THORENS · EST. 1883
THORENS Lighter History
Our story began in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, in 1883.
A history of mechanical invention. A craft we carry forward.
1883
The Swiss Jura
Our beginnings
in Sainte-Croix.
In 1883, Hermann Thorens established our workshop in Sainte-Croix, in the Swiss Jura. We began with music boxes and musical mechanisms, before extending our work to phonographs and gramophones. Precision and movement were at the heart of our beginnings.
1913–1920
Our first lighters
The Original
Single Claw.
We began developing lighters in 1913. The Original followed in 1914, introducing the mechanical character that would define our lighter heritage. Hermann Thorens’s US patent, filed in 1919 and granted in 1920, records its distinctive action: opening the lid drives the ignition wheel through a single hook.
1923–1934
A decade of patents
Fuel. Windguard.
Double Claw.
Through successive inventions, we refined how a lighter holds fuel, protects its flame and brings its mechanism to life. Our Swiss patents document a fuel reservoir in 1923, a side-fastened windguard in 1928, an extendable wick in 1931 and paired driving arms in 1934.
1947–1949 · In print
Our name
across the Atlantic.
By the late 1940s, our lighters were appearing in newspapers across North America. Advertisements from Youngstown, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, preserved in Keith Wright’s archive, trace this chapter of our international history.
*Publication dates follow Keith Wright’s archive attributions.
1953
Our catalogue
Our historic
lighter models.
Our March 1953 export catalogue brought together Original, Sport, Vedette, Companion, Blizzard, Lucky and Jubile. Across the collection, nickel, chromium, gold and sterling-silver finishes gave distinct expression to our mechanical designs.
1958–1963
Our later historic range
Music and
new fuel systems.
With Nuit de Lune and Distinction, featured in our 1958 catalogue, we brought the lighter to the table. By 1961, Distinction was offered with an 18-note musical movement, recalling our beginnings in music. In the 1960s, Gasomatic extended our work into a new fuel system.
1960s–2014
Changes and returns.
The historic production era ends.
Our history changed course with the Paillard combination in 1962–1963. Historical accounts generally place the end of our original lighter production in 1964. The audio business separated from Paillard in 1966, beginning a distinct chapter of its own.
The audio business restarts.
The THORENS name continued on a separate path in audio. Following the insolvency of Thorens Audio Vertriebs GmbH in 1999, the audio business records a restart under Heinz Rohrer in 2001. This chapter belongs to our wider heritage; it was not a resumption of lighter production.
A family-led lighter return.
A family-led return brought our lighter heritage back into production. Hermann Thorens SA was registered on 3 June 2011, and by June 2014 Yann Thorens was describing a return to small-scale Swiss production. Centurion belongs to this chapter of our renewal.
A new chapter for the mechanical lighter.
In 2024, we opened a new chapter under Hermann Thorens SA. We brought our mechanical lighter heritage into a contemporary collection, with a renewed commitment to craftsmanship and an international future.
Today, our production is carried out by Hubei Thorens Metal Co., Ltd. in China. Thorens Accessories Inc. in the United States operates thorenslighter.com as the official online representative of Hermann Thorens SA.
A heritage carried forward.
We carry this heritage forward through the objects we make. Our purpose remains clear: to create mechanical lighters to use, maintain and collect, with our history visible in the movement of their parts. We are proud of our history. Our responsibility is to give it a future.
Our current collection
Inside the mechanism.
Our lighters in collections
THORENS in
collectors’ hands.
Collectors have kept an essential part of our history alive. From a 1994 exhibition to collections shared today, they have preserved our lighters, cared for their mechanisms and kept the accompanying documents. Their dedication allows each generation to discover what came before.
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We reproduce CollectionHero’s third-party eBay sale records. These are individual historical listings; we have not independently verified the transactions.
Explore the documents
Our archive.
Patents · nine verified documents
We distinguish filing, registration and publication dates. The register credits individual inventors separately from applicants and assignees.
| Document | Filed | Registered / published | Named party | What it documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1,359,003 | 12 Jun 1919 | 16 Nov 1920 · granted/published | Hermann Thorens | Lid-operated hook drive; Single Claw mechanism. |
| CH 102352 | 19 Jan 1923 | 1 Dec 1923 · published | Hermann Thorens | Fuel capacity and liquid-fuel reservoir. |
| CH 126260 | 27 Jul 1927 | 1 Jun 1928 · published | Hermann Thorens | Windguard with a side fastening. |
| CH 149160 | 21 Jun 1930 | 31 Aug 1931 · registered; 2 Nov 1931 · published | Hermann Thorens Société Anonyme | Extendable wick tube; German priority 14 Apr 1930. |
| CH 149231 | 24 Jul 1930 | 31 Aug 1931 · registered; 2 Nov 1931 · published | Hermann Thorens Société Anonyme | Household lighter with trigger-linked cover; German priority 17 Mar 1930. |
| CH 155553 | 29 May 1931 | 30 Jun 1932 · registered; 1 Sep 1932 · published | Hermann Thorens S.A. | Slider-controlled rotating latch. |
| US 1,904,299 | 16 Mar 1931 | 18 Apr 1933 · granted/published | Adolf Weissenburger; assigned to Hermann Thorens S.A. | Movable wick holder; German priority 14 Apr 1930. |
| US 1,925,933 | 27 Jul 1931 | 5 Sep 1933 · granted/published | Henri Py; assigned to Hermann Thorens | Self-aligning wick cap; Swiss priority 1 Aug 1930. |
| CH 167577 | 11 Apr 1933 | 28 Feb 1934 · registered; 1 May 1934 · published | Hermann Thorens Société Anonyme | Two driving arms; round illustrated embodiment. |
Model families · nineteen entries
We use “documented by” for confirmed availability. Approximate dates remain marked as such. Our contemporary generation numbers are separate from this historical classification.
