Montblanc and Wes Anderson Team Up for a Very Big Birthday
Last night, luxury German brand Montblanc feted the 100th birthday of its legendary Meisterstück fountain pen in true L.A. style, with 250 guests at the Paramour Estate in Silver Lake. Front and center at the outdoor dinner was the anniversary campaign, which inspired a short movie by Wes Anderson, who—unusually—starred in it, alongside mates Jason Schwartzman and Rupert Friend.
The anniversary features a collection of limited-edition Meisterstück pens under the Origins banner, which also includes a new line of leather goods created by the house’s artistic director, Marco Tomasetta. The anniversary pen collection offers stylized takes on details gleaned from a century of design innovations — but don’t go thinking they’ll look old-timey or dated. The original Meisterstück from 1924 had an ingenious retractable nib that sealed off the pan against leaks; and it already bore much of the design language still visible on today’s pens, including “4810” engraved on the 18K gold nib, the altitude in meters of Europe’s highest mountain. (For the brand, this was a literal pinnacle to strive for in its production.) The stylized snow cap—an impression of the mountain’s summit viewed from above—was an early signifier for a company that played very early on with modern branding ideas.
Most of the new pen lineup is available now at Montblanc’s website. Not yet available but glimpsed in the short film is the limited-edition Meisterstück pen that Anderson was inspired to design with Montblanc. This, likely to be the most collectible version—especially for Anderson nuts—will appear at retail some time in the next year. Mark your calendar—preferably with a fountain pen.
This story originally appeared on Esquire.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
