“Deve essere utile.
Deve essere affidabile.
Deve essere bello.
Deve essere fatto per durare.
Deve essere il migliore nel suo genere”.
- Alfred Dunhill
Una praticità eccezionale (1914-1926)
La storia degli accendini dunhill inizia nel 1914, quando la Maison introdusse il suo primo modello, l’Ednite, creato appositamente per i combattenti della Prima Guerra Mondiale. Questa prima innovazione fece scoccare la scintilla di una nuova tradizione: una storia di maestria artigianale e lusso pratico.
Nel 1919, gli ingegneri inglesi Wise e Greenwood misero a punto un nuovo meccanismo a ruota orizzontale con leva: un’invenzione straordinaria che consentì l’ingresso di Alfred Dunhill nel settore degli accendini.
Throughout the 1930s, the Unique became a fixture among notable figures. In 1936, Pablo Picasso famously gifted a tallboy lighter engraved with his mistress Dora Maar’s portrait.
By 1950, the House embraced artistry alongside engineering. The Aquarium table lighter, conceived by British craftsman Ben Shillingford, was hand-carved and reverse-painted on acrylic panels to depict vivid underwater and nature scenes.
During the war years, Winston Churchill was frequently seen with dunhill accessories, storing cigars in the House’s cases and using its lighters through the London air raids. These moments anchored the brand in history, at once personal and cultural.
Con alle spalle una tradizione lunga 130 anni e un archivio unico nel suo genere, offriamo capi e accessori di elevatissima qualità che non temono lo scorrere del tempo, traendo costante ispirazione dallo spirito innovatore del nostro fondatore, Alfred Dunhill. Da sempre, dalle nostre origini fino al giorno d’oggi, innovazione e contemporaneità rappresentano due fattori chiave del nostro lavoro.
First conceived between 1950 and 1959, the original Aquarium lighter remains one of dunhill’s most distinctive expressions of artistry. No two Aquariums were ever alike. Each panel was carved and reverse-painted on the inside using the intaglio technique, often depicting aquatic or garden subjects. The name derives from the subtle depth and movement created when light passes through the carved acrylic.
The Aquarium made a return for the House’s 130th anniversary, reissued in strictly limited runs. Each piece - from Green Fish to Sunset Birds - was hand-carved and painted in England, reviving the artistry that made the original an icon.
Today, the Aquarium English Garden Series continues this legacy with Dawn Moth, Grasshopper, and Dragonfly editions, each a narrative in acrylic panels and light.
In 1956, dunhill introduced what would become one of its most enduring innovations: the Rollagas lighter.
Developed with Swiss engineer Conrad Zellweger of La Nationale SA, the Rollagas featured a concealed hinge (introduced in 1971), adjustable flame, and a precision valve system built from over 80 components, the Rollagas combined performance with elegant design. It quickly became the preferred lighter of the world’s elite.
The Rollagas represented a new era of lighter engineering. A regulated butane delivery system ensured a consistent flame across climates and altitudes. The finely knurled rolling thumbwheel allowed smooth, confident ignition, while the seamless body, often in lacquer, engine-turned brass balanced durability with refinement. Every element served both tactile and visual purpose.
In 1985, the Unique lighter was revisited for a modern era. Dual-wheel ignition, fluted finishes and gas refinement elevated its performance while preserving its original design expression, It became both a functional object and a collectible, celebrated for its clarity of purpose.
The Turbo lighter, inspired by the 1927 Unique Sports Lighter, brought a contemporary sensibility. With its wind-resistant jet flame, piezoelectric ignition, and seasonal lacquer finishes, it bridged classic dunhill engineering with modern technical precision.
Reviving an archival design with a contemporary edge, the new Compendium Turbo Lighter is a refined expression of a very dunhill functional elegance, with the considered practicality of a secondary function, available either with a removable reed-pattern cigar cutter or an inbuilt ashtray.
Inspired by a mid-century archival piece, the Compendium pairs purpose with poise, offering a tactile, weighty feel in the hand.
Every dunhill lighter is crafted to be operated with one hand, in keeping with Alfred Dunhill’s original vision of practical luxury. The Rollagas requires three effortless steps: lift the cap, rotate the roller, and ignite with a crisp snap. The Unique operates with equal grace - simply lift the cap and spark the flint wheel for a seamless ignition. The Turbo, designed for contemporary needs, features a lock and cap mechanism, followed by a lever ignition with adjustable flame height. Each model allows for precise control, with a D-ring or slotted valve typically calibrating flame to an ideal 25 mm - subtle, elegant, and efficient.