| Family / model | Date supported here | Evidence and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Original / Single Claw | Development 1913; Original generation from 1914 | Our retrospective; mechanism independently documented in the 1919/1920 US patent. |
| Original table forms / Flared | 1920s family attribution | Broad family dating only; no precise first-sale year established for Flared. |
| Storm | 1927/1928 patent context | Windguard patent; both Single Claw and Double Claw examples survive. |
| Flambo · Maco · Petit | Circa 1930 | Collector index dating; primary launch notices not established here. |
| TELEFLAM | 1930/1931 patent context | Extendable wick; US patent granted 1933. |
| Oriflam | Circa 1931 | Collector attribution; also present in our archived parts sheet. |
| Original / Double Claw | 1933/1934 collector attribution | Two-arm patent in a round body; rectangular Double Claw documented in 1947 parts list. |
| Moon / Round | 1930s | Round silhouette in brand retrospective; 1933/1934 patent illustration. |
| Matchlite · Alluma | Circa 1934 | Collector index; exact commercial introduction unconfirmed. |
| Lucky · New Oriflam | Circa 1935, tentative | Collector dating; Lucky securely documented in 1947 parts list. |
| Vedette | Circa 1938, collector attribution | Clearly offered in March 1953 export price list. |
| Jubile | Mid-1940s; documented by 1947 | Listed in 1947 parts sheet and 1953 export catalogue. |
| Sport / Sports | 1940s attribution; documented 1953 | Two Sport sizes in March 1953 export price list. |
| Companion · Masterpiece | Circa 1949 family attribution | Companion confirmed by 1953 catalogue; Masterpiece introduction remains disputed. |
| Blizzard | Documented March 1953 | Named and illustrated in supplied export price list. |
| Nuit de Lune · Distinction | Post-war family; documented 1958/1961 | Dated catalogue evidence; musical Distinction listed in 1961. |
| Gasomatic / Gazomatic | 1960s; circa 1963 attribution | Our archived brochure undated; GASOMATIC is the spelling on the original artwork. |
| Centurion | Early 2010s; return documented by 2014 | Family-led small-series programme before 2024; exact launch day unconfirmed. |
| Contemporary revival collection | 2024 onward | Our new programme described in our official statement; modern model launch dates require separate product records. |
Further documents and photographs
Notes on our historical record
1927 / 1952. Our original business became Hermann Thorens SA in 1927 and was renamed Thorens SA in 1952. Frédéric and Paul Thorens joined during the 1920s and later assumed general management.
1962 / 1963. The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland dates the Paillard combination to 1962; the current official audio history uses 1963. We retain both years.
Double Claw. Collector dates differ. We use the 1933 filing and 1934 publication of CH 167577 as evidence for the illustrated two-arm round design, without assigning every rectangular variant the same launch date.
An evolving record. We continue to study surviving documents and welcome material that adds to our history. Where dates remain uncertain, we say so.
Photographs and archives. We credit the independent archives and collectors alongside their photographs. Historical material is distinguished from images of our current products and work.
Acknowledgements · Preserving our history
We thank the independent archives, collectors, historians and websites whose work has helped preserve the history of THORENS. By safeguarding photographs, patents, catalogues and personal knowledge, they have made it possible for us to tell our story more fully and pass it on to future generations.
For preserving model histories, technical details and photographs of surviving lighters.
For preserving advertisements, correspondence, photographs and the stories held within a collection.
For documenting historic models and sharing detailed photographs of their design.
For the biographical and company histories that place our origins in their Swiss context.
For making historic patent documents and the record of mechanical invention accessible.
For preserving collector newsletters, exhibition reports and knowledge shared across generations.
For preserving photographs and historical sale listings of surviving lighters.
For access to company-register records supporting our corporate chronology.
For access to the entity records consulted in documenting our recent history.
For the shared historical overview consulted alongside specialist archives.
For sharing collections, restoration experiences and knowledge of historic mechanisms.
To everyone who has preserved a lighter, a document or a memory of THORENS: thank you. Your care keeps this history alive.