Colibri Group
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Men's accessories |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | Julius Lowenthal |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Cigarette lighters, jewelry, smoking accessories, compact leather goods, writing instruments, watches, cufflinks, money clips, pens |
Colibri is a brand specializing in men's accessories, founded in 1928 and initially recognized for its cigarette lighter products. Over the years, the company broadened its offerings to encompass jewelry, smoking-related items, compact leather goods, writing tools, and watches.
History and background
Established by Julius Lowenthal in 1928, Colibri launched the fully automatic ‘Monopol’ lighter equipped with an acceleration mechanism in 1935. During the Second World War (1940–1945), the company manufactured the ‘Stormgard’ lighter designed specifically for military personnel. In 1952, Julius's son Jack became part of the business, driving advancements such as the 1958 introduction of a lighter featuring a visible multi-gas refill system combined with a hydraulic auto-flint mechanism, followed by the debut of the electric Molectric lighter in 1967.
In 1974, Colibri contributed the golden gun prop for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, which was assembled from a Molectric 88 lighter and additional components. That year also saw Colibri sponsoring the victorious Lombard RAC rally team. The 1980s marked the arrival of Jack's son David to the company, who helped diversify the product range to include Swiss timepieces, cufflinks, and pens. In 2001, Colibri introduced the Vortex and Trifecta collections featuring twin- and triple-flame lighters. Following a receivership filing in early 2009, ownership transitioned and headquarters were moved from Providence to New York City.
History of products
- 1928 – Introduction of ‘Colibri Original’ lighter
- 1935 – Launch of fully automatic ‘Monopol’ lighter
- 1940 – Production of ‘Stormgard’ military lighter
- 1958 – Debut of visible multi-gas refill and hydraulic auto-flint system; Swiss-made Monopol wristwatch
- 1961 – Development of Piezo Electric lighter
- 1967 – Release of Molectric 88 Silver lighter
- 1970 – Creation of gold lighters adorned with jewels
- 1977 – Introduction of ‘Sensatron’, a battery-powered touch lighter
- 1980 – Expansion into pens and cufflinks
- 1982 – Power flame plus three-way wind-resistant lighter unveiled
- 1985 – Adjustable flame pipe lighter launched
- 1987 – Quantum windproof lighter introduced
- 1998 – Double guillotine cigar cutter and punch accessories released
- 2001 – Presentation of Pyramidal dual-flame and Trifecta triple-flame lighters
- 2002 – Summit high-altitude ignition lighter introduced
- 2011 – Launch of new collection including lighters, cufflinks, money clips, pens, small leather goods; updated logo design
Colibri jewelry
In 2011, Colibri unveiled its C, D, and T series jewelry collections comprising cufflinks, money clips, pens, and leather accessories. These cufflinks feature polished steel combined with semi-precious stone inlays such as malachite, black onyx, black pearl, mother-of-pearl, and peridot. The T Series additionally offers cufflinks centered with alligator leather inserts.