MONTBLANC as STATUS SYMBOL.... a turnoff for you?

[Tom Kellie]

4 hours ago, Toll said:

No one seems to notice or pay any attention to my MB pens and I have 20 or so and most in regular rotation. So, status symbol? — I don’t think so. Same with watches — I have an Omega Speedmaster, two Rolexes, including a Submariner, and more. No one ever notices. 
 

I buy watches and pens because they give me a great deal of joy. 

 

~ @Toll: 

 

Your experience mirrors mine.

 

There's nothing to add to what you've already expressed.

 

Thank you for your comment above.

 

       Tom K.

[DvdRiet]

Reading these latest replies this morning, I suddenly realized that my fanciest pen (and most expensive so far) is the Gucci I bought recently! (Not to mention the shiny red and gold Maserati I got for the fun of it...) LOL

 

 

[Uncial]

It is a strange thing. I've used MB's for over 25 years in the wild and not once has anyone ever commented. There was one time when I loaned a pen to someone to write something and she said, 'Oh, I like this. What is it?'

 

I have never - and I mean never - seen anyone here in business with a MB; either in use or clipped in a pocket. Never seen a 'yuppie' with one. Not ever. Here Cross is solely and relentlessly marketed to the business community (and to 'yuppies' and the wealthy as a luxury status pen) in which Cross ballpoints are ubiquitous, but hand on heart I can say in all honesty that I have yet to see a city slicker (or a rural slicker) with anything other than a Cross ballpoint.

 

Now, let the list of 'Oh but I've seen...' ensue.....

[Karmachanic]

An MB pen is first class.  Delightful in hand, a joy to write with, and it's been that way for a long time; but it's only a pen.

[como]

12 hours ago, DvdRiet said:

 

A friend of mine is a professional stylist and she did help open my eyes to the fact that one's outward appearance is a form of communication. I was always someone kind of in the 'middle lane' - not too showy, not too shy - so I never really thought about it too much. I just got dressed appropriately to the occasion, both out of respect like my parents taught me and a love for nice/pretty things, and that was it. The biggest problem with saying that you don't care what you look like and people should respect you for your character instead is that people seldom get to the second half of that statement. All they see is: you don't care about how you look. And that is not generally perceived as a good thing, but rather that there are probably a lot more things that you don't care about. It's human nature to make judgements on first appearances about whether you would like to go to the effort of getting to know someone or not. And I think you're exactly right about the extremes being two sides of the same coin. They both put up a wall.

@DvdRiet Very well said. I totally agree.👍 

[Arcadian]

When I first got in to fountain pens, I stayed away from Montblanc because I had been persuaded (probably by some thread here on FPN) that they were way overpriced compared to the quality. Then, at one point, I got a vintage one (234½ Deluxe), and my attitude started to change. Now, Montblancs make up the majority of my collection, and I use them every day with great joy. There are comments once in a while, but seldom bad ones. If I pick up a vibe from someone about the fact that I use a fancy pen, I just nonchalantly pull out the four or five other Montblancs I am prone to carrying in my work bag, jot a thing or two with one of them, and that immediately settles the matter: No longer a poser, but a nutty pen geek. I like that. 
 

It’s interesting that some of you have never experienced people recognising that it’s a Montblanc that you wield. But then, like the OP, I’m a lawyer surrounded by lawyers. They notice these things. As a subspecies we’re generally insane. 

 

As for the discussion concerning appearance, I believe that form and function go hand in hand. If your audience, even if it's just an audience of one, has to spend energy figuring out what you're all about because your appearance does not follow convention, then your words - and acts - will have to travel that much further to reach them and be appreciated. If you submit a piece of writing, be it an essay or a contract, and the formatting is terrible, the reader's gut reaction will be to doubt the content. It's no different for people, at least in a professional setting. 

 

 - P. 

 

[bunnspecial]

The only time I've ever had someone I didn't know specifically comment about a Montblanc is at a watch show, which is a place with a lot of fountain pen interest and some sales to some degree, and the question is generally what it is and if it's for sale.

 

I'll pull out a 146 or 149 in an M or EF nib(depends on what I'm carrying) for fairly mundane stuff, and I've had people comment on my "fancy pen". Otherwise, I did at one point have an FP-using colleague who wasn't super deep into them but had a 146 that lived in his desk inked and was used for special occasions. He was surprised that I used mine every day, and of course never would try mine since, you know, they adapt to your hand and no one else can use them, but otherwise was only complimentary.

