Passionate craftsmanship and pioneering design have always defined Montblanc’s tradition. Now, it is the art of writing that they have personified. Riddhima Nagpal takes a journey down to their electrifying new tribute to the inventor of the psychological thriller genre, Alfred Hitchcock.
It is a panorama of snow-capped mountains that is identified with the white stylised six-pointed star (with rounded edges) also popularly known as ‘white star’ logo, a trademark of Montblanc. With the core belief of making words touch the soul, the brand has come a long way from its founding days back in 1908. The journey, which began at the Schanzen district of Hamburg as a Simplo Filler Pen company producing upmarket pens, has reached the platform where Montblanc is not only popular for writing instruments but has spread its wings into watchmaking, fragrances, jewellery, eyewear and leather crafting. With their tagline of ‘soul makers for 100 years’, the brand has a legacy when it comes to the art of writing. Their first model in 1909 was Rouge et Noir, which was followed by the pen that later gave the company its new name, Montblanc, in 1910. The name Meisterstück (meaning masterpiece in English) was later used in 1924 for their top line of fountain pens. Today, it represents their cornerstone model.
Montblanc, which has always been famous for producing conceptual pieces, now pays tribute to the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock with the launch of Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock Limited Edition 80 and Limited Edition 3000 writing instruments. It’s a range that reveals the story of Hitchcock’s extraordinary contributions to the art of filmmaking, where the legendary icons of the genius have been captured on writing instruments. “We always try to respect the personality who gives the name for the concept or product, and also the achievements of the person. We try to use this as basis of inspiration for the writing instrument design,” informs Claudia Zumpe, senior marketing manager, Writing Culture and Limited Editions, Montblanc.
“Within the field of culture and art that Montblanc is committed to, Hitchcock was one of the most important personalities in recent centuries due to the fact that he revolutionised the filmmaking business; we have incorporated the same in Montblanc’s aesthetic,” elaborates Claudia.
Many of Hitchcock’s scenes remain as the most memorable visuals in movie history till date. With all its intricate details and symbolic references, the brand honours the same during the making of these luxurious pens. To start with, the complete life works of Hitchcock have been saluted by means of 53 engraved hatch marks on the cone. The cap ring engraving on Edition 80 is encircled by a stylised roll of celluloid film – a director’s ultimate tool – whereas on the Edition 3000, it refers to the original film roll lettering of the movie Psycho. The sinister shape of the murder weapon used in Psycho plays inspiration for the shape of the pen’s clip. The clip is made of solid gold and every single little knife is individually cast. Each clip is carefully polished by hand in order to even the surface and enhance the brilliance – to make it as shiny as the murderer’s knife! To add to the brilliance, the four diamonds for the clip are carefully selected before being set by hand on Edition 80.
When it comes to the body, the vertiginous view down the staircase from another famous movie of his, Vertigo, has been incorporated as an optical effect on the surface of both the editions. On the Edition 80 writing instruments, black lacquer is enhanced with red reminiscent of the bloodstained crime scenes of his films. A special technique has been used to create the lacquer effects; nearly 30 layers of lacquer are applied to each tube. After more than five different steps of lacquering and shaping the tubes of cap and barrel, every single tube is polished by hand in order to create a brilliant surface. The fittings of the Limited Edition 80 are made of 750 solid gold – each edition incorporates approximately 30 grams of 18-karat gold. The genius, who was famous for his cameo appearances, always used to capture his silhouette with a self-portrait using only eight lines. This caricature embellishes the heart of Montblanc’s handcrafted rhodium-finished 18-karat gold nib.
Nearly 35 work steps go into creating the perfect nib for the Artisan Limited Edition. An individual nib-stamp is created for each limited edition, featuring the year of its manufacture. Every nib is cut carefully by hand and ground afterwards. Also the nib is polished to achieve its brilliance. At last, the nib undergoes the writing test where every subtle nuance in the melody of nib helps in judging the writing quality. In the nib-testing centre, surrounded by absolute silence, experienced professionals test the sound of nibs striking. The melody needs to indicate Montblanc’s quality of experience of an ideal writing sensation. Each edition is packed in an artisan box, which this time is a film-box, a reference to the master of filmmaking.
