Omas Milord Arco Brown, what a delight

[fpupulin]

I am very proud to present to you a newcomer in my range of pens, to tell those interested in something more about the Omas Milord in Arco Marrone celluloid. I do this by talking about my pen and some sisters or ancestors, to share in some way the reasons for my preferences.

 

Omas Milord HT in celluloid Arco writes the review of herself

 

In 2005, the new management of OMAS, which the new majority shareholders - the French-based luxury multinational LVMH - had placed at the top of the company, did what they considered inevitable, introducing a new series of pens in the flagship line of the company, Arte Italiana. In another topic, on this same forum ("Paragon vs Paragon”), I explained why, in my opinion, the move was really inevitable to compete with the leading company in the sector, the German Montblanc , and its flagship line, the pens from the Meisterstück series.

 

The two new models of Arte Italiana, the new Paragon (later renamed vox populi as Grand Paragon) and the new Milord (the subject of this review), have really polarized the preferences of enthusiasts. In general, however, since the public of OMAS followers has been (and continues to be) quite conservative in their tastes, the new incarnations of Arte Italiana were received rather coldly, when not openly rejected and boycotted.

 

The presentation of the new line of Arte Italiana pens on the OMAS web page, now no longer online

 

A roundup of some of my pens from the Arte Italiana line. From left, Milord mechanical pencil HT, Grand Paragon with silver trims, Grand Paragon with gold finish, Milord with rhodium trims (all in Arco celluloid),

Grand Paragon in resin with gold trims and Grand Paragon in resin with rhodium trims. They also existed in other celluloids and colored resins, very beautiful and difficult to find

 

The Grand Paragon and the new Milord differ substantially from the previous models of Arte Italiana. They are, in the first place, considerably larger. The new Milord, when closed, is about 5 mm longer than the old Paragon, which in turn is almost 8 mm shorter than the Grand Paragon when closed, almost 1 cm less when open. The diameter of the new pens has also grown. I have no tools to measure it accurately (without the risk of scratching the pen), but approximately the diameter at the largest point has gone from 11 mm for the Paragon to 13 mm for the Milord and 14 mm for the Grand Paragon. The measures written in this way, in unity, can hardly give an idea of how much the new pens of Arte Italiana are distinctly larger than those of the previous version. In fact, in terms of visual impressions, the two most recent pens resemble each other much more in size than they both resemble the old Paragon.

 

The new Milord, post-2005, is definitely larger than its ancestor.

It has been repeatedly written that the new Milord has the size of the old Paragon, but it is not certain. Visually, it looks more like the new generation Grand Paragon

 

The differences in weight between the pens of the two lines are even more evident. While the old Paragon could boast of being a very light pen with its 20 g, which becomes only 13 when the cap is removed, the Grand Paragon weighs more than double at 50 g (35 without cap) and the Milord stands at intermediate values, with a body of 19 g, which becomes 31 when the pen is capped. So far the measurable, objective data. Aesthetically, the pens of the new Italian Art have a much more contemporary design, which has been repeatedly awarded for its stylistic qualities.

 

The traditional Paragon was and is a completely vintage pen. The beautiful dodecagonal shape, with the unmistakable tapered and short terminals, forming a low cusp, the clip directly imported from the OMAS of the 1930s to replace the one - also historical - designed by Gio Pomodoro, the Art déco fret of the cap flanked by two thinner rings, equal to that of the models between the two wars, the "senior" pen sizes, are all motifs inherited directly, without mediation, from the OMAS catalogs of the late 1930s and early years of the decade following. An extra OMAS in Arco celluloid from the early 90's is not "inspired" by the OMAS tradition, but rather represents a perfect contemporary replica.

 

The new pens of Arte Italiana take up the classic Greek of OMAS, but reproduce it with a light engraving that occupies only a part of the single cap ring - a clear reference to the extra OMAS of the 50s -, while the rest of the ring bears the OMAS and ITALY writings and, in the case of the new Paragon, also the model name. The fret thus occupies only half of the ring, on six facets, while the rest of the ring, with the inscriptions, has no facet. The complete sequence is therefore: three facets with Greek, a round quarter with writings, three other facets with Greek and a last smooth, rounded quarter with writings.

 

The new Arte Italiana, with the ring partly faceted and partly smooth, contemporary and sober

 

The cap of the new Arte Italiana features a completely redesigned clip, with a regularly rectangular shape, with a prominent convex curvature (bridge-like) for almost its entire length and a slight upward curve at the end, to facilitate insertion of the clip in a breast pocket. At the foot of the convex curve, there is a smooth wheel, larger in size than the classic ruzzolina, and proportionate to the "oversized" design of the entire clip. It is a clip with a distinctly contemporary flavor, in my opinion well in tune with the general lines of the pen, a tribute to the classic ruzzolina but with a purely modern design.

 

At the top of the cap, with the traditional flattened cusp shape, a thin metal ring is inlaid, which has been interpreted as the initial letter of OMAS. In any case, it is a delicate detail that enriches and brightens the upper finish of the new models.

 

The new clip of Arte Italiana, with a much greater presence, but which I find of a beautiful contemporary design.

The metal ring set in the upper cusp gives it a luminous note

 

Once the cap is removed, other relevant differences appear. In the case of the Grand Paragon, the most evident is the metal section, which however is absent in the Milord, entirely in celluloid like the classic Paragon. However, while the section of the old Paragon ended with a slight rounded flange towards the fingers and truncated at the front, in the "new" Milord the section is a slightly tapered cylinder that ends in a twelve-sided metal ring that acts as a "finger stop". The twelve-sided ring is made of the same prevailing material as the nib: gold (for two-tone or gold nibs) or rhodium-plated, for "white" nibs. In the case of my Milord, all metallic finishes are rhodium-plated, including the single-color nib.

