Cartier Roadster Fountain Pen Review

[musicman123]

This review is also live on my blog at Inks and Pens so please check it out there!

 

(This pen was loaned to me free-of-charge for review by my good friend Wendy. The opinions below are completely mine.)

 

Many of you readers have heard of Cartier before undoubtably. Cartier makes a bunch of luxury jewelry that would cost both arms, legs, kidneys, and probably eyes. However, unknown to most, they also make quite a few luxury pens with a bunch of different styles. Luckily, those only cost about one arm.

The Cartier Roadster line itself is quite extensive, taking inspiration from classic cars of days long past, notably the Roadster type cars. The pen is available in a bunch of different trims, finishes, materials, and color stones. The one I have is finished with palladium on all metal parts and features a calf-skin lined pen barrel. The top of the pen features a black onyx cabochon.

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/08/IMG_5052.jpg

The pen comes in a beautiful red Cartier box. The box is not only hefty, but also lined with a leather(-like?) material. The box also features a nifty gold-colored hinge protecting the box from opening accidentally. I find the striking gold accents an amazing match for the deep red of the box. This is one of the most amazing clamshell pen boxes I'm seen so far.

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/08/IMG_5049.jpg

The box opens to reveal the stunning pen sitting in the felt-lined interior secured another fabric strap. Almost immediately, you are drawn to the etched palladium plated cap with its bunch of flashy dots. It's a pretty stark contrast to the rest of the body which is lined with a monotone calf-skin leather.

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/08/IMG_5051.jpg

On the very top of the cap, you get to see a large dome-shaped black onyx cabochon. For those not versed in gemology, a "cabochon" is a stone that is polished and smoothed as opposed to being cut (faceted). Cutting "en cabochon" is normally done on opaque stones such as onyx, agate, and moonstone. Well, that's your daily gemology lesson! The finial is also nicely etched with grooves along the circle as an extra fancy touch.

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/08/IMG_5055.jpg

The next part below the cap is the barrel (woah!). This is one of the very few pens that dare to line the barrel completely with leather. The Roadster features very soft calf-skin leather and feels amazing in the hand. The grain on the leather is very unique and provides good contrast against the blank metal (palladium plated) end finial.

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/08/IMG_5058.jpg

This pen has a metal section which I know many people have trouble with. This section may be a bit of trouble, considering that it tapers down at about a 5° angle. The grip does not really flare back out at the end, possibly causing a bit of a slipping issue. Also, the threads of the pen are directly cut on the metal section and have a sizable step between the barrel and section. The threads are not very sharp, but can still be bothersome for some people.

The nib is made of rhodium over solid 18k (750) gold. The nib overs a bit of spring and is quite smooth. The nib is quite wet, but still very controlled. Wendy told me that the pen was only available in a Medium nib, but I was not able to personally confirm this.

http://www.inksandpens.com/content/images/2015/08/IMG_5057.jpg

The pen fills with a standard international cartridge (both long and short) or a standard international converter. However, Cartier did not bother to include a converter for the pen. They did throw in a nice box of cartridges though, so I guess that's what they want you to stick to? Any standard converter should fit the pen perfectly fine though, so you are not limited there.

For the boring measurements, this pen comes in at 6" (15.24cm) capped, 5.25" (13.33cm) uncapped, and 6.25" (15.87cm) posted. This pen is quite a normal length and is not very hefty. It weighs 1.87oz (53g) capped/posted and 0.99oz (28g) uncapped. I find this pen to be quite comfortable in my larger-sized hands.

The pen is available for $1395 from some online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. This pen is not limited edition, so you have some time to pick it up.

Edited August 26, 2015 by musicman123

[visvamitra]

To be honest I sincerily dislike the desigh and when I read about the price, wow, that's pretty crazy

[fly_us]

To be honest I sincerily dislike the desigh and when I read about the price, wow, that's pretty crazy

 

It is a Cartier, i know there are people buy it because of that price tag only .

[musicman123]

 

It is a Cartier, i know there are people buy it because of that price tag only .

Ditto. The price tag is pretty much for the brand.

[Barkingpig]

Ditto. The price tag is pretty much for the brand.

Which is surely true about any pen that is beyond a certain price point. I don't want a Pilot Metro but it is surely a well made pen, from a well respected maker & sells for $15. BUT I have been quite happy to pay more for all of my pens & many decisions were made upon the brand of said pen.

 

The same is true of almost anything that is offered for sale from clothing to even food. My Mother used to laugh about an employee who complained that his wife was always out of basic groceries for their family before his paycheck each week & yet would ONLY purchase Del Monte branded canned goods! This was in the early 1950's & she REFUSED to try the lesser priced store brands available (Ann Page, etc.) yet didn't have enough budget to allow for a full week's groceries for her family of four. Some people "believe" & trust a "brand" more than others.

[max dog]

Thanks for the review. Nice looking pen and presentation box.

Good to see Cartier foraying into luxury pens to go with their watches. Why not as Montblanc and Cross make watches to go with their pens .

[Xozzen]

I think Cartier has more beautiful roadster models, and also some other lines of pens. That's all a matter of taste though.

 

Thank you for reviewing this pen, it's kind of hard to find reviews on cartier pens.

[Gloucesterman]

Thanks for the review.

 

Noticed that at 53 grams the pen weighs almost 1/10 of a pound (not Sterling). That seems pretty hefty for a regularly used pen. perhaps the cost is based on $750./ ounce?

[Keyless Works]

Beautiful pen...if only it didn't have a metal section. Thank you for the review. I received a Cartier Pasha several years ago as a gift and I really like it...Cartier really makes some nice pens...and interesting ones too:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I-tPEAlmEv8/UJayuI0sz1I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/ObGfZAEMh38/s1600/IMG_3878.JPG