Celebrating An Icon: The Rich History Of Montblanc’s Meisterstück

Since its creation exactly a century ago, Montblanc’s Meisterstück has become one of the most sought-after writing instruments in the world – a companion to visionaries, dreamers, and achievers. At Montblanc Haus in Hamburg, in direct proximity to the brand’s headquarters, visitors have a rare opportunity to rediscover the power of writing.

To fully appreciate the illustrious 100-year history of Montblanc’s Meisterstück is to start at the very beginning – the vision to create tool that would revolutionise the art of writing. Inspired by the mechanical innovations he witnessed during his travels to the USA, German technician August Eberstein teamed up with Hamburg merchant Alfred Nehemias and entrepreneur Claus Johannes Voss to bring his pioneering idea to life. Together, they produced a line of writing instruments with non-leaking technology that would change the course of writing history forever, thus laying the foundations for Montblanc.

Originally trading as the ‘Simplo Filler Pen Co’, the business created an early premium-quality writing instrument named ‘Rouge et Noir’ around 1908. Following the sudden death of Nehemias and Eberstein’s departure from the company, Voss gathered put a new team together with Christian Lausen and Whilhelm Dziambor.

In 1910, the name ‘Montblanc’ was introduced, first as a collection title and later adopted as the name of the growing company in 1934 – inspired by the highest mountain in Europe that would come to symbolise the founders’ vision of excellence and their pursuit of performance, innovation, and fine craftsmanship. The six-point white star, representing the six snow-covered glaciers of the majestic mountain, would become the company’s emblem, and has been featured on every Montblanc writing instrument ever since.

A passion for innovation and the pursuit of excellence have been driving forces for Montblanc as it extended its approach to craftsmanship beyond writing instruments to other areas. Whether watchmaking, jewellery, accessories or leather goods, each new product combines technical innovation with meaningful functionality and a distinctive expression of style. Montblanc is now recognised for its comprehensive fine European craftsmanship offering, having manufactures in each specialist country – Germany for writing instruments, Italy for leather goods, and Switzerland for watchmaking.

The epitome of this balance of form and function is the Meisterstück, a masterpiece of precision craftsmanship. First introduced in 1924 and hailed as an icon of style and design, the fountain pen’s nib was engraved with the number ‘4810’ from 1930 onwards, another reference to Mont Blanc and its height, underscoring the maison’s drive to achieve new heights with every one of its product innovations.

The commitment, dedication and detailed work that goes into crafting every piece ensures Montblanc delivers timeless designs – lifelong companions that can be passed on from one generation to the next.

Today, inside the Hamburg manufacture, the maison’s artisans continue to combine traditional craftsmanship, precision and modern production techniques to create aspirational collections. Every nib, the very heart and soul of every Montblanc fountain pen, is hand-sculpted from precious 14K or 18K gold bands by master craftsmen who oversee up to 35 skilled steps before an additional 70 steps are completed to assemble and further test the Meisterstück before it is released.

First, contour lines are applied to the gold band using a special rolling process to guarantee the gold nib keeps an unchanging form while still remaining elastic and flexible. The rolling system works to an accuracy of a few thousandths of a millimetre and is constantly monitored with a precise measuring system, as this level of precision cannot be seen by the naked eye. Next, the heart hole, window openings in the shaft area and the basic form of the nib blank are stamped out.

A hydraulic press capable of 25 tons of pressure gives the future gold nib its inimitable design. The stamped nib blank is then die-forged into its final rounded shape. As well as dimensional accuracy, the formation of the stamp image and the distribution of pressure are very important. After the pressing stage, the gold nib is far stronger and the surface looks polished. In order to guarantee a lifelong consistent writing experience, an iridium ball is welded to the nib with exact alignment. Using a rotating, wafer-thin diamond disc, the nib is cut centrally from the point to the heart hole – a slit of 0.1mm.

After the nib is ground on the outer area of the iridium point, it still has sharp edges and would scratch on the paper and have a jagged feel if used. As such, both the inner sides of the iridium writing point must be rounded off. Using a powerful loupe to ensure the polishing discs don’t accidentally diminish the nib’s embossing, the gold nib is polished to a bright shine. Using special pliers, the nib tip halves are placed precisely alongside one another to define the pressure slit exactly so that the nib writes gently and softly.

In addition to the way the instrument feels when writing, a good ear plays an important role in this meticulous process: the nib tester listens attentively to the sound each nib makes as it glides over the paper. Only nibs that do not scratch or snag, and thus generate a continuous sound, will pass the special quality inspection.

At the heart of Montblanc’s writing instruments manufacture in Hamburg lies the Artisan Atelier, where artistic writing instruments like no other in the world are conceived by Montblanc’s designers and fashioned by the skilled hands of experienced craftsmen, including a team of master goldsmiths and stone setters. Countless meticulous steps are involved in the process, using only rare materials from platinum and solid gold, special wood or precious stones to create writing instruments with a limitation below 100, such as selected lines from the Master of Art, Writers Edition, Great Characters or the High Artistry collections.

With passion and dedication, Montblanc continues to manufacture pieces that are part of the maison’s rich heritage, and deliver these exceptional designs and the surprising innovations that maintain the company’s status as one of the pioneers of writing culture. A walk-through of the manufacture facility is an impressive affirmation of what goes into the creation of every Meisterstück writing instrument – the craftsmanship, level of detailed hand work, and meticulous steps that are involved.

Equally impressive is the exhibition space that traces the evolution of this icon – from artworks scattered about, creative installations, original handwritings of luminaries such as Ernest Hemingway, Frida Kahlo or Jackie Chan, and over 410 Montblanc writing instruments. The latter includes the full gamut from historical fountain pens to the most recent models. It’s a 360-degree immersive experience that leaves one in awe and inspired at the same time.