Montblanc (pens)
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Montblanc International GmbH is a German manufacturer of fine writing instruments, watches and accessories, often identified by their famous "White Star" logo.
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[edit] History
Founded by a Hamburg stationer in 1906, the company began as the Simplo Filler Pen company in 1908 before adopting the Montblanc trademark in 1911.
The company was subsequently acquired by Dunhill and now forms part of the Richemont group. Its sister companies include luxury brands Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chloe, and Baume et Mercier.
[edit] Branding
The trademark most clearly identified with Montblanc is the white stylised six-pointed star with rounded edges, representative of the Mont Blanc snowcap from above, the symbol being adopted in 1913. Similarly, the number "4810", the mountain's height in metres, is a commonly recurring theme.
For decades Montblanc rarely deviated far from its flagship Meisterstück line of writing instruments, but in recent years has begun to establish new lines. The Bohème, Scenium and Starwalker ranges are recent additions to Montblanc product-line.
[edit] Ambassadors
Montblanc have appointed a series of "Ambassadors", who represent the brand and its values. These include [1]:
[edit] Special editions and other product lines
Montblanc produces limited editions in addition to its normal production. Editions include the "Patron of the Art" (4810/888 pieces annually), the Writers Edition, Annual Edition, various Anniversary Editions and Donation Series as well as one-off and commemorative pieces.
Recently Montblanc has diversified into other luxury goods. Montblanc now sells watches, leather goods, female and male jewelry, perfume, sunglasses, and desk accessories in addition to writing instruments.
[edit] Criticism
Montblanc's two-year warranty is often compared to the lifetime warranties of many other pen manufacturers (large and small). Similarly-priced high-quality writing instruments from other manufacturers are often perceived as offering more value with lifetime warranties. Further criticism has been attached to the use of light, aesthetically appealing yet fragile "Precious Resin" in now largely discontinued lines.
Montblanc writing instruments are often stigmatized as being purchased for cachet as opposed to practical writing value; detractors of the brand often see them as inferior to other similarly or lesser priced pieces. There are generally two types of Montblanc users who reject this criticism. One type includes those who collect Montblanc and prefer the vintage models to the modern or limited edition models. The other type is the modern Montblanc user or collector who appreciates the styling and writing characteristics of this particular brand.
The previous staple of the Montblanc pen line, the Meisterstück 144 classique, was notorious for having a higher than normal user complaint rate due to cracked barrels which were caused by a thin wall construction with no reinforcement, and the use of their "precious resin" (read plastic with a higher glass content to increase the lustre). Users who had a pen which suffered from this type of a failure were surprised when Montblanc service centers would charge them for repair/replacement. The 144 has since been phased out and replaced with the 145 Chopin series, this updated pen has a brass collet inserted into the cap which alleviates some of the stress that caused damage. However, even with the reinforcement many state that the resin Montblanc uses, while visually appealing isn't as durable as that which other similarly and less expensive competitors use.
Another point to note is that throughout the 80s and up until the late 90s Montblanc had an issue with their seals, apparently they were mostly defective which would make their fountain pens leak. This was most evident in the 146 and the 149 Diplomat series. Many also criticise their writing characteristics, stating that the nib and feed don't flow well which often results in hard starting, frequent skipping, and overall poor writing performance.
[edit] External links
- Montblanc Writing Instruments
- Fountainpen.de Collector Site
