Montblanc Meisterstück
Since 1906 it has been the ambition of the company’s founders to manufacture Montblanc’s fountain pens of exquisite quality. Leak-proof in use, even when travelling, and perfect in terms of the balance of the device, the gentle gliding over the paper and the sensual ink flow.
Introduced in 1924, the Meisterstück series is a culmination of this quest for perfection – both technically and aesthetically. The name was and still is the program and the decision was made consciously, although the umlaut and the “st” in Meisterstück are rather difficult for foreign tongues to pronounce. But no name could better symbolize what was done with a Montblanc Meisterstück. The series immediately laid the foundation for Mont Blanc’s subsequent rapid international success. By the end of the 1920s, the brand had already been represented in 60 countries around the world. There, too, it was understood and recognized that the Meisterstück was truly a masterfully crafted writing instrument.
Finally, with the “149er” Montblanc set a permanent memorial for itself as a company and the Meisterstück product line in 1952. Deep black, hand-polished precious resin, yellow gold fittings with the characteristic 3-ring design on the cap and its timeless design have made it not only a lifelong companion for many people, but also an exhibit in art museums around the world, including the Museum Of Modern Art in New York. Almost 15 cm long and weighing about 30g, with about 1g on the rhodium plated nib made of 750 yellow gold, this piston filler is a statement in the hand of its owner. The nickname Power Pen was given over time in recognition of the many important contracts under which signatures were made with a Meisterstück 149. The writing instrument, which masterfully fulfilled its purpose, became, as it were, a status symbol.
Imitating the Meisterstück 149 is a thing of impossibility and, at best, still outwardly possible at first glance – all in all, no one will be able to reach its perfection. As with banknotes, a security feature protects him and his Meisterstück siblings from clumsy counterfeiting: the magnifying glass-readable serial number engraved in the clip on the cap, which only Montblanc assigns, knows and archives. This allows you to trace forever when the writing instrument was manufactured and sold to whom for the first time. In Montblanc German, the Quo-Vadis number is therefore referred to in this context.
The production of the Meisterstück has changed little over time. The place where production is made has not changed at all: it was and is Hamburg. Machines are used nowadays, but always in a phase where the “rough” is involved. As soon as it comes down to precise and flawless work, making a Meisterstück is and remains a craft. Anyone who has seen how complex it is to glue nibs off so that they get their characteristic design in bicolor (gold and rhodium) in the subsequent electroplating process will already have a glimpse of the amount of manual work that goes into a Meisterstück. Dozens of work steps are only necessary to manufacture the nib unit. The grinding of a nib or the iridium ball welded onto the nib to one of the possible 8 nib widths can only be done by a few talented employees or coworkers who have developed this talent to perfection in at least 6 months of training.
Each nib, with emphasis on each, is tested before delivery to see if it meets the high demands of a Montblanc nib. This is done by hand with colourless ink. Only silent and gently writing pens with perfect ink flow make it to the top of a Montblanc fountain pen. The same stringent requirements are applied to all parts of a Montblanc Meisterstück and therefore Montblanc Meisterstück ballpoint pens, rollerballs, turntable pencils and document markers must demonstrate in strict quality control that they meet the Meisterstück requirement.
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The range of materials has expanded over time. In addition to black precious resin, precious metal versions were added to the assortment in 1986. Mont Blanc’s Meisterstück Solitaire were called product lines that featured sterling silver, white or yellow gold, malachite, lapis lazuli or similar instead of caps and bodies made of precious resin. Later, modern, technically-looking and no less valuable materials such as stainless steel or carbon were added. Wood and leather and other natural materials were also used. Solitaire Doué describes those Meisterstücks that combine precious resin with the aforementioned materials, i. e. specifically a body made of precious resin with a “solitairen” cap.
Fittings, originally held exclusively in yellow gold, are now also available in platinum or red gold versions.
Montblanc Meisterstück pens as well as ballpoint pens, rollerballs, rollercoasters and pencils are available in Meisterstück families of different sizes. Only the 149 is available exclusively as a piston filler.
The next largest line after the 149s is called Meisterstück LeGrand, meanwhile also known as Beethoven. The fountain pen from the LeGrand series, the Montblanc Meisterstück 146, is also a piston fountain pen. Just under one cm shorter, the LeGrand, equipped with 14K gold nib, is the fountain pen suitable for everyday use for people with a large hand. Roller ball, ballpoint pen and rotary pencil in dimensions similar to the fountain pen complete the LeGrand line.
Montblanc Meisterstück 145 Classique, meanwhile also traded under the name Chopin, is probably the most popular and best-selling Meisterstück line. The pen, which is filled with cartridges, is ideal for medium and small hands and of course it is also equipped with a 14K gold pen. Ink roller, ballpoint pen and rotary pencil complete the Classique line. In their length, only slightly shorter than the LeGrand, the Classique variants are noticeably narrower and therefore slightly lighter.
Finally, the Montblanc Meisterstück Hommage à Mozart is the variation of the Meisterstück, which is predestined not only for the ladies' handbag, but also as a writing instrument for the notebook or the agenda. Here, too, the cartridge filler is crowned by a 14K gold pen and a white Montblanc star on the other end. The Mozart is also available as a ballpoint pen and rotary pen.
Mont Blanc’s Meisterstück Le Petit Prince finally is a collection in the size classes LeGrand and Classique. The instruments made of deep blue or burgundy resin and various Doué and Solitaire variants are an ode to the world-famous story, the values embodied in them by the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
A Meisterstück is the ideal gift because it creates lasting memories. A fountain pen or another writing instrument from the Meisterstück line is something special and always reminds you of the giver and the occasion. After all, when used properly, they are not fast-moving consumer products, but lifelong companions that you like to take at your hand.
With cases from the Meisterstück-leather series you can store them properly and take them with you on your travels. Perfectly matched to the Meisterstück, Montblanc refills, be it ink in barrels for the piston fillers of Montblanc, be it ink cartridges or refills for rollerballs, ballpoint pens or swivel pencils in different widths or thicknesses, guarantee writing pleasure for a lifetime of a Meisterstück before the Meisterstück and its hangers emotions can be passed on to the next generation.
The Meisterstück does not age and is: New since 1924.