transcending their primary function. The lighters are made of palladium and measure Width: 39.2 mm in width, 66 mm in length, and 21.95 mm in thickness. The total weight of the lighter is 298 grams, so quite heavy.
The lighters are powered by the 181-part manual wound movement, the in-house calibre MVT FM 1740-LI-STD which provides a power reserve of three days while beating at a frequency of 18,000 vph.
The Franck Muller X S.T. Dupont Master Lighters are available for pre-order and each color is limited to just 88 pieces.
Sticker Price USD 66,000 for white or blue, USD 68,500 for black, and USD 76,000 for Color Dream multicolored. For more info on S.T. Dupont click here and for Franck Muller here.
