Lamy
Founded 1930 · Heidelberg, Germany · C. Josef Lamy
Lamy is the house that applied the Bauhaus to the pen. Where the others competed on ornament, Lamy competed on form: clean bodies, industrial materials and a credited designer on every model. The result is that its two most famous pieces — the 2000 and the Safari — have gone decades without needing a redesign.
History
Josef Lamy founded the factory in Heidelberg in 1930, under the name Orthos Füllfederhalter-Fabrik C. J. Lamy. The decisive turn came in 1966 with the Lamy 2000, designed by Gerd A. Müller — who came from designing for Braun — in a brushed Makrolon body with a piston filler: a pen without a single ornament, still in production unchanged more than half a century later. In 1980 came the Safari, made for students: tough plastic, a wire clip, a moulded grip that shows where the fingers go and a window to see how much ink is left. It became one of the best-selling fountain pens in the world and the way whole generations came to nib writing.
Iconic models
Lamy 2000 (1966)
Brushed Makrolon, a piston filler and not one ornament; designed by Gerd A. Müller and in production unchanged ever since.
Safari (1980)
The student pen that became a classic: a moulded grip, an ink window and new colours every year.
Al-Star
The Safari in anodised aluminium: same design, more weight and colder in the hand.
Studio
A twisted propeller clip and a polished body; the house's formal proposal for the office.
Worth knowing
Gerd A. Müller, who drew the Lamy 2000, came from ten years designing for Braun. That is why the pen does not look like a pen of its time: it looks like a German household appliance of the sixties, and that was exactly the point.
Lamy at Reserva de Marcha
See all 68 in the catalogue →
Safari Fountain Pen, Charcoal Broad Nib (L17B), L17B
Safari Fountain Pen, Charcoal, Fine
Safari Fountain Pen Charcoal Ex-Fine, L17EF
Vista Fountain Pen Demonstrator, Clear Fine Nib (L12F)
Transparent Vista Fountain Pen with Medium Nib and Blue Ink (L12M)
Safari Vista Fountain Pen, Demonstrator Clear, Extra-Fine Nib L12EF
Studio Fountain Pen Stainless Steel Medium Nib (L65M)
Studio Black Broad Point Fountain Pen (L67B)