A Closer Look at The Fountain Pen Heritage Rouge et Noir Spider Metamorphosis Limited Edition 19
The Fountain Pen Heritage Rouge et Noir Spider Metamorphosis Limited Edition 1906 was designed to celebrate 110 years of the pioneering spirit of German luxury pen manufacturer, Montblanc… and what a tribute it is. With a long, slim silhouette, an elegant color scheme, exquisite craftsmanship, and an eye-catching design, few pens could match the timeless appeal of this classic creation. Celebrating as it does the long history of Montblanc, a trip through the annals of the brand may first be needed to understand the true significance of this seminal piece.
The Story of Montblanc
Back in 1906, two Germans by the names of August Eberstein and Alfred Nehemias formed a partnership to produce a line of simple but elegant writing pieces. A few years later, their business was acquired by Wilhelm Dziambor, Christian Lausen, and Claus Johannes Voss. This gang of greats took the premise of Eberstein and Nehemias’s business idea and developed it into something truly extradentary. In their hands, the company began churning out such classics as the Rouge et Noir (which, in fact, was the first Montblanc pen to be released to the general market) and the Montblanc fountain pen (the pen which would go on to give the brand its new name). Since those early days, Montblanc has journeyed through the hands of British luxury goods company, Alfred Dunhill, to its present owners, the Richemont Group. Although these days it’s known for churning out all kinds of luxury items, from perfumes to leather goods, from watches to jewelry, from sunglasses to cufflinks, pens (and their accouterments) remain at the beating heart of the Montblanc empire.
The Heritage Collection
The Montblanc Heritage Collection is a celebration of the rich history of the brand, with each of its classic pieces specially chosen to highlight the pioneering spirit and innovative nature that lies at the heart of the brand. As Montblanc itself notes: “the Collection celebrates a rich inheritance in historic design, an ongoing spirit of invention and a devotion to perfectly executed details – a philosophy that continues to shape Montblanc craftsmanship today.”
When it comes to reaching into their back catalog for inspiration, Montblanc has a wealth of items to choose from. That said, when it came time to choose the piece to celebrate 110 years in business, there was really only ever going to be one choice. The Rouge et Noir was the first pen to ever be released by Montblanc, and all these years later, it’s still a stand-out classic. In its original inception, the Rouge et Noir fountain pen was considered revolutionary, offering as it did the opportunity to write without the constant need to dip the nib into an inkwell. In honor of its technical achievement, and in recognition of the role it played in ensuring the early success of the brand, Montblanc created the Fountain Pen Heritage Rouge et Noir Spider Metamorphosis Limited Edition 1906, a limited edition piece that takes the basis of the original creation and reinvents it for the modern-day.
A Closer Look at the Fountain Pen Heritage Rouge et Noir Spider Metamorphosis Limited Edition 1906
The Fountain Pen Heritage Rouge et Noir Spider Metamorphosis Limited Edition 1906 takes the original 1906 model as its basis and goes on to reinvent it for the modern-day. Featuring a longer, slimmer silhouette than the original, the piece has an elegant, timeless appeal that takes it from the ordinary and elevates it to the status of a contemporary classic. Fired by modern piston filler technology, the pen is a calligrapher’s dream, while Its weight of just 61.4g makes it lightweight enough to be as easy on the hand as it is on the eye.
Both the cap of the pen and its barrel are crafted from Ag 925 sterling silver, finished in black and overlaid with an intricate silver spider’s web design. Elsewhere, we see a continuation of the arachnid theme with a vintage clip designed to evoke the idea of a spider at the heart of its web. To represent the spider’s eyes, we have two gleaming, coral-colored stones. The spider has a long tradition with Montblanc, who note: “the spider as a metaphor can be traced back as Ovid and the tale of the metamorphosis of Arachne”. As Girl Rocket Moon also notes, the spider has traditionally been seen as a symbol of mystery and creativity, and has often been used to represent the idea of a writer “spinning a web of words”.
To accompany the release of the limited edition piece (which, as you may have guessed if you have any prior knowledge of Montblanc’s habit of assigning significance to production numbers, was limited to just 1906 pieces in tribute to the year of the brand’s inception), Montblanc issued a range of special inks and refills in a new hue of grey to further invoke the idea of a spider’s web. Additional accompaniments included a black saffiano leather notebook (which continued the theme with a collection of black floqué spiders littering its cover), and an adult coloring book focusing on two of the most significant animals in Montblanc’s 110-year history: the serpent and (you guessed it) the spider.
The Details
For those interested in the details, Montblanc, has been kind enough to provide them:
- Clip: Spider vintage clip with red-colored stones for eyes
- Barrel: Ag 925 Sterling Silver
- Cap: Ag 925 sterling silver
- Nib: Au 750 gold nib with special embossing
- Type: Fountain Pen
- Weight (G): 61.4
- Type: Fountain Pen
- Refills: Montblanc Ink
Oyster Gray, Toffee Brown, Mystery Black, Royal blue, Lavender Purple, Burgundy Red, Irish Green, Permanent Black, Permanent Blue, Midnight Blue, Corn Poppy Red, Dark saffron, Psychedelic purple, Pourpre, Violet de Cobalt, Azure, Emerald Green, Orange, Gray, Blue, Red, Yellow, Plume, Light Brown, Dark Gray, Dark Orange, Bright Green, Pink, Brown, Burgundy Red, Modena Red, Cool Gray, Manganese Orange, Petrol Blue, Maya Blue, Chinese Blue, Egyptian Blue, Lapis Lazuli, Ultramarine, Khaki, Blue, Turquoise, Amethyst Purple, Pop Pink
Refill type: Montblanc Heritage Collection
