Montblanc’s most iconic pen turns 90

In this age of digital technology, when kids are used to tapping on smart devices to communicate, what happens to the writing instruments we used to practice our cursive on?  The old, reliable pen? Will it go the way of the rotary phone, the Walkman and the turntable?

Not if Montblanc can help it. Jerome Lambert, CEO of the German brand that made its name in fine writing instruments, feels that if they keep doing what they do best — preserving craftsmanship and pushing innovation — Montblanc and its state-of-the-art pens will endure and prosper.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Montblanc’s Meisterstück pen (pronounced “Maishter-shtook” and meaning “masterpiece” or “masterstroke”). Since the first model was introduced in 1924, it’s become the world’s most recognizable pen, and is considered a true luxury icon in fine-writing culture, on a par with a Rolls-Royce in the automotive world.

“Styles come and go, fashion evolves, but the Meisterstück stays,” says Lambert.

The Meisterstück turned 90 this year, and to celebrate, Montblanc launched a 90th-anniversary Meisterstück collection and hosted a gala dinner that gathered celebrities, loyal clients and the international media at Guastavino’s in New York City.

Guests who walked the red carpet and signed the guest book (with a Meisterstück, of course) included actors Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Stephen Baldwin, Penn Badgley, Olivia Palermo, and supermodel Alek Wek.

“Montblanc is authentic,” said Norton, looking tall and lean on the red carpet. “My theater company, which is called the Signature Theater Company, started in New York. We have one playwright a year… We do a season of one playwright’s work, and each year, we do a passing-of-the-pens ceremony from one writer to another, and we’ve used Montblanc pens engraved with the writer’s name each year.

“This year we’re celebrating Mike Bloomberg’s contributions to the arts, including his administration giving our theater $30 million to build that new Frank Gehry center, and we’re giving Mike Bloomberg a Montblanc pen from Signature, so we’ve had this kind of long, symbolic relationship with their pens.”

Other celebs voiced similar sentiments. “Words are a part of life,” said Wek. “Pens are wonderful and I love writing. It is not like an email. Writing with a pen signifies a special moment in time that is captured on paper forever.”

The Pen of Authors, Statesmen & Artists

At the event, you could have calligrapher Nicolas Ouchenir write down your favorite quote on a card. You could also examine duplicates of documents written by famous authors, scholars and artists over the years using the Meisterstück.

Montblanc also exhibited its most noteworthy writing instruments from the past 90 years, as well as a photo gallery of the VIPs who’ve used their pens to sign important treaties, like Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and John F. Kennedy.

Lambert recounts how when JFK visited Germany in 1963, he offered his own Meisterstück to German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to sign the Golden Book in Cologne when the latter forgot his pen.

“The Meisterstück is one of the 10 icons of true luxury,” claims Lambert. “It embodies pure European craftsmanship, pioneering spirit and is a strong symbol of innovation.”

What makes this pen so special?

For one thing, it’s coated with a polished resin so dark it absorbs light, resulting in the purest, deepest shade of black.

A quarter to half a million euros go into the development and design of a new nib, and — when the average age of your engravers is 70 — new craftsmen have to be trained: “There’s no school where you learn how to do fine writing instruments,” according to Lambert.

Engraving a regular nib requires 35 technical steps; the Meisterstück requires another 70.

Montblanc then tests the quality of the writing instrument by the sound the nib makes on the paper, its resistance, the flow of the ink, the way it writes a continuous line — a seemingly simple action that entails years of technical mastery.

“Every single Meisterstück is tested that antique way,” Lambert says.  “Consistency of experience is very crucial to the Meisterstück’s history.”

Montblanc’s 90th-anniversary Meisterstück collection features four new kinds of writing instruments. Each kind is available in the quintessential 149, Classique and LeGrand fountain-pen styles to rollerballs and ballpoints.

Rose gold has been introduced into the core collection in resin, which had previously been done in yellow gold and platinum. The classic 149 now features a red-gold nib engraved with “90.” Turn the pen around and it reads “06,” which is the year Montblanc was born.

The opposite of the dark resin pens are Montblanc’s guilloché engraved pens, covered with a special light-reflecting lacquer. Twist them in your fingers and they sparkle with the brilliance of diamonds. These pens also have “90” engraved on the nibs.

Another stunner is the new Skeleton pen. The first Skeleton was released on the 75th anniversary of Montblanc in 1999, and the initial idea of a transparent pen with a skeletal metal frame has been reworked for the new Skeleton Meisterstück.  “Like a sculpture, we used black titanium for modernity, and the opaque structure allows you to see part of the secrets of the writing instrument,” notes Lambert.

For serious collectors, the limited-edition offering is 90 engraved gold pens, hand-decorated for weeks by the most skilled craftsmen and set with 90 diamonds to underline the anniversary.

“This solid-gold red writing instrument reflects the status of the Meisterstück as a power pen,” Lambert says.

Watches, Leather & Jewelry

In addition to writing instruments, Montblanc released a new Meisterstück Heritage collection of watches. The luxury house has also made a name in timepieces, manufactured in Villeret and Le Locle, Switzerland. Offered in 39 or 41mm diameters, the Pulsograph has a Montblanc emblem on the crown crafted in solid rose gold or steel, which appears as a raised relief on a matte sandblasted background.

A new line of leather goods, Meisterstück Soft Grain, was also inaugurated, handcrafted in Montblanc’s Pelletteria in Florence. Briefcases, messenger and tote bags, cellphone and tablet cases, wallets, business card and passport holders are lined with Montblanc’s historical 1924 logo jacquard pattern and available in the pen’s iconic shade of black, as well as beige.

Men’s jewelry like cufflinks and accessories like key holders also boasted Meisterstück-inspired details like engravings and black onyx and red gold-colored finishes.

The guardians of fine writing

Lambert said Montblanc chose New York City for the celebration because of the city’s penchant for reinventing itself. “It’s the place to be for the young generation.”

Which brought me to my question of how fine writing instruments are faring in the digital age and if Montblanc wants to make them more appealing to a youthful demographic.

“We have to be responsive to the evolution of the world in which we live,” Lambert replied. “It’s always a very controversial discussion. We introduced the Fine Liner and lines like Starwalker, which introduced ink refills.”

Bottom line is, though, for Montblanc, which produces 500,000 pens a year, there will be no upcoming digital line.

“We treat digital for what it is — something that doesn’t last, and is therefore consumable. Even if technology changes, the writing instrument stays. We are the guardians of fine writing.”

* * *

The Montblanc Meisterstück collection is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La and Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila.