Montblanc: In the business of love

Montblanc is now in the love business. How could such a storied company — whose pens are usually associated with famous hands — have gotten into a business associated with the heart?

A Love That Lasts Forever

King Chau, Asia’s regional director for Montblanc, recently explained, “The term ‘love business’ refers to the unique industry Montblanc has positioned itself in. Love is used to describe our business, because like love, our products last forever.”

It’s no wonder that young international celebrities like Zhang Zilin and Katherine Jenkins wear Montblanc Haute Joaillerie. At the 61st International Cannes Film Festival last May, Zhang, who, as Miss World 2007 was the first Miss World from China, wore a US$5 million “Lumiere” necklace at the Palermo Shooting premiere.

Katherine Jenkins, the award-winning mezzo-soprano from Wales, wore Montblanc’s Haute Joaillerie “Dentelle” set at the Grammy Awards last February.

Jewelry is just the latest of Montblanc’s many luxury innovations.

For generations, Montblanc has been known as the maker of sophisticated, high-quality writing instruments. Over the years, the product range being offered by this well-respected brand has expanded to include exquisite writing accessories, luxury leather goods and belts, jewelry and watches.

Montblanc continues to live up to its name, which came to stand for the art of writing when the brand’s very first classic fountain pen, the Meisterstuck, first produced in 1924, became a cult object.

“Aside from Montblanc’s commitment to producing items likened to love, our items are also made with love,” Chau continues. “All of Montblanc’s Limited Edition leather goods have been lovingly inscribed with the initials of the master craftsman who formed it into existence. Our product is his artwork and his initials serve as a stamp of his faithfulness to the craft.”

A tremendous amount of effort goes into each Montblanc product. “Each and every writing instrument made by Montblanc takes a craftsman no less than 23 days to finish. You can see that we make products not just for the sake of making them, we make them because it is what we love doing.”

Spreading The Love

Luckily, Montblanc has decided to expand in Manila. Chau accompanied me around the newly launched black-and-white Montblanc boutique on the fourth floor of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, the largest Montblanc store to date in the country. With its sleek, classic façade, this flagship store is very much in tune with Montblanc’s timeless brand identity.

Chau told me some of the stories behind their writing instruments, leather goods and jewelry. “The six-sided star used as the Montblanc logo symbolizes a snowflake or an icy snowcap on top of Mont Blanc mountain, Europe’s highest peak. We have used this as our logo for over 100 years as a tribute to our commitment to the highest standards of quality.” He added that the famous numbers engraved on all of the writing instruments, 4810, represents the actual height of Mont Blanc in feet.

A Unique Kind Of Love

In the middle of this luxury tour, two particular items caught my interest: the 43-facet Montblanc Diamond, which, according to Chau, “is the only diamond in the world that is shaped in the form of a brand’s logo.” The diamond has been expertly cut to imitate Montblanc’s four-cornered star and is set in many different patterns inlaid with gold and white-gold filigree.

The second item is the Etoile Secrete, one of Montblanc’s jewelry collections also whimsically known as the “Secret Ambassador of Love.” This jewelry line is considered unique because it conceals engraved secret messages of love that you can reveal only to your beloved. Each message is artistically hidden to retain a sense of mystery, meant to be seen only by its rightful owner.

Montblanc, The Soulmaker

As I searched for more things to acquaint myself with Montblanc, an interesting word caught my eye. The term “soulmaker” repeatedly appeared in almost all of Montblanc’s ads. When I asked Chau about it, he said Montblanc is a soulmaker because “the essentials of life — thoughts, feelings, aesthetics and culture — are used to create Montblanc items. We strive to achieve this by creating a bond between our products and our clients. We try to think about what our customers need and we respond to this need by thoughtfully creating something that will mean something to our clients. When our customers feel different or special when they use our products, we can then successfully say that our products begin to form an emotional appeal with our customers.”

Indeed, Montblanc items seem to have a life of their own. Most patrons claim that Montblanc items aren’t only used, they are kept and are passed on from generation to generation. Thanks to the time and experience spent by the previous owner, a Montblanc item is given its own “soul.” The use of a Montblanc piece adds to its depth, not only as a mere product, but rather as an heirloom piece with character.

Craftsmanship Of Art

“The timeless brand that is Montblanc has committed itself to creating goods that are considered craftsmanship of art,” King says. After witnessing what Montblanc had to offer during its launch in Shangri-La and scanning the catalogues, I, too, can confidently say that it is an art because the class and quality displayed by their products are not bound by trends. It is timeless. Montblanc does not follow the latest fashions and fads plainly because it doesn’t need to. A Montblanc item made years ago will never go out of style. If a Picasso is a Picasso and a Valentino is a Valentino, it should follow, too, that a Montblanc is a Montblanc. A fountain pen bought 50 years ago will never be out of style.

Montblanc is a truly global brand with operations in more than 70 countries. The company sells its products exclusively through its international network of authorized retailers, jewelers and over 360 Montblanc boutiques worldwide.

Truly, Montblancs are pieces clearly built on two things: craftsmanship and, of course, love.

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E-mail author at azzuri_beach@yahoo.com