Jump to content

Montblanc Restock Times (Specifically Calligraphy Flex)


loganrah

Recommended Posts

So I ordered my first Montblanc at the end of November last year through La Couronne du Comte (Black Friday sales): a 149 Calligraphy Flex.

 

Unfortunately, I apparently missed out on the last one they had in stock. I said I was happy to wait since this is a grail pen for me, but I am getting a little impatient. I've been in contact with LCDC a couple of times and they say that Montblanc won't give them any specific time when the pens will be back in stock (though they are supposed to be getting some).

There seem to be a few people lurking around this forum who have very good information, so I'm just wondering if anyone knows anything about how long Montblanc usually takes to restock pens when they sell out? Is it normal to wait a couple of months? More?

Of course, if you've got specific information on the production of the 149 Calligraphy Flex that you are allowed to share that would be awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 19
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Michael R.

    3

  • sebastel23

    3

  • loganrah

    3

  • evko

    3

It depends on how many pens MB has on stock themselves, and whether there is high demand.

 

I recently asked for a Meisterstück Traveller, and according to my B&M shop, they are not on stock at MB currently. They are even currently not in the production plan, that means, I would have to wait at least for several months. My personal gut feeling was, that the number of months I was told (3) was only vapour info to keep customers interested/comitted. The actual delivery time might get much longer, but that is something no one will dare to openly tell.

 

It will be worth the wait!

 

Cheers,

sebastian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently asked for a Meisterstück Traveller, and according to my B&M shop, they are not on stock at MB currently. They are even currently not in the production plan, that means, I would have to wait at least for several months. My personal gut feeling was, that the number of months I was told (3) was only vapour info to keep customers interested/comitted. The actual delivery time might get much longer, but that is something no one will dare to openly tell.

Credit to LCDC that they haven't made any promises. When I agreed to wait they were very clear that they did not know when MB would send them more pens and that it could be a while.

 

I guess I'm just being hopeful: I've very excited about the pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got mine in December from an Italian dealer on eBay - the price was good too. He had several of them on sale back then. I checked right now and there is none from this dealer. There are a couple from Japan for really high prices and then there is the Gold Leaf one for a much higher price too. My understanding is that the calligraphy nib never even made it to the US Montblanc (correct me if I am wrong). Why would Montblanc not have enough supply for a pen which is in such high demand?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would Montblanc not have enough supply for a pen which is in such high demand?

Seriously, you want The Truth? :)

 

It's a manufactured Luxury good. (feel free to Emphasise whichever word you choose)

 

Make your subjects wait... especially the first world ones who feel entitled they cannot be denied the right to buy everything they wish on day 1. :P

 

Works for Hermes. Works for our Swiss watch friends. MontBlanc would just be following marketing footsteps of their compatriots at Porsche and Mercedes... :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the problem lies with the bottleneck that an online discounter is facing when a popular new product is heavily discounted. Imagine the hyper salivation and subsequent riot that will occur if say a Rolex or an AP AD offers a Black Friday discount to their stainless steel "sports" line. But back to MB, I think if the OP walked into his / her local MB AD in Australia or hopped over to Singapore, there are plenty to be found in various B&M shops with or without small discounts; but not likely with generous Black Friday discounts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the problem lies with the bottleneck that an online discounter is facing when a popular new product is heavily discounted. Imagine the hyper salivation and subsequent riot that will occur if say a Rolex or an AP AD offers a Black Friday discount to their stainless steel "sports" line. But back to MB, I think if the OP walked into his / her local MB AD in Australia or hopped over to Singapore, there are plenty to be found in various B&M shops with or without small discounts; but not likely with generous Black Friday discounts.

Nah. By chance got to touch a goldleaf flex last Nov (think it came from Compte first batch) and haven't seen another since. Was in Singapore too and nothing in stock there, everyone's supposedly sitting on a long waiting list... I'm getting impression you'll have more luck finding a BLNR :P

 

Common theme I'm getting told is the holdup is the poor guy grinding each nib by hand. (But aren't every nib hand made?) Meh, whatever... I'm not that into their kool aid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although it is not of much help for you in the other part of the world: the flagship store in Hamburg is loaded with both versions (149 and gold leaf) of the flex nib. They even have the Maki-e LE 88 with flex nib for sale on display.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the normal restock time for an authorised dealer is around two months. I ordered a Solitaire Serpent LE1906 from a Spanish dealer few months ago and was kindly asked to wait for at least eight weeks before the piece arrived at their boutique. I received the pen on the ninth week after placing the order. The problem with LCDC is that the availability of each and every pen and accessory is not shown on their website. The experience I had with them was, if something wasn’t in stock, it would be on backorder and most frustrating was, the waiting time seemed like an eternity. Nonetheless, the 149 Calligraphy, in my honest opinions, could be restocked quicker than expected because the pen is sold like hot cakes to such an extent that Montblanc is going to launch another special nib, namely curved nib on this September.

 

 

Nah. By chance got to touch a goldleaf flex last Nov (think it came from Compte first batch) and haven't seen another since. Was in Singapore too and nothing in stock there, everyone's supposedly sitting on a long waiting list... I'm getting impression you'll have more luck finding a BLNR :P

Common theme I'm getting told is the holdup is the poor guy grinding each nib by hand. (But aren't every nib hand made?) Meh, whatever... I'm not that into their kool aid.

 

Handmade nib? That gave me a good chuckle. :roller1: Then what’s the purpose of them having a bespoke nib programme which costs about €1400?

 

 

Although it is not of much help for you in the other part of the world: the flagship store in Hamburg is loaded with both versions (149 and gold leaf) of the flex nib. They even have the Maki-e LE 88 with flex nib for sale on display.

 

The same in Maximilianstraße München. I don’t think the LE88 is highly sought after though.

Edited by ljz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seriously, you want The Truth? :)

 

It's a manufactured Luxury good. (feel free to Emphasise whichever word you choose)

 

Make your subjects wait... especially the first world ones who feel entitled they cannot be denied the right to buy everything they wish on day 1. :P

 

Works for Hermes. Works for our Swiss watch friends. MontBlanc would just be following marketing footsteps of their compatriots at Porsche and Mercedes... :D

That may be the truth but not the reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes you think a lot about a new pen specially in the high end and we don't know how high is the demand for that particular pen. The pen companies can't be sure about the future sales of a new pen or in this case nib so they will not make a number of items without any knowledge of the market. Both reason can make someone to wait in line for certain pens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Is there any difference between the Gold Leaf version and the 149 one other than the decoration? How about the price?

The Weight is very different.

 

149 is pretty much a standard 149 with a special nib.

 

the gold leaf is based on the 146 size and shape, but metallic cap and Barrel (Brass maybe?) so its much heavier than the 149. I like the heft.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just received notice that the pen is in stock and shipping tomorrow. So a total wait of just under 3 months. Given the price I got the pen for I'm not unhappy. But I will be happy when it is in my hands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

keep my fingers crossed for you. in the meantime, i was lucky on the 'bay with an EF chopin.

 

cheers,

s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

Announcements


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...