Montblanc – the Top of Fountain Pen

Hello my Lovelies, 🙂

Have you ever started to write a letter, a thesis, or an e-mail over and over again because you thought it wasn’t good enough? Well, here we are. Last year I bought the most expensive fountain pen in my life. I am really thrilled to have it and I am so proud to own it. Sometimes it’s like a dream or a fairytale for me. But when I started to write this review about the Montblanc at first, my head was full of ideas, thoughts and other stuff. The post, however, didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to be – no matter what I tried.

So, because of that I decided to share one of my earliest und most precious memories of my childhood. Well, let us dive in. 🙂

Do you remember the first item in your childhood which you were totally fascinated by?
Well I can, it was a fountain pen my grandfather Erich used. I watched him when he wrote a short note for my grandmother. The fountain pen was just black with a golden clip. The pen was slidding smoothly over the paper. I was so excited. After he wrote the note, he asked me if I would like to hold the pen for a moment. I agreed and I was so very careful with it, as if it was made of glass. At that time, I was just five years old and this was one of our special moments. He has a very special place in my heart because of the connection we had. My grandfather Erich wasn’t a really easy person. My mother had a lot of trouble with him as her dad. But for me, he was my best friend for so many years and I am still thinking of him. A lot of my passions I discovered because of him.

Don’t get me wrong, my parents supported my creativity, my love for books and my musical training.

My grandpa supported me and shared his passions with me. When I had to read books for school, he read some of them with me and then we talked about them. When I visited my grandparents during school holidays he asked me which books we would read together or which coins, of which he had a big collection, we would like to check. At my grandparent’s house was huge selection of books, fictional as well as non-fictional. So every time after I said hello to everybody and I cuddled the dog and went straight to the living room – called library – took a book from one of the many shelves and sat on the windowsill which were so wide that an adult could sit there without any problems.
Erich sat in his armchair next to me with a book as well.

He was the one who explained to me how important it is to write with a fountain pen and how important it is to own a good one. My grandfather said: „A fountain pen should slide so perfectly over paper that you just think about the words and the pen will know what you want to write. A ballpoint pen won’t be easy, it will have breaks in your handwriting and it will look as if you won’t know how to write the words. Just use a fountain pen. It is sophisticated.“

Then I came to primary school and as a present I got my very first fountain pen. 🙂 It was a pen for beginners calles Pelikano and my passion for fountain pens and writing started to evolve even further. During my entire school and study years I wrote with fountain pens. I still have my first fountain pen and it still writes. Even when I signed my first employment contract I had a fountain pen with me and my superior called me „old-fashioned“. I took it as a compliment and he was surprised because he wanted to make a joke. I explained him why I used a fountain pen instead of a ballpoint pen and a few weeks later he had a fountain pen as well and could understand the difference. 🙂

Last year my husband asked me where I got my passion for fountain pens from and I told him the story with my grandfather. During my years of experimenting and learning more and more about pens I discovered that the pen which my grandfather so adored was a Montblanc fountain pen. I had thought about it for years and about whether I should buy one. To be honest, Montblanc is a luxurious brand and their designs are as elegant as they are amazing. So my husband encouraged me to get me one.

When it comes to things which are really expensive and they should be only for me then I struggle to buy these things. In a second I can buy expensive things for my husband or Maya or friends, but for me? I struggle 😀 But for moments like these, I have my husband who is then, literally, standing behind me and saying: „And now you click on the payment, it won’t hurt“ 😀 He’s great and he knows how to make me laugh.

Montblanc – Who?

For those who may have never heard of Montblanc, here are some facts about the company. It was founded in 1906 in Hamburg, where their headquarters can still be found, and it is very well known for it luxury goods like fountain pens, watches, leather goods and lots more.

The writing implements are producted in Hamburg. Their leather products are made in Florence and their watches are from Switzerland. Alone from that you know that you buy only the best quality.

