Today I want to write about one of the masterpieces in fountain pen technology: Montblanc Meisterstück 149. This pen is sometimes called the diplomat pen, as it is famously used by nation leaders, diplomats, ambassadors, business executives, etc. The reason, besides the prominent quality of Montblanc, is the smoothness of its big size Au 750 gold nib — all of those factors are necessary to eliminate unpredictable failure when we sign important documents in big ceremonies in front of cameras etc.
The Meisterstück fountain pen was introduced in 1924 — ten years before the manufacturer rebranded itself as Montblanc Simplo GmbH. The end of the World War II has destroyed all facilities of Montblanc — temporarily it started the productions in Denmark. In 1952, Montblanc introduced Meisterstück 149 fountain pen. This legendary pen became the symbol of writing culture, in an old time when the art of Montblanc is not in colourful designs, but in their perfect blend of style and function instead.
A moment in history was in 1963, when the US President John F. Kennedy offered his Meisterstück 149 to West Germany Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in Köln, to sign a guest book. The pen is easy to recognise: a cigar-shaped big (14.5 cm) black pen, with an iconic white star on the rounded cap end, followed by a gold-plated clip ring which holds the pen clip in place.
