Some years ago I bought a new Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 149. The pen was cared for and used daily but after about 2 years a hair line crack appeared below the screw thread. I returned the pen to Alfred Dunhill in London who were UK Mont Blanc distributors They informed me that the pen was out of guarantee and a replacement would be chargeable. I stopped using it but was very dissapointed and somewhat agreived, however a friend suggested that I might submit a claim on my house insurance which I did and sure enough they paid out.
I used the money to buy another Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 149 and guess what, within a couple of years a hair line crack appeared in this one. I duly returned it to Mont Blanc in London who also informed me that the pen was no longer covered by the guarantee but as a gesture of good will they would replace the barrel (Big Deal). I had also included in the return parcel a Mont Blanc Meistersuck pencil which I had purchaced when I bought my second pen as the mechanism had started to malfunctioned.
I was not impressed with the performance of either item and speaking to someone with knowledge of such matters I was informed that MB were experiencing barrel cracking problems. Of this I cannot comment but my confidence in that brand was destroyed which is a shame as I believe the design of the Meisterstuck range to be truly iconic
Regards Kenneth