A bold new chapter in the history of writing culture was written in 1924 when Montblanc introduced its new writing instrument. The all-black fountain pen was named Meisterstück, “masterpiece” in German, to describe its status as a work of absolute craftsmanship made through the skills of a master. Through a century of continuous use and popularity, the Meisterstück has been perfected to become recognized as a writing icon. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Montblanc has returned to its origins to create the Meisterstück The Origin Collection highlighting its design attributes through the years and even revisiting original concepts from the extensive Montblanc archive that were never brought to life.
“At the peak of the digital age, the Meisterstück continues to be considered a symbol of culture, creativity and connection. It is above all synonymous with the power of handwriting. With this special collection, we are inviting writing enthusiasts and lovers of Montblanc writing culture to come on a journey with us to discover, or rediscover through a new lens the design attributes that have become defining features of the beloved Meisterstück,” says Alessandra Elia, Montblanc Director of Writing Culture.
The Origins of an Original Icon
Regarded as the quintessential writing instrument, the Meisterstück has left an indelible mark on mankind, wielded by many influential individuals who shaped our collective culture and history. Its origins and subsequent success however are perhaps more accidental. It is said that some customers began to request writing instruments for “Sunday-use” – finer tools not meant for everyday use. Unbeknown to them, the craftsmen in the workshops had long been developing such writing instruments as personal projects, one-of-a-kind pieces that exhibited highly advanced craftsmanship and as such they were known as “Meisterstück”.
Through its lifetime, the Meisterstück’s shape has evolved from its simple black safety pen appearance to reflect the influences of different eras, acquiring certain distinctive design attributes along the way that now define its timeless identity crystalized over 50 years ago. The three gold rings were adopted in the late 1940s and 1950s.
The Distinctive Design Details of a New Icon
A specially designed cap ring is also decorated with both the milestone years. In the early days, the name “Meisterstück” was translated into different languages, but as international success grew, the product name became so emblematic that only the original German version was kept. A nod to the importance of its name, the original MEISTERSTÜCK logo is engraved on the side of the cap of every edition.
The bent clip on the edition with a clip drop is an homage to the many different clip versions that existed during the 1920s when clips were not fixed to a writing instrument, but could be chosen by customers from a range of different clips. Inspired by the different marble effects in the early Meisterstück writing instruments, the precious resin of the cap displays an effect reminiscent of dissolving ink that has purposely been adapted to today’s more advanced production techniques. To honour the original sources that inspired the design of the Meisterstück The Origin Collection, each emblem is surrounded by the respective colour of that edition.
Domestic Shipping
The Pleasure of Writing is happy to offer free domestic standard shipping for orders over $150. Orders below $150 will be charged the carrier rate calculated at the checkout. Most orders are shipped within 1 business day. Once your order ships, we will e-mail you a tracking number so you may track it at UPS.com or USPS.com. Please note transit times do not include weekends and holidays and deliveries only occur on business days.
We do offer express shipping. Please note express orders will be shipped out within 1 business day. Transit time begins when the order ships and does not include holidays and weekends. Some products are not able to ship express.
For special shipping or delivery requests please write your request in the comment section or contact us by email or phone.
International Shipping
International shipping is available. We offer DHL standard shipping options at the carrier's rate calculated at the checkout. Once your order ships, we will e-mail you a tracking number so you may track it at DHL.com. Please note transit times do not include weekends and holidays and deliveries only occur on business days.
The recipient will be responsible to pay any duties or taxes.
If you need to update your shipping address please email (info@ThePleasureOfWriting.com) or call us at +1 831-626-8828. We will do our best to update the shipping address if your order has not shipped. If your order has already shipped we will not be able to change the shipping address. If the order is returned to us we can re-ship for an additional shipping charge.
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At The Pleasure of Writing, we hope that you love what you ordered. In the event that you are not satisfied, however, we have policies in places for returns, refunds, and repairs.
Upon receiving your order, be sure to carefully handle and inspect merchandise for any damage or defects; should there be a physical problem with the order, let us know as soon as possible by either calling us at 831-626-8828 or via email at info@thepleasureofwriting.com. The window for notifying us is within 30 days of receipt your order. Return requests received following day will be judged on case-by-case basis and may incur a restocking fee.
At The Pleasure of Writing, we hope that you love what you ordered, but if something is amiss with your order, let us know right away. Upon receiving your shipment, be sure to carefully handle and inspect pens for damage or defect.
Should there be a defect, we will work with you on a solution. In certain cases we can work with the distributor or manufacturer to replace the merchandise, in which case all shipping and handling will be covered. In the event that a refund is wanted for defective items, we will refund 100% of the sale to the payment method.
If the reason for return is based on preference, i.e. you received the item and didn’t like some aspect of it though it is fully functional, we will work with customers on a case-by-case basis to determine the best options. In some cases we may offer either store credit or refunds to payment method less a 15% handling fee (to cover the fees we incur from such returns); either way, we are always happy to work with our clients to help them find exactly the right writing instrument.
Once the necessity of a return has been determined, we will issue a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number, which you should write clearly on the outer box. Return shipping charges will be the responsibility of the customer (except in the case of damage/defect); we recommend shipping via insured ground service with a tracking number.
Returns must be received in their original state, and include all original packaging (warranty papers, cartridges and converters, etc.), and of course if you need to return a product because it is damaged or defective, we will apologize for the inconvenience and make it right.
Note that all returns are at the discretion of The Pleasure of Writing.
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item and the status of your refund; if approved, your agreed-upon refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment within 10 days. Note that some refunds can take time to process depending on banks and credit card companies; if you haven’t received an expected refund, contact your financial institution first.
Note that we are unable to accept returns on any item that came free with another product or was purchased on sale, closeout, or other discounts; additionally, we cannot accept returns on any special-order products that can take many months to prepare, or on pens or nibs that have been modified in any way. Neither can we accept returns on used ink, paper, journals, sealing wax, or other supplies.
Note that we accept inked or dipped fountain pens for return or refund with the 30-day window, but these will incur a 15% fee as we can no longer sell them as new merchandise.
