100th Anniversary editions

[NoType]

1 hour ago, fpupulin said:

An interesting test. You can write a sort of English Cursive even with a broad nib, but the variation of the stroke is essentially limited to broad/thin, with almost no intermediate measures. This is particularly noticeable when comparing the text written with the 149 The Origin with that, above, written with the 149 Calligraphy, where the nib's ability to obtain a "continuous variation" between thin and broad is obvious.

 

I also found it interesting to present the difference between the writing of the broad nib of the 149The Origin on Hahnemühle laid paper (above), where the nib makes a very thin mark, and the satin Fabriano paper (below), where with the same nib you obtain a much more "bold" effect.

@fpupulin Thank you for exhibiting the versatility of the B nib in The Origin 149 while simultaneously proving the superiority of the Flex Nib in the Calligraphy 149 in its ability to steplessly vary from thick to thin lines.

 

The difference that paper makes in the appearance of lines is quite dramatically shown by your two examples, which is most instructive.  Many thanks!

 

 

[NoType]

6 hours ago, fpupulin said:

 

 

@fpupulin Yes, the line widths produced by the M nib of your elegant Bohème Steel Noir approach those of a F nib and seem especially suited for daily work.  

[Lelouch]

A day later, but I am happy to say that I was able to pickup the Origin 149 (as well as the inspire writing book) from the boutique in Boston yesterday. They had two examples in stock, so I was able to look at the marbling on their caps and select that which was more appealing to me. 
 

A very pleasant experience that was made more special by the associate I worked with, who was able to answer my questions and pass them up the chain in some cases. 
 

I was fortunate enough to have had my timing coincide with the presence of the bespoke nib box/trunk with its variety of nibs to sample.  Of which I filled some pages in my small Rhodia pad for reference should I be interested at a later date. 
 

At the saleswoman’s suggestion I will be using the stock medium for the next 6 weeks before exchanging it, but especially after trying out the double broad again yesterday, I feel like my decision will remain unchanged. 
 

Overall, very happy with the experience even after having driven for a total 7 hour round trip to do so. 

[NoType]

5 hours ago, Lelouch said:

A day later, but I am happy to say that I was able to pickup the Origin 149 (as well as the inspire writing book) from the boutique in Boston yesterday. They had two examples in stock, so I was able to look at the marbling on their caps and select that which was more appealing to me. 
 

A very pleasant experience that was made more special by the associate I worked with, who was able to answer my questions and pass them up the chain in some cases. 
 

I was fortunate enough to have had my timing coincide with the presence of the bespoke nib box/trunk with its variety of nibs to sample.  Of which I filled some pages in my small Rhodia pad for reference should I be interested at a later date. 
 

At the saleswoman’s suggestion I will be using the stock medium for the next 6 weeks before exchanging it, but especially after trying out the double broad again yesterday, I feel like my decision will remain unchanged. 
 

Overall, very happy with the experience even after having driven for a total 7 hour round trip to do so. 

@Lelouch And we are happy to hear about your pleasant and productive experience at the boutique, helping in no small part to compensate for the significant commute!

 

Being afforded the opportunity to select The Origin 149 cap’s marbling most attractive to you is a rare luxury as well.  Many members here purchased The Origin 149 remotely without this privilege, including this writer.  

 

As if that were not enough, having your visit occur while the boutique had on hand the bespoke nib trunk is even more fortuitous and perhaps propitious.  Is an upcoming visit to the local shop for lottery tickets in order?

 

One word of warning regarding the complimentary nib exchange: do not damage the nib during your six-week nib trial of your puchased pen.  Elsewhere on the subforum I have mentioned the importance of the strict six-week deadline from first purchase (extended to one year for numbered limited editions) and presenting the requisite paperwork from an authorised retailer confirming the purchase date.  Equally important is that the nib’s condition remain mint.