 

The sections of the celluloid Paragon and the new Milord, with the dodecagonal ring, in comparison

 

The section of the Milord and that of the classic Paragon are identical in length, both of which house the thread for screwing the cap. In the Paragon this thread is located exactly in the center of the section, while in the new Milord it has been moved higher by about 1 cm, where it interferes less with the fingers in the more regular grip types. In both cases, however, the edges of the thread are rounded enough to be almost imperceptible to the touch. Aesthetically, however, the section of the old Paragon is almost continuous with the frame, while in the Milord in review here the line is interrupted by a rather evident step. Since my grip is quite low along the section, I do not feel the presence of the step, but this could be uncomfortable for those with a “high” handle.

 

Of the three pens that I have mentioned in this review, the one that has the most successful and unitary design, as regards the “fusion” of the tank with the section, is without doubt the Grand Paragon, perfectly turned and with proportions of a true Doric or Corinthian column.

 

The bodies of the Paragon and the Milord. That of the Grand Paragon is, in my opinion, unimprovable. The classic Paragon has a nicer profile than the Milord

 

Finally, for a choice that I suppose was dictated by cost control, the lower part of the cap, below the ring, in the new pens of Arte Italiana is no longer in celluloid, as it was in the classic Paragon, but in plastic. In my brown Arco celluloid pens, the plastic is a semi-transparent amber brown color, hard to distinguish from the real celluloid of the cap. Once you have discovered the "trompe-l'oeil", however, it is impossible not to notice it.

 

The design of the nib of the new pens of Arte Italiana is identical, in terms of geometry, to that of the previous series. The dimensions and the engravings change. In the Grand Paragon the nib is slightly larger and protrudes more from the barrel of the pen. The nib of the "new" Milord is identical in size to that of the classic Paragon. The incision of the new nibs (finally) abandons the arrow motif, which was shamelessly copied from Parker, and becomes a motif that I would define as a “dip nib” motif. This is completed by a very fine diagonal guilloché work, which surrounds the OMAS writing with its classic character and leaves room, at the base of the nib, for the indications of the golden purity, 18K / 750.

 

The beautiful engraving on the nibs of the new pens by Arte Italiana is a drawing that honors tradition

of Omas but overcomes the excess of "similarity" with Parker nibs

 

The nib of my Milord has a medium tip that writes very well. I have no other experience except with Diamine Terracotta ink, now in the third full, but with this ink the nib writes perfectly, with regular and abundant flow, with a slight "interaction" with the paper, with balanced and constant stroke, on all the papers with which I tried it. It doesn't surprise me ... All the OMAS I own, one from the 40s, a handful from the 60s, some 70s, three from the 90s and five post-2005, write very well and more than pleasantly. At home we have another ten small-medium OMAS, belonging to our ladies, and they too write perfectly.

 

In the pens of the new Arte Italiana series, OMAS has adopted a new type of piston, as well as a cartridge and converter system on most of the resin Milord. In the cartridge version, the Milord has a metal ring between barrel and section which, for me, takes the grace out of the pen by breaking the continuity of the lines. On the celluloid version, which we are talking about in this review, fortunately there is no ring.

 

As for the piston, the new mechanism seems to be of the greatest fragility, as far as we read about it, in particular that of the Milord. The breakages seem to be so generalized - and without a parent company, impossible to repair - that the purchase of a "new" Milord looks like a nefarious experiment. If you can't resist the beauty of the pen - as in my case - you buy it, hoping it will work, and that it will continue to work long enough for you to enjoy it. With my Milord, I have been lucky so far.

 

Another mention, to close this review, on the material with which my Milord is made, the celebrated Arco Brown or Bronze celluloid. It has been said that it is the most beautiful material in the world with which a pen can be made. I don't know if the statement is entirely justified, but certainly the Arco celluloid has a hypnotic beauty that makes it almost inimitable and, for those who become infected with its grace, tremendously additive.

 

The hypnotic grace of Arco celluloid in my Milord

 

Due to its intrinsic characteristics, Arco celluloid does not allow you to make two pens exactly alike. The "texture" of the material and the design of its many layers, are always different and varies according to the angle at which the celluloid bar receives the milling. The points of lights, the bronze reflective surfaces, the golden spots, are different in each pen. Inevitably, there are more successful and brilliant patterns, others more opaque, more marked designs and others more subtle. This contributes to the "addiction to Arco", a frantic search for the perfect design and texture. The stars have aligned with the birth of my Milord, who in my eyes is extraordinary and almost as perfect as anyone could wish for.

 

I hope that the many, too many photographs in this review may, at least in part, have done justice to the grace of this pen.

[dms525]

Awesome review, Franco! And wonderful calligraphy and photography, as we have come to expect of you.

 

I confess to being one who initially disliked the new/final iteration of the OMAS Paragon and Milord. I found them both too big, and I did not like the change in the clip.  Since then, my preference has shifted to larger pens. I would probably enjoy a pen like your new treasure.

 

I have several older style Paragons. They are wonderful writers, but I do wish they had a bit more girth. I do continue to find their form more visually handsome than that of the later OMAS Paragons and Milords.

 

In any case, congratulations on your new Milord! It is surely worthy of your splendid handwriting.

 

Happy writing!

 

David