Montblanc Noblesse Oblige

[jslallar]

MONTBLANC NOBLESSE OBLIGE:

 

I wanted to read more about the Montblanc Noblesse Oblige, but found to my surprise that there was no review available. So here is an attempt at it for future references.

History: Montblanc ventured into the cheaper pen market in 70s and 80s, starting with the Slimlines, and then Noblesse versions. Noblesse Oblige was marketed in mid 90s to the best of my knowledge and production stopped in 2004 when Montblanc decided to be a luxury brand only company. The design was probably made by the Aurora, after its Hastil design , for Montblanc.

 

1. Appearance & Design (10-10) – A rather modern looking pen. It looks like a long thin pen at the first glance. Capped it has a straight appearance, but on second look it is a bit thicker in the middle, with slightly tapering from the cap lip toward both ends, more so toward the barrel end. The cap top flays a bit outward, with a dome shaped top displaying the Montblanc logo. The accents are Golden in colour (Platinum plated appointments were also made for some pens), the cap top band being 3 mm, cap lip band about 4 mm and the band at the barrel base is 2 mm. The cap lip band has MONTBLANC - NOBLESSE OBLIGE etched into it. The base of the barrel is flat and black. The pen that I have is plastic and Royal Blue in colour, but other colours are available, I have seen Burgundy, green, Olive, and Black. These pens are very light in weight and I was surprised how light they were the first time I held one in my hand. It also comes in Gold and Silver finishes, which make it somewhat heavier than the plastic version. The clip design is unusual in that instead of a solid metal bar it has two parallel bars running down from the top, to the clip bottom. This gives the pen a very modern eye catching look. Overall I am not very impressed with the plastic versions and will sell off mine soon. But the Gold pen I am willing to buy.

 

For more details and model numbers etc look at: http://www.angelfire...y_of_index.html

 

2. Construction & Quality (8-10) – As mentioned above the pen feel very light, but not flimsy. I would not worry about a small drop, or the cap slipping down from the desk, but you do need to take care, afterall, this is a Montblanc. The gold (and probably silver too I think) models feel more hefty, and more resistant to small abuse. In all the pens I have seen, new and used, the cap tends to snap on lightly to the barrel when capping, but it holds securely and does not fall off (I have carried the pen in my shirt pocket for a while). Still it leaves you wanting for a more secure and firmer 'click' when capping, if you know what I mean.

 

3. Weight & Dimensions (9-10) –

 

1. Width: Cap Lip = 1.1 mm, Cap top = 9.5 mm, Barrel lower end = 8.8 mm. I do not have a caliper, these are visual measurements with a ruler.

 

2. Length: Capped = 14.3 cm (5 5/8 inches), Uncapped = 12.2 cm (5 1/8 inches), Posted = 16.2 cm (6 ½ inches).

 

3. The grip tapers down from 9 mm to 7 mm.

 

4. It is a very light pen for its size weighing only __ gms.

 

It is a rather long, medium width, light weight pen. Comparing to my Cross Townsend, the length is ¼ inch shorter capped, equal uncapped, and ¼ inch longer posted. The cap post well, and the weight and balance are not significantly altered by posting the cap on the plastic version. The Gold version does tend to become slightly back heavy posted, but does not alter the balance to make it unwieldy.

 

4. Nib & Performance (8.5-10) – Mine is a M nib, but they came in all sizes from F to BB. The nibs are monotone 14K gold, friction fit, and rather boring. Nothing catches the eye. It is a smooth writer, and rather on the wetter side. I would give it a 6.5/10 for wetness. The performance is flawless, and it never fails to start, irrespective of the ink (I tried Pelikan blue and turquoise, and Cross black) and on at least four different paper grades.

 

5. Filling System & Maintenance (8.5-10) - Filling system of this pen is Montblanc (standard International equivalent) cartridge / converter. My pen did not come with a Montblanc converter when I bought it from the eBay. I had a spare Pelikan converter, and it fit like it was made for this pen. I find C / C systems boring especially if I am paying more than a $100 bucks for a pen, so I cannot give full marks here. But it is a very practical system, clean and easy to use.

