Butz-Choquin - n. 130
Italian design and French pipe-making tradition come together in this distinctive Butz-Choquin Optimal 123, a pre-smoked pipe immediately recognizable for its geometric approach. The tall, substantial bowl features clean surfaces and a broad flat base, while the shank develops into a more dynamic transition towards the gently curved mouthpiece. Its construction also allows the pipe to rest steadily on its base.
The smooth briar is finished in a warm natural brown tone, with clearly visible grain across the broad surfaces of the bowl. Particularly distinctive is the dark transition between shank and mouthpiece, whose geometric volumes further emphasize the design-oriented character of the pipe. The gently curved black mouthpiece completes the silhouette with a slender, modern line.
The most fascinating aspect of this example, however, is its history. The underside is clearly stamped “OPTIMAL – Butz Choquin – des. J. COLOMBO”. The Optimal series was designed during the 1960s by Joe Colombo, the celebrated Italian designer and an enthusiastic pipe smoker himself. Examples from the second half of the 1960s are documented, including an Optimal dated to 1969. The project clearly reflects Colombo's design language, transforming a traditional object such as the smoking pipe into a more geometric form closely connected with the design culture of its period.
This Joe Colombo-designed Butz-Choquin Optimal 123 is therefore appealing not only as a vintage, pre-smoked pipe but also as a small piece of 20th-century design, bringing together Italian creativity and the historic French pipe-making tradition of Saint-Claude. The photographs show the actual condition of this specific example and form an integral part of its description.