 

Thus, take good care when using the pen, and aside from ink and paper, only allow the nib to come into contact with the softest microfibre cloth you can find.  It is imperative that the nib’s soft gold material remain free of scratches and blemishes, which most often accrue when one wipes the nib with a paper towel or tissue.  Needless to say, the nib’s form should also remain intact.  Any cosmetic or functional imperfections will violate the terms of the complimentary nib exchange program.  

 

For good measure, it is advisable to make an appointment for the complimentary nib exchange ahead of time — choosing a date that is a few days shy of the six-week deadline is also recommended — in order to work with the same associate who helped you purchase the pen.  This strategy covers two stones with one bird: one will not miss the six-week deadline, and one can also hold the sales associate accountable for their advice to use the pen for six weeks, should another boutique staff member mistakenly object to the complimentary nib exchange on the grounds that the nib has been used.

 

Finally, was the boutique able to help you ascertain on what part of The Origin Collection Doué LeGrand Fountain Pen (Blue; ident 131346) Montblanc offers engraving service so that you may honour your dear departed father’s memory?  

[Amit.]

[NoType]

19 minutes ago, Amit. said:

@Amit. Hearty congratulations on this distinguished and elegant set of The Origin 149 pen and coordinating Meisterstück Nib Décor 100 Years black cufflinks!  Thank you for this wonderfully composed image.

[Amit.]

9 hours ago, NoType said:

@Amit. Hearty congratulations on this distinguished and elegant set of The Origin 149 pen and coordinating Meisterstück Nib Décor 100 Years black cufflinks!  Thank you for this wonderfully composed image.

@NoType Thank you so much !! I'm loving the design and the shape of this 149 more and more as each day passes. 

[fpupulin]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:37 AM, Lelouch said:

A day later, but I am happy to say that I was able to pickup the Origin 149 (as well as the inspire writing book) from the boutique in Boston yesterday. […]

My warmest congratulations for your new pen! I am sure you will enjoy this “anomalous” and original Meisterstück 149.

[fpupulin]

22 hours ago, Amit. said:

It is a great pen, @Amit., and I am sure you will have a lot of fun with her during the forthcoming holiday season. The cufflinks look phenomenal!

[Fleetlord]

As for the 149 version, it looks like either production has increased or demand decreased as these are readily availability in Medium on the USA MB.com and some USA authorized dealers e-commerce sites.   

[NoType]

10 hours ago, Fleetlord said:

As for the 149 version, it looks like either production has increased or demand decreased as these are readily availability in Medium on the USA MB.com and some USA authorized dealers e-commerce sites.   

Yes, indeed, and what an interesting turn of events!  Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

[Amit.]

11 hours ago, fpupulin said:

It is a great pen, @Amit., and I am sure you will have a lot of fun with her during the forthcoming holiday season. The cufflinks look phenomenal!

Thank you so much @fpupulin. 

[nampad]

I exchanged my M nib on the 149 Origin model to an OM nib yesterday. I was already interested in the OM nib as I have several vintage pens with oblique nibs so I knew I can handle them fine but was surprised how smooth the modern OM nib on the tester was 🥰

I think it is also a nice middle ground for daily work and for signing important work related papers.
 

I want the signature to have a bit more character than with the M nib but am not going to have an expensive pen only for that, even though the signature plays an important role in my line of work. Even my wife who hates any line variation agreed that the signature looks better with the OM nib but overall she favored EF, which feels too small for a big pen like the 149.

 

Fortunately I didn’t take too much time to go to the boutique after the purchase because I originally thought the anniversary editions fall under the 1 year timeframe of the limited editions but apparently it is only a special edition. Good thing the next boutique is only a 15 minutes walk away and I wanted to be sure.
 

Have to say my experience yesterday in the boutique was a bit mixed. Of course it was quite busy at the boutique due to the Black Friday weekend but the sales staff seemingly didn’t want to track who actually arrived first and whose turn it would be to get help or they weren’t interested in me because I don’t look like the usual rich clientele…

 

After some people just pushed ahead of me to get the sales support for their perfumes etc. I was able to flag one sales person down who wasn’t really interested in helping me with the nib exchange. He just sat me down at the testing counter and gave me some of the nib sizes that I wanted. The sales person then proceeded to help a couple with their first pen purchase instead of advising me further which is fine but he never even returned and checked on me.