Made out of devotion and love, the pens, handcrafted at each stage of stamping, shaping, soldering and smoothening, come with a ‘price on request’ tag.
It is a panorama of snow-capped mountains that is identified with the white stylised six-pointed star (with rounded edges) also popularly known as ‘white star’ logo, a trademark of Montblanc. With the core belief of making words touch the soul, the brand has come a long way from its founding days back in 1908. The journey, which began at the Schanzen district of Hamburg as a Simplo Filler Pen company producing upmarket pens, has reached the platform where Montblanc is not only popular for writing instruments but has spread its wings into watchmaking, fragrances, jewellery, eyewear and leather crafting. With their tagline of ‘soul makers for 100 years’, the brand has a legacy when it comes to the art of writing. Their first model in 1909 was Rouge et Noir, which was followed by the pen that later gave the company its new name, Montblanc, in 1910. The name Meisterstück (meaning masterpiece in English) was later used in 1924 for their top line of fountain pens. Today, it represents their cornerstone model.
“Within the field of culture and art that Montblanc is committed to, Hitchcock was one of the most important personalities in recent centuries due to the fact that he revolutionised the filmmaking business; we have incorporated the same in Montblanc’s aesthetic,” elaborates Claudia.
Many of Hitchcock’s scenes remain as the most memorable visuals in movie history till date. With all its intricate details and symbolic references, the brand honours the same during the making of these luxurious pens. To start with, the complete life works of Hitchcock have been saluted by means of 53 engraved hatch marks on the cone. The cap ring engraving on Edition 80 is encircled by a stylised roll of celluloid film – a director’s ultimate tool – whereas on the Edition 3000, it refers to the original film roll lettering of the movie Psycho. The sinister shape of the murder weapon used in Psycho plays inspiration for the shape of the pen’s clip. The clip is made of solid gold and every single little knife is individually cast. Each clip is carefully polished by hand in order to even the surface and enhance the brilliance – to make it as shiny as the murderer’s knife! To add to the brilliance, the four diamonds for the clip are carefully selected before being set by hand on Edition 80.
When it comes to the body, the vertiginous view down the staircase from another famous movie of his, Vertigo, has been incorporated as an optical effect on the surface of both the editions. On the Edition 80 writing instruments, black lacquer is enhanced with red reminiscent of the bloodstained crime scenes of his films. A special technique has been used to create the lacquer effects; nearly 30 layers of lacquer are applied to each tube. After more than five different steps of lacquering and shaping the tubes of cap and barrel, every single tube is polished by hand in order to create a brilliant surface. The fittings of the Limited Edition 80 are made of 750 solid gold – each edition incorporates approximately 30 grams of 18-karat gold. The genius, who was famous for his cameo appearances, always used to capture his silhouette with a self-portrait using only eight lines. This caricature embellishes the heart of Montblanc’s handcrafted rhodium-finished 18-karat gold nib.
Nearly 35 work steps go into creating the perfect nib for the Artisan Limited Edition. An individual nib-stamp is created for each limited edition, featuring the year of its manufacture. Every nib is cut carefully by hand and ground afterwards. Also the nib is polished to achieve its brilliance. At last, the nib undergoes the writing test where every subtle nuance in the melody of nib helps in judging the writing quality. In the nib-testing centre, surrounded by absolute silence, experienced professionals test the sound of nibs striking. The melody needs to indicate Montblanc’s quality of experience of an ideal writing sensation. Each edition is packed in an artisan box, which this time is a film-box, a reference to the master of filmmaking.
Made out of devotion and love, the pens, handcrafted at each stage of stamping, shaping, soldering and smoothening, come with a ‘price on request’ tag.
