Montblanc (''UK:'' /ˌmɒ̃ˈblɒ̃(k)/, ''US:'' /ˌmɑnˈblɑŋk/) is a German manufacturer and distributer of

luxury goods In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good for which demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a greater proportion of overall spending. Luxury goods are in contrast to n ...

, founded in Berlin in 1906, and currently based in Hamburg. The company is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. Since 1993, Montblanc has been part of the Swiss Richemont group.

History

A Hamburg banker, Alfred Nehemias, and a Berlin engineer, August Eberstein, produced simple pens in 1906. After a short period of time Wilhelm Dziambor, Christian Lausen, and later Claus Johannes Voss took over the business. Their first model was the ''Rouge et Noir'' in 1909 followed in 1910 by the pen that was later to give the company its new name, Montblanc. The Meisterstück name (, the name used for export) was used for the first time in 1924. Today, the Montblanc brand is on other goods besides pens, including watches, jewellery, fragrances, leather goods, and eyewear. The company was founded in 1906 as Simplizissiumus-Füllhalter in Berlin, and in 1907, moved to Hamburg and changed its name to Simplo Filler Pen Co. GmbH; it was incorporated under that name in 1908. Its current name was adopted in 1934. Montblanc was acquired by

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in 1977, following which lower price pens were dropped, and the brand was used on a wide range of luxury goods other than pens. In 1993, Montblanc became part of the Swiss Richemont group. Its sister companies include luxury brands

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, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chloé, and Baume et Mercier. Montblanc is owned, through Richemont, by the South African

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. In October 2014 the first blocking order against trademark infringing consumer goods was passed against the major UK Internet service providers (ISPs) by Montblanc to block several domains selling trademark infringing products.

Products

Montblanc is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. In 2022, the company began collaborating with streetwear brand BAPE and lifestyle brand

Maison Kitsuné Maison Kitsuné is a French-Japanese lifestyle brand founded in 2002 by Gildas Loaëc, Masaya Kuroki, and the London-based company Åbäke. Kitsuné operates as a fashion brand, a record label, an art gallery, and a chain of cafés and restau ...

to broaden its leather goods portfolio and attract a younger audience. CEO Nicolas Baretzki told ''

Vogue Business ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vo ...

'' in 2022 he believes leather goods will become one of the company's biggest categories, possibly even overtaking pens. Montblanc makes several models of pens, with the Meisterstück (fountain pen) representing the cornerstone model. Each is slightly different, however Meisterstück models created after 1990 have a serial number located on the ring at the top of the clip, and under the clip is usually has "Pix" engraved. The barrels of pens made of black 'precious resin' will reveal a reddish hue under strong lighting; if the pen in question does not have these attributes then it is possibly a fake.

Branding

A trademark identified with Montblanc is the white stylized six-pointed snowcap with rounded edges, representative of the Mont Blanc snowcap from above, the symbol being adopted in 1913. The number "4810", the mountain's height in metres, is also a commonly recurring theme. In January 2014, Hugh Jackman was announced as Montblanc's Global Brand Ambassador, outside of the United States. In November 2019, Montblanc launched their partnership with

The Webster The Webster (also known as The Webster Miami) is a luxury multi-brand fashion house operating ten physical boutiques in the U.S. and an online store. The multi-brand boutique sells designer brands ( Balmain, Celine, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Yves ...

for a limited-edition, capsule collection.

Gallery

File:Montblanc pen and watch.jpg, Montblanc Meisterstück 149 with a Longines DolceVita Chronograph. File:Montblanc 149 nibs (DSC02303).jpg, Montblanc Diplomat c. 2006 (left) and Meisterstück 149 (right), c. 1978-1980 File:Montblanc_Fitz.jpg, F. Scott Fitzgerald fountain pen from 2002 in double-broad (BB) nib File:Montblanc_FitzNib.jpg, BB engraving of the Montblanc F. Scott Fitzgerald model, featuring '' The Great Gatsby'' File:MBknoflicky1.jpg, Montblanc Meisterstück cufflinks gold and onyx File:MontblancSilver.jpg, Sterling Silver Montblanc pencil, biro, and black leather case

References

External links