 

Unfortunately testers were also incomplete, I can understand that O3B is not available as it is quite special but not having an F available there is really weak.

When I asked him about the F nib he told me he will check but nothing happened. He also didn’t know that O3B exists and asked me where I got my information from.

 

Because he didn’t return with the F nib I asked a second staffer who then actually took his time to help me. He was quite helpful and also knowledgeable about fountain pens and inks, answering me some questions so that I felt well advised (contrary to the first sales person, he also knew about O3B).

He also showed me some of the other products I was interested in like the other anniversary models and the Sartorial notebook cover.

 

I asked the second salesperson until when the anniversary pens are going to be produced. I was under the impression from this thread that they will be only produced in 2024 but he assured me they will run the production/availability for a whole year since the release, so until April 2025.

Maybe he just saw my big interest in the green Classique model which my wife also liked and „signed-off“ for the next bigger purchase 😅

 

Overall, I have to say I am a bit unhappy about the customer experience. I just bought a pen worth over € 1.000 from them and didn’t really get help at first even though they should have noticed me with my Montblanc anniversary box in the hand looking for support.
It was the second time in the local boutique and the experience at the first time was very good but back then it wasn’t so busy and I directly stated I wanted to buy something (Sartorial 3-pen pouch).

 

Edit: The paper quality for the writing tests is also atrocious. The ink feathered through it heavily. And I am used to cheap Staples notebooks at work after my old company changed the Oxford ones 😒

[ak47]

2 hours ago, nampad said:

I exchanged my M nib on the 149 Origin model to an OM nib yesterday. I was already interested in the OM nib as I have several vintage pens with oblique nibs so I knew I can handle them fine but was surprised how smooth the modern OM nib on the tester was 🥰

I think it is also a nice middle ground for daily work and for signing important work related papers.
 

I want the signature to have a bit more character than with the M nib but am not going to have an expensive pen only for that, even though the signature plays an important role in my line of work. Even my wife who hates any line variation agreed that the signature looks better with the OM nib but overall she favored EF, which feels too small for a big pen like the 149.

 

Fortunately I didn’t take too much time to go to the boutique after the purchase because I originally thought the anniversary editions fall under the 1 year timeframe of the limited editions but apparently it is only a special edition. Good thing the next boutique is only a 15 minutes walk away and I wanted to be sure.
 

Have to say my experience yesterday in the boutique was a bit mixed. Of course it was quite busy at the boutique due to the Black Friday weekend but the sales staff seemingly didn’t want to track who actually arrived first and whose turn it would be to get help or they weren’t interested in me because I don’t look like the usual rich clientele…

 

After some people just pushed ahead of me to get the sales support for their perfumes etc. I was able to flag one sales person down who wasn’t really interested in helping me with the nib exchange. He just sat me down at the testing counter and gave me some of the nib sizes that I wanted. The sales person then proceeded to help a couple with their first pen purchase instead of advising me further which is fine but he never even returned and checked on me.

 

Unfortunately testers were also incomplete, I can understand that O3B is not available as it is quite special but not having an F available there is really weak.

When I asked him about the F nib he told me he will check but nothing happened. He also didn’t know that O3B exists and asked me where I got my information from.

 

Because he didn’t return with the F nib I asked a second staffer who then actually took his time to help me. He was quite helpful and also knowledgeable about fountain pens and inks, answering me some questions so that I felt well advised (contrary to the first sales person, he also knew about O3B).

He also showed me some of the other products I was interested in like the other anniversary models and the Sartorial notebook cover.

 

I asked the second salesperson until when the anniversary pens are going to be produced. I was under the impression from this thread that they will be only produced in 2024 but he assured me they will run the production/availability for a whole year since the release, so until April 2025.

