Castello Sea Rock Briar 39 Rusticated Zulu Estate Briar Pipe, Repair Band

Description

Founded in 1947 by Carlo Scotti, Castello quickly became known for producing some of the finest smoking pipes in the world. Over the years, the people involved in making Castello pipes has changed – such as Luigi Radice and Sergio Ascorti, who developed their skills in the Cantu workshop before leaving to start Caminetto, or the handing of the reigns of the company to Francisco ‘Kino’ Coppo after Scotti’s passing – but the superlative quality of Castello pipes has not. It is not without reason that Castello is known as ‘the Italian Dunhill.’

The Castello workshop crafts pipes in a number of finishes, but if there’s one finish that has come to define to define the venerable Italian make, it’s the Sea Rock. It may well be Castello more than anyone else that has proven that rusticated pipes can be as high-grade as their smooth and sandblasted counterparts. This one shows off the particular pebble-dash approach that helped make Castello, and many other Italian brands, what they are today. Based on the proportions and shaping, this looks to be an older, mid-century iteration of the workshop’s shape 39 Zulu, one imported for the US market, hence the rhinestone stem logo. On the other hand, age hasn’t diminished this Sea Rock’s wonderfully granular, tactile dress.

The condition is fair. The pipe has a professional silver repair band on the shank, and there’s some rim darkening and finish fading. The price has been adjusted to reflect this, making it just about the best deal on a Castello on the market.

 

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.81” / 20.50mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ 39.37mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g