 

If someone doubts my FP nerd credentials, I rarely carry just one pen-usually I have something with a finer nib in BB or boring blue, a broader nib with a more interesting blue, and then something with either red or green. I typically will use all 3 repeatedly in a given workday, so it's not a point of loading up my pocket. The past week or so it's typically been a 149 B(my friction piston 60s one) with Penman Sapphire, a Vacumatic Senior Maxima with MB Midnight Blue(iron gall), and an MB 14 with Sheaffer Red. I'd go so far as to say that the Maxima is a much more "showy" pen than a 149, and probably has a value on par with some of my less expensive 149s.

[Detman101]

Just like any other hobby or niche interest...it's always "Weird" to those on the outside.
Same as how people who don't have money cannot understand the ways of people that do have money.
You have to be in it...to understand it.
However, the only reason that I want and desire a Montblanc pen is that I've heard and read everywhere that they are built tough and are high quality.
And you cannot deny that they are just friggin BEAUTIFUL PENS!
I get compliments on my Opus-88 Demo when i use it and I'm out and about. It's my EDC, and if I had a Montblanc...it would be my EDC as well.
Hell...at this point, I'll take any pen that is made with care and concern and isn't just a ramshackle POS thrown together to make a quick dollar.
The entire industry is shifting towards s#!++y quick-made products and it sickens me how greedy it's all becoming.

[PENRob]

Haven't been reading above, but questioning it means not knowing it. MB is history, quality and cult. Get in to it from it's beginning making pen quality, safeties, 13X's, todays systems and nibs and write it... you will find the answer and be convinced !

[agentdaffy007]

I live in a metropolis where we often see designer clothes, purses, luxury cars, etc.

 

I had many comment on my Montblanc pen that it is nice or sometimes I catch clients staring at my pens.

 

In the line of work that I do, people tend to look at how we dress and the way we speak, and like @Arcadian said, we need to narrow the gap, be it with clothes, cars, watches, etc.

 

Do I live comfortably, yes. Do clients value my input and suggestions, yes. It all started with the way we dress. You never know when you will run into a client "which happens quite frequently".

[txomsy]

20 hours ago, maclink said:

Your appearance is an expression of yourself.  How you choose to present yourself is an act in itself!  It's a fundamental act that's always present throughout an encounter with someone else.  It would be silly to disregard it completely and I doubt any of us genuinely do.

 

Exactly. And that is the whole point.

 

You do not need a Montblanc, Armani, Prada or Boss to look "well". One can look terribly (and worse than terribly) in Dolce&Gabana, or any big brand. And actually most people wearing those brands do look awful.

 

And one can look great with unknown brands. After all, figure you wear a tailor-made-to-fit suit, done by a good, tasteful artisan shop, it won't be a top brand, well-known, but anyone in the know will notice immediately it is tailored and much, much better fit than a mass-produced top-brand. It is not the origin, but how you select and combine and wear/use your dress/tools, how they fit you and your attitude, that matters.

 

Then you can be formal, informal, sporty, grunge, hippie, yuppie, shaggy, whatever style you like. There are all sorts of fashion styles and anybody with any sense will know. It is not the style, or brand that drives judgement, it is how well the items you choose fit with your overall image and attitude.

 

Whether it is MB, Nakaya, Pelikan, Kaweco, Jinhao, or a no-name clone doesn't really matter. One can make a statement of using a cheap pen as much as an expensive one. If that fits in the context, then it adds, not detracts.

 

So, I say, with all due caveats about my admitted, well-known and proven silliness, do not let the ads drive your choice of instruments. Rather, decide by yourself what you think fits your needs or desires, get what you like (and can) and let your (hopefully wisely chosen) choice talk for you.

 

Of course, there are places and domains where the looks are important because people in that area all pay more attention to looks than anything else. Maybe because they are expected to (like a doctor with a stethoscope and a lab coat), or maybe because they all like to show off, or are all frustrated, or maybe because they live from showing off (as in the show-business). In those cases, the choice is no longer a matter of taste or preference: they are actually wearing an imposed uniform and they cannot choose to dress otherwise. But that is no different from using a Black & Decker, a hammer, or a Hummer, or a Jeep, or a Bulldozer or any other tool of your trade.

 

If you are a Formula I driver for Ferrari, you  have no choice but to drive a Ferrari at work. And have it overloaded with big, flashy logos. Obviously you won't be free to drive a Cinquecento or a Skoda at work. Not even a Mercedes or a Lexus.

 

It would be silly to dash off a car brand because they run in Formula I, and their drivers wear lots of flashy logos. If anything that might be a guarantee of quality.

 

I won't go as far as to say it is the same with pens, but dashing off any brand because some people have no choice but to use it and because some silly wannabees think the success comes because of the flashy logos and not from the quality of the product and the ability of the user is -in my most humble opinion- possibly a mistake.