Maybe he just saw my big interest in the green Classique model which my wife also liked and „signed-off“ for the next bigger purchase 😅

 

Overall, I have to say I am a bit unhappy about the customer experience. I just bought a pen worth over € 1.000 from them and didn’t really get help at first even though they should have noticed me with my Montblanc anniversary box in the hand looking for support.
It was the second time in the local boutique and the experience at the first time was very good but back then it wasn’t so busy and I directly stated I wanted to buy something (Sartorial 3-pen pouch).

I also have received contrasting information about nib exchange, particularly about O3B. Some boutiques say it is possible but paying a fee,  someone else told me that it does not exist. Tomorrow i will call montblanc service.

[fpupulin]

The Meisterstück 100th Anniversary Green Ink (which has been said should correctly be named “Malachite Green”) is a perfect color for the forthcoming holiday season. I will use it for some of my Christmas cards. 
 

[NoType]

15 hours ago, nampad said:

I exchanged my M nib on the 149 Origin model to an OM nib yesterday. I was already interested in the OM nib as I have several vintage pens with oblique nibs so I knew I can handle them fine but was surprised how smooth the modern OM nib on the tester was 🥰

I think it is also a nice middle ground for daily work and for signing important work related papers.
 

I want the signature to have a bit more character than with the M nib but am not going to have an expensive pen only for that, even though the signature plays an important role in my line of work. Even my wife who hates any line variation agreed that the signature looks better with the OM nib but overall she favored EF, which feels too small for a big pen like the 149.

 

Fortunately I didn’t take too much time to go to the boutique after the purchase because I originally thought the anniversary editions fall under the 1 year timeframe of the limited editions but apparently it is only a special edition. Good thing the next boutique is only a 15 minutes walk away and I wanted to be sure.
 

Have to say my experience yesterday in the boutique was a bit mixed. Of course it was quite busy at the boutique due to the Black Friday weekend but the sales staff seemingly didn’t want to track who actually arrived first and whose turn it would be to get help or they weren’t interested in me because I don’t look like the usual rich clientele…

 

After some people just pushed ahead of me to get the sales support for their perfumes etc. I was able to flag one sales person down who wasn’t really interested in helping me with the nib exchange. He just sat me down at the testing counter and gave me some of the nib sizes that I wanted. The sales person then proceeded to help a couple with their first pen purchase instead of advising me further which is fine but he never even returned and checked on me.

 

Unfortunately testers were also incomplete, I can understand that O3B is not available as it is quite special but not having an F available there is really weak.

When I asked him about the F nib he told me he will check but nothing happened. He also didn’t know that O3B exists and asked me where I got my information from.

 

Because he didn’t return with the F nib I asked a second staffer who then actually took his time to help me. He was quite helpful and also knowledgeable about fountain pens and inks, answering me some questions so that I felt well advised (contrary to the first sales person, he also knew about O3B).

He also showed me some of the other products I was interested in like the other anniversary models and the Sartorial notebook cover.

 

I asked the second salesperson until when the anniversary pens are going to be produced. I was under the impression from this thread that they will be only produced in 2024 but he assured me they will run the production/availability for a whole year since the release, so until April 2025.

Maybe he just saw my big interest in the green Classique model which my wife also liked and „signed-off“ for the next bigger purchase 😅

 

Overall, I have to say I am a bit unhappy about the customer experience. I just bought a pen worth over € 1.000 from them and didn’t really get help at first even though they should have noticed me with my Montblanc anniversary box in the hand looking for support.
It was the second time in the local boutique and the experience at the first time was very good but back then it wasn’t so busy and I directly stated I wanted to buy something (Sartorial 3-pen pouch).

 

Edit: The paper quality for the writing tests is also atrocious. The ink feathered through it heavily. And I am used to cheap Staples notebooks at work after my old company changed the Oxford ones 😒

@nampad I was interested to learn of the remarkable smoothness you found with the OM tester nib.  That is one size with which I lack familiarity.