 

6. Cost & Value (8-10) – I bought this pen from the eBay for $132, and after postage it cost me $147,5 delivered. For a used pen this would be the higher end of the spectrum. I wanted one dearly to try it out, so I might have over paid a bit. N my opinion $20 - 30 less would be a better price. I have seen new pens being sold at the eBay for $449, and in Dubai a few months ago I was shown NOS pens at a Montblanc Boutique being sold for 1400 Dirhams (roughly $388). I would not recommend $250 plus for a NOS pen if you can have a used one in pretty good condition for $ 100 – 150. At this price the pen is worth the money you spend but the NOS prices are in my opinion too high for the pen.

 

7. Conclusion (Final score, 52/60) – Overall a long, medium width pen which feels thinner than its diameter probably due to its lighter weight. The plastic version has not impressed me too much, and I have my pen for sale on the eBay as I write this review. But having said that, the gold version has a heavier feel (I like heavy pens), and I would buy a used Gold pen preferably in B or BB if I could find one, and would pay up to $200 for that.

Edited December 11, 2011 by jslallar

[MR. PEN MAN]

Great review.

i had the stainless steel version from around late 80's and it wrote great but i have since loss it.

i did see a gold version on here a while back but i think it ha minor nick so i passed on it, but someone brought it.

[SamCapote]

I love this pen too. Writes so well. This was my very first introduction many years ago wanting to get a decent FP, but still on a student's budget.

 

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/nb2.jpg

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/nb1.jpg

[jbn10161]

FWIW, the model is Noblesse. "Noblesse oblige" is something altogether different.

 

The appearance (slim, unadorned, modern, rectilinear, flat ends) is typical of new pen designs from the 1970s-1980s. I think I purchased mine new in the late 80s. It strikes me as supremely unlikely that Aurora would have made the pen for Mont Blanc, as the OP suggested. Is there any evidence for that?

[jslallar]

Dear jbn10161

 

MB outsourcing to Aurora?

 

I agree I too did not beleive it at first but I have the following references for you, including PenHero, which is quite authoritative IMHO:

 

http://www.rickconne...c.noblesse.html

 

http://www.penhero.c...ancSlimline.htm

 

http://www.fountainp...g-to-montblanc/

 

the last was published in the FPN itself and remained unchallenged .....

 

Edited to add:

Oh Me! I get it now. You meant that the Slimline was made by Aurora and not the Noblesse Oblige, whereas my review seems to imply that irt was the later. I agree you are right and I should have made it clear that I was talking of the line of pens and not this model.

Edited December 13, 2011 by jslallar

[Jerome Tarshis]

No, no, no. The Noblesse and the Noblesse Oblige were not either designed or made by Aurora. What was made by Aurora, and it is only one pen model, was one of the VIP series. That pen is identical to the Hastil except that it carried MB branding.

 

Junaid, with whom I share much of my taste in pens, seems not to have read with any precision the sources he cites. Rick Conner says, with what I believe to be a sense of nice distinction, that after the pen made by Aurora, MB designed its own.

 

He doesn't quite say that MB manufactured the pens in question. In the FPN Montblanc forum there has been a certain amount of discussion about whose factory made various lower-priced Montblanc pens. For the Noblesse and the later (not earlier) SlimLine pens, and also the Carrera and one or two others, Mutschler seems to be a plausible candidate. It isn't the only smaller German pen manufacturer that might have done the work for Montblanc.

 

Dunhill sold pens similar to the Noblesse or the SlimLine in its GemLine series. They are sometimes said in eBay advertising and elsewhere to have been made by Montblanc for Dunhill, especially since Dunhill had acquired Montblanc by the late 1970s, but "made by" is arguably inexact. "Made for" may be the right way to say it. And except for that VIP model (there was more than one VIP, I have been given to understand; one lives and learns) Aurora had nothing to do with it, except for having manufactured what was in the third quarter of the 20th century an extremely influential pen, the Hastil.

