Article in the Lifestyle section by Peter Howarth celebrates finely crafted writing instruments including Montblanc, Tiffany, Dunhill and Montegrappa.
Journalist Peter Howarth opens his piece in The Times by likening owning a beautiful pen while everyone else is “tap, tap, tapping away on keys or screens” to “owning a turntable and playing vinyl, or using a film camera. It speaks of connoisseurship and an appreciation of things with depth and soul and story.”
He goes on to explain the difference between fountain, rollerball and ballpoint pens, before talking about “the daddy of all pen brands”, which he exclaims is Montblanc, which this year is celebrating 100 years of its famous Meisterstück model. It’s instantly recognisable with its cigar shape, three gold rings on the cap, with the number 4810 (the height in metres of Mont Blanc) engraved on its two-tone gold nib.
Howarth gives a nod to Tiffany, calling out its gold vermeil white leaf ballpoint that features a design from the archive as well as Dunhill’s Sidecar, a sleek sandblasted aluminium ballpoint that has a curved top that echoes the aerodynamics of a motorcycle sidecar.
Montegrappa gets a mention for its themed collectors’ pieces — The Rolling Stones and Klimt being among the present subjects – as do Visconti, ST Dupont, Cartier, Chopard, Graf von Faber-Castell and Tibaldi.
Speaking of Tibaldi, Howarth calls out the Fulgor Nocturnus “with an 18-carat gold nib, 123 rubies and 945 black diamonds that fetched $8 million at a charity auction in Shanghai. We believe it still holds the record for the most expensive pen in the world. Not something to leave on the bus.”
Top: The iconic Montblanc Meisterstück celebrates 100 years this year.
