By 1906 the
energy and promise of the first few years of the "modern"
new century had already had a stimulating effect on inventors and craftsmen.
Ingenuity, imagination, and a sense of exploration and discovery helped
the fountain pen make its technical and commercial breakthrough as a
writing instrument. The first practical fountain pen had been patented
as early as 1884, and the revolutionary lever filler was only
two years away from introduction. In Hamburg, stationer Claus-Johannes
Voss, together with banker Alfred Nehemias, and the Berlin engineer
August Eberstein, recognised the “signs of the time,” and
decided to produce fountain pens, their joint venture setting the cornerstones
for the future internationally successful company, known as Montblanc.
“Manufacturers of high-class gold and fountain pens”:
In 1908, Montblanc founders started by making this confident claim
in
their advertising copy. At first, the small new company was called
Simplo Filler Pen Company. The name 'Simplo' was doubtless
derived from the word 'simple', which referred to the new pen design
with a 'built-in' inkwell. A year later, in 1909, a technically improved
fountain pen, "Montblanc," was introduced. The name "Montblanc"
was registered as a trademark, and the name used for all writing instruments
produced by the company.
1913 saw the Montblanc star—what people would later call the
snowflake—become the brand signet, with all the writing
instruments produced by the Simplo Filler Pen Company bearing the
unmistakable rounded white symbol. Representing the snow-covered peak
of Mont Blanc, the highest European mountain, this artisan’s
device stood for commitment to the highest quality and finest European
craftsmanship.
Launch of the legendary Meisterstuck,
what would come to be the world's most famous and easily recognised
writing instrument, took place in 1924. The Meisterstuck
149 fountain pen was to became the ultimate symbol for writing
culture—and couture—and style icon for perfect and timeless
design
aesthetics. As the Roaring Twenties galloped, at ever accelerating
speed, toward their end, "Montblanc" kept pace, swiftly
expanding into more than 60 different countries as an almost ubiquitous
name. Impressive advertising campaigns, like fitting cars with an
oversize fountain pen, the Montblanc sign on top, and the first advertising
planes, took the Montblanc name into a completely new dimension, attracting
tremendous attention.
In 1927, for the first time and ever since, the heart of the Montblanc
Meisterstuck, its nib, was engraved with the number "4810,"
the elevation of the mountain, Mont Blanc itself. Then, in 1934, the
company officially assumed the appellative that had already become
an internationally known brand, and took the corporate name, Montblanc
Simplo GmbH. Just twelve months later, by issuing a "lifelong"
guarantee for the Meisterstuck, Montblanc demonstrated that it always
pays for the customer to choose the best. At the same time, Montblanc
began a process which would ultimately fashion an environment for
its growing range of chirographic instruments, and those who chose
to care about what they put to paper, and how. The company took over
a producer of fine leather goods in Offenbach, Germany: Thenceforth,
desk accessories were produced under the Montblanc name.
The year 1955 ushered in the new Montblanc "60 Line" that
represented an entirely new design style, constituting the first major
success in the post-war period alongside the traditional Meisterstuck
series. Several years of commercial business consolidation were to
follow. Then, as other industries, and even sister pen manufacturers,
seemed to have been anesthetised by emerging computerisation technologies,
a breakthrough marketing concept leapt out of Montblanc’s corporate
offices. In 1986 the famous marketing phrase, Montblanc-The Art
of Writing, was launched, and quickly became a model for many
brands in the personal luxury arena. The fountain pen, the ultimate
personal writing instrument, began a renaissance. The Meisterstuck
Solitaire Collection, the precious metal version of the Meisterstuck,
debuted, setting the tone for the next fourteen years.
As the new millennium opened, to some apprehension in our modern
society, but also great expectations, Montblanc launched its first
major new collection of writing instruments since Meisterstuck: the
Boheme,
devoted to passionate enjoyment of the best in life, reaffirming the
company’s commitment to the individual’s satisfaction.
Subsequently added were the Boheme
Solitaire, Boheme
Jewels, and Boheme
Doue collections, providing breathtaking choices in this
uniquely shaped and appointed series. The Sport Collection also came
to full, active life with the release of seven stylish, robust, and
ruggedly functional timepieces. In a spirit of bridging the eras—the
20th century, with its almost serendipitous scientific achievement,
and the 21st, carrying the hopes of a more mature and realistic optimism—Montblanc
introduced the Starwalker
Collection, a new generation of writing implements, and the
TimeWalker watch collection for people who are cosmopolitan,
dynamic and have a love for pure, aesthetic design.
Over the decades Montblanc has created masterpiece limited and special
editions. A few of these are listed here:
A strikingly gorgeous piece, the last item listed immediately above,
genuinely possessing, at once, masculine and feminine characteristics
and appeal, the Humboldt
Limited Edition has already made a more than admirable addition
to many a collector’s array, and is a perfect first, for the
gentleman or lady who “has everything,” but has not yet
entered the realm of fine chirographic instruments. With the latest
comer to the ever-growing array of limited editions, the William
Faulkner, the 21st century bodes well for the most well-known
artisan shop devoted to the dedicated scrivener.