[goldenkrishna]

Hello jslallar,

 

Thanks for this comprehensive review and thanks to the other members for the informative contributions.

 

With love,

goldenkrishna

[jslallar]

<br />No, no, no. The Noblesse and the Noblesse Oblige were not either designed or made by Aurora. What was made by Aurora, and it is only one pen model, was one of the VIP series. That pen is identical to the Hastil except that it carried MB branding.<br /><br />Junaid, with whom I share much of my taste in pens, seems not to have read with any precision the sources he cites. Rick Conner says, with what I believe to be a sense of nice distinction, that after the pen made by Aurora, MB designed its own. <br /><br />He doesn't quite say that MB manufactured the pens in question. In the FPN Montblanc forum there has been a certain amount of discussion about whose factory made various lower-priced Montblanc pens. For the Noblesse and the later (not earlier) SlimLine pens, and also the Carrera and one or two others, Mutschler seems to be a plausible candidate. It isn't the only smaller German pen manufacturer that might have done the work for Montblanc. <br /><br />Dunhill sold pens similar to the Noblesse or the SlimLine in its GemLine series. They are sometimes said in eBay advertising and elsewhere to have been made by Montblanc for Dunhill, especially since Dunhill had acquired Montblanc by the late 1970s, but "made by" is arguably inexact. "Made for" may be the right way to say it. And except for that VIP model (there was more than one VIP, I have been given to understand; one lives and learns) Aurora had nothing to do with it, except for having manufactured what was in the third quarter of the 20th century an extremely influential pen, the Hastil.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

 

Thanks Jerome Tarshis,

 

You seem to have had the better of me. What I meant was (at least TTBOMK) that the pen was designed for

MB by Aurora, produced by MB's own production machinery. I thought it was the first generation Noblesse

which was so designed, but you have made it clear now how the design process evolved for the slim MB lines

in 80s.

 

If I am not mistaken Mutschler is a sister enterprise to the Bock, or at least was owned by (or erected initially

by) brothers. They are one of the German nib manufacturers still. Your comments solicited to unravel the

details please.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Junaid

Edited December 6, 2012 by jslallar

[Croma]

Hello:

The Noblesse line by Montblanc are my favorites pens. I'd like know if exist any dating report about that model. I had seen several generations and variations from Hastil (Aurora model is the first) to Noblesse Obligue (MB end of slim series). Has anybody complete information about this?

Thank's

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Yes, in early times, there was a Hastil made for MB with MB branding. Later on, there was a pen made by Mutschler for MB. Mutshler is also responsible for the Turbo, Carrera, and Caressa. Later the pen was made by MB.

 

Dillon

[Brendanf]

I love this pen too. Writes so well. This was my very first introduction many years ago wanting to get a decent FP, but still on a student's budget.

 

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/nb2.jpg

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/nb1.jpg

 

My first day on this forum and I'm on a learning curve.I have the fountain pen above with the converter and 750 18K/C nib. Mine has the solid metal clip design above rather than the recessed/parallel clip. It does not have the words Mont Blanc Noblesse on the ring on the pen top which I have seen on others. It's difficult to see from the pictures above whether the words Mont Blanc Noblesse are on the pen top ring.

 

Is mine a fake?

[MrVisconti]

This review is exactly why I love the FPN. Thanks very much for taking the tme and trouble to write it jslallar.

 

I've just bought 3 MB's from a friend who is decluttering their house. However, we were struggling with the price for the two Noblesse Oblige pens (one a fountain and the other a rollerball). This has really helped and I'm happy to say that, based on the costs you've given here, I think I've paid a fair but not excessive price. Thanks.

Edited January 3, 2015 by MrVisconti

[Bo Bo Olson]

I won a Noblesse, that polished up a little better than this picture, plated silver top. All the pens have an 18 k nib, the Noblesse and the C d"A are nails, so won't get used. The others all have 1990 era springy regular flex nibs.

I only added this picture in there are none now shown, and perhaps someone needs a look at it. The blood red marbled body polished into a nice classy finish.