Montblanc

Founded 1906 · Hamburg, Germany · Alfred Nehemias and August Eberstein, with the stationer Claus-Johannes Voss

Montblanc is the house that turned the pen into a status object. It began in 1906 under a name that promised nothing of the sort — Simplo Filler Pen Co. — and today the white six-pointed star is probably the most recognised writing logo in the world. Its Meisterstück has been in the catalogue for more than a century, a run almost no other pen can claim.

History

The company was founded in 1906 and in 1907 moved to Hamburg, where it took the name Simplo Filler Pen Co. In 1913 the emblem that defines it appeared: a rounded white star standing for the snow-covered summit of Mont Blanc seen from above, with its six valleys. In 1924 came the Meisterstück — the "masterpiece" — still made today and the axis of the house. In 1929 the nib began to be engraved with the number 4810, the mountain's height in metres. In time the brand extended into watches, leather goods and jewellery, but the writing instrument stayed its centre of gravity.

Iconic models

Meisterstück 149
The large piston-filled pen, with a gold nib and 4810 engraved on it; the one most people picture on hearing "Montblanc".
Meisterstück Classique
The 149's smaller sister, in jacket-pocket format; the doorway into the house.
StarWalker
The contemporary line, with the star floating visibly inside a transparent cap.
Writers Edition
Limited series dedicated to a writer — Hemingway, Proust, Agatha Christie — much sought after on the collectors' market.

Worth knowing

The number 4810 engraved on the nib is neither a model nor a calibre: it is the height of Mont Blanc in metres, and the star on the cap is that same snow-covered summit seen from the air, with its six valleys.