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what components do we see on other previous lighters to get to the perfection of this lighter?ĭavid: It was a slow progression. James: How did we get to our current modern rollgas lighter? – i.e. The concealed hinge made it on the standard Rollagas in 1971.
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They brought out the Series 70 Rollagas in 1969 to compete with Duponts wide bodies and this model was the first Dunhill lighter with the concealed hinge. Dunhill only offered a few solid silver and 9kt gold models in very limited amounts. Other patterns were offered beginning in the early 60’s including the Florentine pattern, hobnail, and “engine turned,” diamond patterns. Its design was very close to Dunhill’s popular petrol model the Rollalite and initially the Rollagas was only offered in gold and silver plated “engine turned” barley-corn pattern bodies with smooth lids. The Rollagas was actually introduced in 1953 in limited production and was not in their catalogs until after the patent was granted in 1956. Those came from Zellwegers patents at La National. Ironically the patent on the bottom of many Rollagases only pertains to the gas inlet valve and not the external design nor the other valves.
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The Rollagas was patented in 1956 and mass production was began in 1957. They first used the roller on their Uniques and other lighters and were actually the first to make the Rollalite in 1939. Many of the more modern Dunhill associated designs actually were initiated by the designers that worked for Dunhills subsidiary company Parker Beacon. They made many different styles of the Unique and it continued to be their main design for decades. In 1926 they bought them out and made the Unique exclusive for Dunhill. Īs far as Dunhill as a brand of lighters are concerned, they introduced the Dunhill Unique around 1923 which was produced by Wise and Green (the lift arm patent). Things like the filling valve, burner system, and flame adjuster all came out of the Swiss factories and each of these were patented by Zellweger. Conrad, Louis Willie, Louis Bourquin, Leon Bolle improved upon their ideas and developed the patents that are still used today. These are in no small part to whom we’d call the father of the Rollagas as we know it, Conrad Zellweger at the La Nationale factories in Switzerland. You may or may not know this, but Dunhill did not manufacture their own lighters, the brand is synonymous though with many patents and firsts. We had a chance to chat about the brand over the years so I’ll cover some history and then we’ll dig a bit deeper with a brief interview with David. Not only did I find a wealth of knowledge I also had a chance to sit down with the reputable dealer who sold me the lighter on ebay, David Pitts. So I did the next best thing, I turned to what I’ve found out is the best hidden resource for vintage Dunhill lighters: The Vintage Dunhill Rollagas Collectors Group on Facebook. So an iconic brand doesn’t want to talk about it’s products? This made no sense. Should our policy change, I would be happy to send information.Īpologies for this inconvenience to you and your proposed feature, but thank you for your interest in the dunhill brand. Sadly our policy means that I am unable to help you in this occasion. I’m afraid we have a very strict company policy at the moment that we are not able to promote or discuss our lighters to the press. Thank you for your email, which our customer services team has forwarded to me. This is where the train went off the tracks. After snagging one from a reputable seller, I began my research. Knowing that I didn’t quite want to spend the money to buy a new lighter, I went to ebay and started searching for a used, serviced, and warrantied lighter. My story starts this past January when I decided I was going to add a Dunhill Rollagas to my collection. Unfortunately, researching the history of Dunhill lighters though is like peeling back an onion, slicing it open, cutting your fingers, crying and not knowing if its because you cut your fingers or it’s the onion. Hopefully this article will give you some insight into what to look for – and why buying new may not be the best option for you if you’re looking to add a Rollagas to your collection.ĭunhill is known for several iconic style lighters like the Unique – also known as the original Old-Boy style lighter, the Aquarium table lighters, the Tallboys and the Rollagas. While they are not the most expensive lighters you can own, they do come pretty darn close if you’re buying new.