The collection spotlights Montblanc's origins and ongoing influence (All photos: Montblanc)
A luxury writing instrument is not just a cultural totem for high-achieving business executives. Montblanc’s offerings, which glide so fluidly they seem capable of elevating not just one’s penmanship but also the thoughts you put on the page, are well known among the elites.
However, customers began to request fountain pens for Sunday use — finer tools not meant for every day. Unbeknown to them, artisans in the workshop had long been developing personal projects or one-of-a-kind-pieces known as meisterstück, or masterpiece in German. Thus, the all-black Montblanc Meisterstück is used to describe the work of absolute craftsmanship made through the skills of a master.
To mark its centenary event, Montblanc has designed The Origin collection, each with a specially designed nib that shows the number “100” as well as the years “1924” and “2024”. In the early days, the name Meisterstück was translated into different languages, but as international success grew, the product name became so emblematic that only the German version was kept. As a nod to the importance of its name, the original Meisterstück logo is engraved on the side of the cap of every edition.
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The bent clip with a “drop” is an ode to the many clip versions that existed during the 1920s. On the other hand, the precious resin of the cap, inspired by the different marble effects in the early Meisterstück pens, displays an effect reminiscent of dissolving ink that has been adapted to today’s more advanced production techniques.
Complementing the artistic stationery are three ink colours in glass bottles that mirror the key colours of the editions: blue, green and coral. Complete your set with a Meisterstück 100 leather notebook and a digital print of the fountain pen or a set of cards and envelopes with the 100th anniversary design.
This article first appeared on Apr 1, 2024 in The Edge Malaysia.
