Chacom Design Smooth Stack Hybrid Estate Briar Pipe Unsmoked

Description

Chacom is one of France’s most historic and iconic makes. Its founders, the Comoy family, began their career as boxwood pipe-makers in the early 1800s, before briar had even been discovered, with Henri Comoy (of Comoy’s fame) emigrating to England in 1879 and founding the country’s first briar pipe factory. In 1922, Henri and his nephews, the Chapuis, founded the Chapuis Comoy pipe factory in Saint-Claude, France, which shortly after began producing pipes bearing the partnered families’ names – ‘Cha’ for Chapuis, and ‘Com’ for Comoy. Chacom has been the biggest name in French pipes ever since.

Judging by the look of this Chacom, the presentation case it came with, and to an extent the name of the series it belongs to, I’d presume that this was a high-grade pipe of some variety. From my research it doesn’t look like the Design series has been produced for a long time, and examples of it elsewhere are non-existent (though the name of the series does make searches for it, and only it, very difficult). I’m not even sure what to call it, either. Its bowl is tall and stack-like, with a slightly narrow chamber (ideal for flakes, I’d say), but it also has a single bead-line, almost like a Rhodesian. The stummel is relatively short, with some extra length provided by an acrylic extension to which is joined its hand-cut stem. And the grain is excellent, which will have allowed Chacom’s craftsmen to give it the light, natural stain it wears. Now, back to the name: Chacom has collaborated with numerous designers in and outside of France, such as Claude Robin, Pierre Morel Jr, and Tom Eltang. Chacom even contracted W.O. Larsen and Kriswill to design pipes from them in the 1970s-1980s. Does this mean that the Design series came from a similarly renowned, outside figure? I can’t say for sure, but I would think so. No idea who, though.

This Chacom is completely unsmoked, and comes with its original presentation box and sleeve. Like many Chacom pipes, it comes with a stinger, but this stinger is also designed to be easily unscrewed if the owner prefers to use the pipe without one.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.79″ / 45.46mm

Weight: 2.0oz / 58g