Three questions posed to: Thomas Schick, restorer

The new humidor may seem familiar to some enthusiasts of the finest in locksmith craft. And quite rightly so, because a similar model is already integrated into the safes of our series “The Fortress”. After numerous customer requests, we are now offering a tabletop version. And, of course, it also has a number of features that are unrivaled.

This begins with the fact that the humidor can be opened by simply pulling out a drawer, whereas other humidors usually have a flap-hinged mechanism. The interior is made of original Spanish cedar and is atmospherically showcased by LED spotlights. The heart of every humidor is, of course, the humidifier for the precious cigars inside – incidentally, these were provided by PATORO for our photo shoot. In the case of our new tabletop humidor, a CIGARSPA product has been perfectly integrated into the drawer. Its performance can be monitored at any time with the help of a hygrometer, barometer, and thermometer made of brushed stainless steel.

And because your individual desires are our first concern at Döttling, the interior of this unique object is naturally also configurable as a wonderful storage box for watches.

Naturally, the noblesse of the interior must be matched by the exterior. For this reason, we chose to cover the humidor in high-quality calfskin. However, numerous other surfaces, including wood or a high-gloss varnish, are possible upon request.

The term “mass production” doesn’t apply here. Every safe leaving our manufactory is unique. It is tailored to the wishes of our clients, right down to the smallest detail. What’s nice at Döttling is that we are allowed the time to bring out each of these details in a flawless manner and also in the best possible quality.

The first one that springs to mind is the Legends No. 332. The Morosini brothers built this safe in Milan in 1872 for King Victor Emmanuel II. He had used it to safeguard the love letters of his mistress. The powerful boltwork was a real challenge for me, and it took three months before it was running immaculately again.

Currently, I am working on an antique wooden safe – that is, a wooden corpus reinforced with metal. This was pretty much the first safe design that ever existed. The keys for this outstanding piece had been lost over time. That is why I had to fabricate them to perfectly fit the historical locking mechanism while making sure the boltwork runs smoothly again. A tricky task, but one that has turned out successfully.