Mechanical Fountain Pen Priced At A $105,000

[flummoxed]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-21/richard-mille-made-a-105-000-mechanical-fountain-pen

 

From the article:

The body is made of a dark gray NTPT carbon, a special composite that’s lightweight, strong, and has a distinctive surface pattern reminiscent of Damascus steel. Inside the sapphire container at the top is the movement for controlling the nib. It’s made mostly of titanium and has 12 jewels to keep the rhodium-plated gears moving smoothly. The whole thing is finished by hand to the same specifications as Richard Mille’s watch movements.

 

The mechanical system itself is based on that of a minute repeater. You hit the button, and a system of gears and springs slowly transfers energy at a constant rate to send the nib sliding out of the front of the barrel. Instead of giving it an external winding system that would require a small bit of human labor, Richard Mille engineered the winding mechanism into the barrel of the pen itself; putting the cap on sends the nib back into its home, generating enough energy for the next deployment. It’s a deceivingly complex solution to a difficult problem you’ve never thought about.

 

 

[usk15]

Weird, expensive and useless gadget.

I like it!

[Flounder]

Well, it's certainly unique! Interesting read, thank you for posting that link!

[TSherbs]

This $ is what I paid for my house.

[zwack]

So, it is nice art, but what about the filling mechanism? I am guessing that it is a cartridge pen. and no chance of using a converter as the barrel is taken up with the mechanics.

[flummoxed]

No idea, I posted it here hoping that someone here would be able to elaborate about the nib mechanism. Aren't there other capless FPs which don't need this fancy mechanism? Isn't a simple shut-off valve good enough?

[Highbinder]

So, it is nice art, but what about the filling mechanism? I am guessing that it is a cartridge pen. and no chance of using a converter as the barrel is taken up with the mechanics.

 

 

Oh you think this pen is actually for writing? How quaint This is a feat of engineering and a status symbol and nothing more, you can hardly expect them to consider how it'll write, surely!

[dcwaites]

Just chuck in one of those cheapy cartridges you bought for $5 for 100. She'll be right, mate.

[vorpal]

Does it come in any other color? I already have a gray pen.

[zwack]

No idea, I posted it here hoping that someone here would be able to elaborate about the nib mechanism. Aren't there other capless FPs which don't need this fancy mechanism? Isn't a simple shut-off valve good enough?

But it isn't even capless... You have to put the cap on to retract the nib and wind the pen... I wonder if you can even post it...

[J85909266]

It's beautiful. It makes no sense, at all. But beautiful.

[inkstainedruth]

This $ is what I paid for my house.

 

It's nearly double what I paid for my first house.

It might be an amusing gadget if you had money to burn. But I don't like overlarge and/or heavy pens. And it wasn't really clear how it filled (admittedly I just skimmed the article, but it sounded a bit like a really expensive Vanishing Point....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ink Blotto]

I have so much money, I only write with one of these filled with Bay State Blue or Parker Supechrome.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Since the price removes even a theoretical possibility that I might buy one, it's possible just to admit that the concept is interesting. I've seen retractable fountain pens that take caps, but where the nib retreats into the body first. I even have a cheap one, the Stypen Up. This is a new twist, though.

 

Various technical questions about the details, but it would be interesting to see a video of it in operation.

 

If you were a twenty-second century fountain pen collector, imagine what it would take to get this one restored.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ISW_Kaputnik

[tmcneil82]

Dang, and I juuuuuust missed the recent powerball.

[J85909266]

The price is tops stupid. I don't even get it.

 

You can get an incredible watch with movement like that for around 5 to 10K, which is still outrageous. Why does it cost 10 times that in a pen?

[johnsi02]

Several wondered if it's a cartridge pen. According to the article linked below, "the developers even created an ingenious way to remove the ink cartridge without damaging the smooth functioning of the mechanism"

So yeah, it's a cartridge pen. For $105k. Honestly, I normally prefer cartridge pens, they're easy to clean and I get to change inks more often. Somehow I doubt the easy to clean part applies to this one. Just a feeling on that.

JS

 

http://www.luxworldwide.com/magazine/lifestyle/rms05-richard-milles-new-signature/

[FOUR X FOUR]

Sometimes I splurge and tell the cashier to supersize my value meal. What the hell, it's only money.

[Joban]

Interesting but really out of my price range.

[dasXFnib]

Does it come in any other color? I already have a gray pen.

Yeah!! I mean...Really!!

For that kinda dough.....they should be available in a rainbow of colors!!!

And different styles, too....That one is, IMHO, pretty UGLY!

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!