 

I was relieved to learn that you managed to request a complimentary nib exchange for The Origin 149 within the six-week deadline despite having presumed that you had a year in which to do so.  It was most fortuitous that you thought to gain confirmation of the deadline at your nearby boutique!

 

I was disappointed to read your narrative of the lacklustre service provided at the second boutique visit; even if busy, one would expect sales associates to at least endeavour to keep abreast of who arrived when and who should be next be served.  Moreover, to make presumptions based on a potential customer’s attire or appearance is commonly frowned upon by trainers of customer service, to say nothing of failing to perceive the fountain pen box in your hands.

 

That the tester trunk lacked a nib size is surprising in itself.  Less surprising is that the first associate lacked knowledge about fountain pens, but it would have behooved them to openly admit this to you when they placed you at the testing counter and inform you that they would summon a fountain pen expert to assist.  Fortunately the salesperson whose attention you requested next was more helpful.  

 

However, your overall experience was subpar and it is no wonder you are somewhat disappointed. 

 

That Montblanc intends to continue production of the anniversary products until April 2025 is both surprising — a boutique manager with whom I had spoken stressed that because the products specifically celebrate the 1924 to 2024 centenary, Montblanc felt it was inappropriate to continue to produce them in 2025 and inconvenient to do so since they were already gearing up to produce different articles for 2025 — and interesting information, if it is indeed accurate.  Since this would not be the first time that contradictory information has been gleaned from sales associates, nor unprecedented for Montblanc to make a course correction, the reliability of this data you received is inconclusive.  Short of corroboration from another source, time will tell, one supposes.

 

Also, the poor quality of paper that Montblanc offers for testing pens has long been reported, both here in the subforum and elsewhere online, and when I mentioned this fact to a boutique manager a couple of years ago, they not only readily agreed but even pulled out from their jacket pocket a small personal notepad for me to use, saying that their pad had superior paper to the boutique’s.  However, they could neither explain why the test paper in stock was substandard nor why it had not been changed for better paper when the situation was evidently well known to them.

 

Finally, at least the net result of your boutique visit was somewhat positive, since you were able to request a complimentary nib exchange, discovered the desirability of the modern OM nib, and had the opportunity to ponder a future purchase in the form of The Origin Classique fountain pen.  I myself have made the selections of The Origin 149 and The Origin Classique, passing over the other offerings.  But I imagine that every article of The Origin Collection has struck the fancy of one or another of the members of the subforum.

[NoType]

7 hours ago, ak47 said:

I also have received contrasting information about nib exchange, particularly about O3B. Some boutiques say it is possible but paying a fee,  someone else told me that it does not exist. Tomorrow i will call montblanc service.

@ak47 An excellent plan of action.  We look forward to hearing what you learn from them.

[NoType]

58 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

The Meisterstück 100th Anniversary Green Ink (which has been said should correctly be named “Malachite Green”) is a perfect color for the forthcoming holiday season. I will use it for some of my Christmas cards. 
 

@fpupulin Thank you for this wonderfully composed image, which is much more than a simple writing sample for the Meisterstück The Origin Collection Green ink!  

[NoType]

58 minutes ago, digitorum- Leonardo_W said:

I thought that article belonged here ✒️
 

@digitorum- Leonardo_W Many thanks for this topical article!  To which periodical are we indebted?

[nampad]

3 hours ago, NoType said:

@nampad I was interested to learn of the remarkable smoothness you found with the OM tester nib.  That is one size with which I lack familiarity.

 

I was relieved to learn that you managed to request a complimentary nib exchange for The Origin 149 within the six-week deadline despite having presumed that you had a year in which to do so.  It was most fortuitous that you thought to gain confirmation of the deadline at your nearby boutique!

 

I was disappointed to read your narrative of the lacklustre service provided at the second boutique visit; even if busy, one would expect sales associates to at least endeavour to keep abreast of who arrived when and who should be next be served.  Moreover, to make presumptions based on a potential customer’s attire or appearance is commonly frowned upon by trainers of customer service, to say nothing of failing to perceive the fountain pen box in your hands.

