Montblanc Gives New Life To A Legendary Design by Rewriting the Rules

In celebration of its 110th Anniversary, Montblanc returns to its beginnings, as it reimagines one of the first product lines it created during the early 20th century. After almost 3 years of development, the founders of Montblanc launched in 1909 “Rouge et Noir“, the Maison’s first fountain-pen series, made of black ebonite with a red cap top and inspired by the famous novel of the same name by Stendhal.

While the new Montblanc Heritage Collection Rouge & Noir evokes the pioneering spirit of Montblanc with a vintage look and feel, the design brings a contemporary twist to the early model with a slimmer and longer silhouette, as well as incorporating modern piston technology.

With its sensual curves, the serpent features prominently throughout the collection wrapped around the top of the writing instrument and undulating down the cap to become the clip. The mysterious serpent recalls a design motif popular among Art Nouveau artists when the original Rouge & Noir collection first made its appearance. With this newly designed collection of writing instruments the Maison revisits its early pioneering spirit and reinterprets a legendary line in both form and function with a new size and shape and enhanced writing features for a softer, more luxurious writing experience.

The cap and barrel of the Montblanc Heritage Collection, Rouge & Noir, Special Edition are crafted from precious black resin and lacquer, with the historical Montblanc logo engraved on the cap’s side. A traditional off-white snowcap, embedded in coral red precious resin crowns the writing instrument. The new alloy metal used to create the writing instrument’s clip ensures it can be lifted without being bent, while the patina on the clip’s 1920s-inspired serpent design is achieved by using a special galvanic and stripping process. While forming the shape of the clip with its green eyes, the motif of the creature is also engraved on the rhodium-plated Au585 gold nib, evoking Montblanc’s mission to constantly rethink and reinvent the art of writing since 1906. The Montblanc Heritage Collection, Rouge & Noir, Special Edition Coral contrasts with the black model, made from vivid coral resin and lacquer evoking a colour reminiscent of the era, and features a bi-colour nib in Au585 gold decorated with the intricate serpent engraving.

Hard rubber, the material that was once one of the only viable and available materials from which Montblanc could create fountain pens, makes its return with the Montblanc Heritage Collection, Rouge & Noir, Limited Edition 1906. With the same limitation number as the year Montblanc was founded, the cap and barrel of the writing instrument are crafted from ebonite, a material that contains natural rubber with sulphur and linseed oil used in a model from 1909, and still manufactured according to a traditional process. While the texture of the ebonite contrasts with the metal fittings and the coral and ivory coloured resin of the Montblanc emblem, the sensorial experience is enhanced by the typical scent that comes from the sulphur content inside the ebonite. The serpent adorns the rhodium-plated Au 750 gold nib with the bi- colour design, while the slithering creature that forms the clip is set with two precious rubies as its eyes.

To complement the Montblanc Heritage Collection, Rouge & Noir writing instruments, a collection of fine stationary pieces is being introduced featuring the serpent. The first piece to launch will be an elegant lined notebook in black leather embossed with spiralling serpents.

Through craftsmanship refined over generations, the pioneering spirit that fuelled Montblanc’s early innovations comes to life in the Montblanc Heritage Collection, Rouge & Noir, Special Edition and Limited Edition 1906. With refined aesthetics and innovative functionality, Montblanc draws inspiration from its legacy to rewrite the rules, 110 years later.

Click here to find out more.