Montblanc is famous for their craft. The nibs of the fountains pens are all handmade. On their website they write about their understanding for craft with modern technology, their philosophy and their tradition.

If you scroll through their products you will recognise the elegance in every single item. Their pieces are timeless, not old-fashioned. The items will never need to be hyped because they are always in fashion.

Shopping

Their website is stylish in black and white and you have several options which product line you could choose. The writing section has some subpages where you can decide which kind of pen you would like to look at.

The whole process of buying is really easy to follow and after you will have checked you shopping bag four times, like I did, then you click on „order“ and wait until you hear the lovely sound of your doorbell and your post (wo)man will give you this lovely little package.

What I Ordered

I bought a Meisterstück Rose Gold-Coated Classique Foutain Pen and an Ink Bottle, Mystery Black. In total I paid 529,50 Euros. It is a huge amount of money for me. But to be honest my second choice wouldn’t have been a cheaper one 😀

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The package of the fountain pen is a creamy white on which just „Montblanc“ is written with the little star. No other decorations. When you open it up, there will be the box with the fountain pen inside as well as a service guide booklet. You will get a warranty card as well. The fountain pen box is black with the little star at the right side of it. Inside of it lays the pen covered in a creamy white soft material. On the top of the inside you will see the name „Montblanc“ with the star again. No decorations or squiggles/flourishes at all which I really like about it.

The fountain pen is made out of black precious resin with a rose gold-coated clip. On the cap is the Montblanc emblem. The nib is handcrafted Au 585 / 14 K rose gold with rhodium-coated inlay. The seize is F (fine). The fountain pen itself is 140 x 13,7 mm and weights 20,95 g.

The ink bottle is a little bit different from what one would expect from a normal ink bottle. The package is bright white and black. It says „Mystery Black“ on the two larger sides where you can read the name of brand as well. One short side is black with a little tab to pull out the bottle. The opposite side shows the word ink in different languages and how many mililitres are in there – 60 ml in This case. The bottle is well protected with a sponge. The cap is black with just the white star on top of it. There is a label on it which shows the ink name and the brand.

My First Impressions

Oh boy! In German I would say: „Zum Geier nochmal, der ist der Hammer!“ In English I won’t use slang. 😉 The fountain pen is so beautiful. The nib is so wonderful and there are so many details on it. Unbelieveable. The pen is shiny and if I had just one word to explain it, it would be: elegance.

It is really light weighted and it rests comfortably in the hand. Inside of the pen is an ink converter which you can fill quite easily.

After filling the ink converter the pen slides over the paper so smoothly. The nib doesn‘t scratch or hurt the paper in any way. So the black ink comes out gently and constantly. Even for me as a lefty, it is a really great writing experience. I didn‘t have any trouble with inkblots because there weren‘t any. 🙂

It was one of greatest writing experiences in my life. Now I understand why Harry Potter got excited when he got his wand. 😀 (Sorry, but it is the best movie scene to discribe me and the pen)

It was this wow-factor and I still have it every day I use it. I honestly love using my Montblanc and I use it at least once a day.

When we moved house, my husband asked me several times if I knew where my fountain pens were. Of cause I knew it. It was this one little bag which I packed, which only I was allowed to touch and carry around. And no-one else touched or moved it in one or another way. 🙂 Eventually, only I unpacked them as well.

Now – 6 Months Later

I am still writing with it every day. I am still in love with it and the Montblanc is still beautiful and shiny. The ink is beautiful on paper.

But the most wonderful thing about it is that it brings my grandfather a little bit closer to me. Now there are more moments when I journal or write with it and think about the lovely memories of my childhood.

I would like to point out that Montblanc didn’t give me a discount or sent it to me for free. I bought the products by myself and paid for them.

Wisdom of the Day: Let a fountain pen be the wand you need to get a little bit magic into your life. 😉

Love to you all and stay healthy,

Chrissi
The Evil Journalista