Classic Century

[kevinm1]

Has Cross decided to essentially marginalize the Classic Century in favor of wide bodied pens? Looks like they are discontinuing the F.P. and rollerballs in Classic Black, Black Lacquer and Chrome. Have not seen or heard of any new introductions soon. Any one can correct me? Have a good day everyone.

[sriramoman]

Is it so? I do find couple of them in their website, though:

 

1. Spire

http://www.cross.com/Search/SearchResults.aspx?Terms=spire

 

2. Classic century (they offer them in couple of finishes)

http://www.cross.com/classic-century-black-lacquer-fountain-pen.aspx

 

May be many of the finishes are unavailable in stock due to popularity, but then the Classic Century pens are the iconic essentials. I doubt if they'd phase them out

[penrivers]

Well. the iconic essential is the century I, the spire and the new " classic century" are just pretenders to be.

[penrivers]

I think Cross China should pick up the flag from the dust and make the revival of the Century I again, after all 20 years later the problem of the wobbling nib must be peace of cake for the new technicians.

[Jerome Tarshis]

What wide-bodied pens? The Townsend is a pretty narrow pen, compared with other companies' pens in our time. The company is still selling the Century II and variations on the same narrow design, such as the Botanica. Only a few years ago it introduced the Spire, which is even narrower than the first Century FP. More recently, the confusingly named Classic Century, which is the Spire under another name and is also too narrow to use normal Cross cartridges or converters. If anything, Cross is going crazy pushing narrowness.

 

It's true that the Peerless 125 is stubbier than those, but at the prices charged for the Peerless 125 it can't make up very much of the company's business.

[Mike 59]

From the recent ranges of Cross pens I bought, I still think the 'Stratford' is 'just right', at least for me, in the overall width, and grip.

It is one of the ranges from Cross that could be bought from shops other than Cross dealers, such as jewellery shops and department stores.

Another ballpoint I bought in 2011 or '12 was the 'Calais', also very comfortable to use, and now I see it is included in the Cross website, ballpoint model only though.

(Photo; T to B; Century 2, Stratford and Calais.)