Castello Sea Rock KKK 19 Rusticated Zulu Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

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 particular Sea Rock is rendered in what is, to my mind at least, one of the most iconic Castello shapes next to the “55,” the “19” Zulu. Not only is it a more stout rendition of the Anglo-French classic, it also features a distinctive, asymmetrical rim—a feature so distinctive and popular that it would later be incorporated into other shapes on special occasions. Based on the uppercase “K” size grading, this Castello will have been made between the end of the 1960s and the early 1980s.

The condition is great. Some very minor inner rim darkening and finish fading, but the pipe is nonetheless very well preserved.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g