Dunhill: Shell Briar (5103) (2014) Tobacco Pipe

The "03" straight Billiard is one of Dunhill's most iconic designs, itself being the framework for a great many profiles like it on shape charts around the globe: truly a hallmark of Anglo-French shaping. This particular iteration comes with one of Alfred Dunhill's most iconic and innovative features: the windshield. This is readily seen at the rim, where the fore rises higher than the aft, dropping down midway fairly sharply and creating a literal shield from the wind that protects your embers from its effects. The bowl itself is solid, upright, and paired to a sleek, rigid stretch of shank and stem, the former of which transitions at a right angle, leaving the thumb plenty of room to drape over it. The iconic Shell Briar sandblast dresses this pipe, staining it an inky black and revealing a beautiful growth ring array on the left flank, with the rim left smooth and lightly stained, showing off pinpricks of birdseye in delightful contrast.

The Shell Briar's addition to the Dunhill catalog was a pivotal moment in pipe-smoking history. Before 1917, pipes with sandblasted finishes had never been made, and Alfred Dunhill's innovative mind created arguably the most popular finish for pipes today when he unveiled the Shell Briar. With its dark, reserved color palette and delightful texture, it's no surprise that it's still wildly popular over a century later.