Pen Production Runs: What are the Models Longest in Production?

January 4

On 12/8/2023 at 1:21 AM, amper said:

OK, but how many of the pens that have old designs have actually been in continuous production by the same company? I know the Pelikan M800 has been in production since 1987.

Hi, @amper, from my admittedly short list, at least Pilot Capless and Platinum #3778 have been in continuous production since launch, with relatively minor design changes.

The Capless seems to be the longest-running series among Japanese pens, very close in longevity to Montblanc Meisterstück. They just launched a 60th Annivesary version.

January 11

Some pen companies had been closed and their brand had been repurchased to profit from it. by new owners They produce pens that have nothing to do with those of the past. But what is interesting is which pens are in the market today without a new design and have been in production for a long time. One of the candidates in this group is the Lamy 2000, from the external point of view maybe the only differences are related to the name of Germany instead of West Germany in the cap and the letter" L" in the finial.

January 11

5 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

Some pen companies had been closed and their brand had been repurchased to profit from it. by new owners They produce pens that have nothing to do with those of the past. But what is interesting is which pens are in the market today without a new design and have been in production for a long time. One of the candidates in this group is the Lamy 2000, from the external point of view maybe the only differences are related to the name of Germany instead of West Germany in the cap and the letter" L" in the finial.

The Lamy 2000 is definitely one of those pens, if you showed someone an original from the first year of production, and one built recently side by side. It would take a close inspection to differentiate them.

January 23

Not quite the original question, but I would say something like the Gillott 303, a steel dip pen that has been made in the same design since around 1830 (though quality is nowhere near what it used to be). The Hunt Speedball has been made in basically the same design, with a few different name changes, since the 1890s. There are a few other similar examples among the few styles of dip pens still being made.