 

That the tester trunk lacked a nib size is surprising in itself.  Less surprising is that the first associate lacked knowledge about fountain pens, but it would have behooved them to openly admit this to you when they placed you at the testing counter and inform you that they would summon a fountain pen expert to assist.  Fortunately the salesperson whose attention you requested next was more helpful.  

 

However, your overall experience was subpar and it is no wonder you are somewhat disappointed. 

 

That Montblanc intends to continue production of the anniversary products until April 2025 is both surprising — a boutique manager with whom I had spoken stressed that because the products specifically celebrate the 1924 to 2024 centenary, Montblanc felt it was inappropriate to continue to produce them in 2025 and inconvenient to do so since they were already gearing up to produce different articles for 2025 — and interesting information, if it is indeed accurate.  Since this would not be the first time that contradictory information has been gleaned from sales associates, nor unprecedented for Montblanc to make a course correction, the reliability of this data you received is inconclusive.  Short of corroboration from another source, time will tell, one supposes.

 

Also, the poor quality of paper that Montblanc offers for testing pens has long been reported, both here in the subforum and elsewhere online, and when I mentioned this fact to a boutique manager a couple of years ago, they not only readily agreed but even pulled out from their jacket pocket a small personal notepad for me to use, saying that their pad had superior paper to the boutique.  However, they could neither explain why the test paper in stock was substandard nor why it had not been changed for better paper when the situation was evidently well known to them.

 

Finally, at least the net result of your boutique visit was somewhat positive, since you were able to request a complimentary nib exchange, discovered the desirability of the modern OM nib, and had the opportunity to ponder a future purchase in the form of The Origin Classique fountain pen.  I myself have made the selections of The Origin 149 and The Origin Classique, passing over the other offerings.  But I imagine that every article of The Origin Collection has struck the fancy of one or another of the members of the subforum.

Thinking about it one of my smoothest nibs is an OB/OBB nib (I have no info on it but I would guess it is OBB) on a Geha 736. Unfortunately that nib size is too big for my handwriting to look well.

 

The service issue was made even weirder by the huge contrast, some of the other guests were sipping champagne as I waited but I have no idea what they bought. 

The other boutiques I have visited were also a mixed bag so far. In Tokyo Ginza they were very nice and showed me a lot of pens though Japanese customer service is just good nowadays. 

The airport boutique in Venice had a very lady who was very unmotivated at first. She could not understand that I was not interested in the defective pen pouches that she presented me. I wanted to buy one there but both of the ones available in the store had some issue (leather marked or residual glue). Funnily though she flagged me down afterwards after she tried to polish off the glue residue.

 

I forgot to add that they later were able to provide me a F nib from the ink testing table but that was not optimal. Already the ink in the testers were all different and the one from the ink testing table had reddish ink in it. According to the second sales person the characteristics of those inks would differ based on the color with red being the most wet one. And I would say he was right because the red one in the F nib feathered the most. My fountain pen obsession fortunately does not extend to inks, I would have thought that the ink flowing characteristics are at least very similar within a brand.

In regards to the production information that I have provided, I am located in Germany and my boutique should be one of the busier ones  so it might be that they have better information, time will tell.

 

The Origin 149 is my first new Montblanc and my first cigar shaped one after owning around 10 other vintage ones because I really like the 1x/2x/3x series and am less afraid of fakes for those vintage series.

I was enamored by the green Origin Classique since the reveal in April and actually wanted to get that one but was severely disappointed to find out that it was only a cartridge/converter filler as I expect an inbuilt filling system at that price range.

In the end this thread and the fact that the 149 is just iconic pushed me to it. Looks wise I also prefer the blue LeGrande model because the black 149 with platinum trimmings looks a bit bland in my opinion. But in the end I knew that I would have wanted an 149 sometime in the future anyway so why not just get the anniversary one, it’s not like I will buy so many new Montblancs anyway (I just prefer vintage ones).

 

Overall I am very happy with the decision. It looks huge but feels surprisingly good in my hands so no complaints 😊