 

[inkstainedruth]

I've gotten more "Wow, nice pen" comments at places when using my Noodler's Konrads (most recently when I was having to fill out the paperwork a couple of weeks ago when my husband was having a colonoscopy (I was there to be the driver when the procedure was over, and to fill out the paperwork because his handwriting is atrocious, and I had the just recently bought and inked "Forbidden City" color of the acrylic Konrads.

I did get an "Ooh, pretty" comment from someone at the front desk a couple of years ago at my allergist's office, signing in with the 1937 Parker Red Shadow Wave Vac...   And then there was the incident in the grocery store parking lot with a shopping cart a while back, and when writing out information while exchanging insurance cards, the other guy looked at my pen and said, "Is that... a LAMY?" (I had the Vibrant Pink al-Star on me that day) and then it turned into a mutual geek fest about pens and local places to get pens and inks....  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[KAC]

Yes, it's a turn-off for me and I've posted frequently with comments to that effect. MB's present day marketing is obnoxious, pretentious and appeals to poseurs who desire a status totem.

 

Despite that, many of the vintage models are absolute classics, both in design and performance. The 149 carries on that tradition which is why I own one (to replace a stolen 1980s version). Aside from that model, the Hemingway (purchased by me when it was issued and was a commercial flop), the Christie (another derivative but classic design though I don't own one) and a couple of others (e.g., the Heritage) keep the brand above water for me.

 

With the usual disclaimers,

KAC

[fpupulin]

On 12/2/2021 at 1:21 PM, Karmachanic said:

Go to an  MB Boutique. Handle the 146 and 149.  Buy a used model of your preference from a reputable dealer, and use it extensively, in the privacy of your home.  You'll either appreciate its qualities, or not. 

 

To the OP:

"Buy [...], and use it extensively, in the privacy of your home.  You'll either appreciate its qualities, or not." 

These are very wise words and a sound suggestion. I very rarely use one of my Montblanc pens in public. But in the privacy of my home, I find them formidable writing instruments.

[langere]

I think what the OP was actually describing was the "uniform" that the people in his profession wore.  That is quite common; many, if not most professions have ways of dressing that others of the same profession recognize.  Montblanc can play a part in that and, in fact, tries to insinuate itself into many professions, such as the legal one.

 

That does not mean you can't transgress and get away with it.  I would argue that having a Sailor rather than a Montblanc or perhaps a orange-and-black Delta makes you stand out in positive ways even if others are wearing standard items, such as Montblanc.

 

Great discussion!

 

Erick

[arcfide]

2 hours ago, langere said:

I would argue that having a Sailor rather than a Montblanc or perhaps a orange-and-black Delta makes you stand out in positive ways even if others are wearing standard items, such as Montblanc.

 

I think there are some places where a little more personality in a pen could get you some good recognition in a positive way. However, for some professions, there is an *extremely* conservative bent, and deviating from that can have somewhat negative repercussions. In those cases, the 14x series is excellent at "fitting in while standing out". I would argue that the black Sailors, Platinums, and Pilots are also very good examples of this, and with little surprise coming from Japan and its conservative culture among some industries. Something like a Urushi FP would be a great way to step up something like that in a highly conservative environment. 

[Karmachanic]

4 hours ago, langere said:

Montblanc can play a part in that and, in fact, tries to insinuate itself into many professions, such as the legal one.

 

I have six MBs

I pay no attention to MB marketing.

Please provide links or examples where MB exhibits this insinuating.

[jchch1950]

If your writing is done in private spaces you should use the best instrument possible whatever is the brand.I wrote a lot in my office and when I go to a meeting or an appointment with third parties ,I carry a ballpoint. The use of a good fountain pens is something to increase my productivity and my personal enjoyment.😉

[Uncial]

1 hour ago, Karmachanic said:

 

I have six MBs

I pay no attention to MB marketing.

Please provide links or examples where MB exhibits this insinuating.

 

Yes, this is often claimed. Never seen it myself. 

Perhaps MB has different advertising campaigns in different countries?

[maclink]

38 minutes ago, Uncial said:

 

Yes, this is often claimed. Never seen it myself. 

Perhaps MB has different advertising campaigns in different countries?

I don't think so.  IMO, they market a luxury item and it became popular among some groups pretty much by chance.  One person of influence in a group is seen with one.  He/she recommends it and others follow and a chain reaction ensues.  Some members get one out of curiosity, while others get one to be feel more a part of the group etc.  Soon, MB pens within the group become ubiquitous.  MB may well naturally focus on this group since a lot of their pen sales are to this group.  They may sponsor a meeting... someone outside the group attends the meeting and then thinks MB is targeting the group from the start, rather than nurturing a partnership that evolved without any specific intent on MB's part.

 

So their advertising campaigns would likely be different depending on their sales demographic.  So some groups would seem to be targeted as their sales influence their advertising strategies etc.