Web Site: www.montblanc.com
Company founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1908 under the name: Simplo Filler Pen Company by stationer Claus-Johannes Voss and banker Alfred Nehemias and engineer August Eberstein. In the earliest years the new company may have assembled pens from components made by other companies. Later, one founder, August Eberstein, is said to had fled to the United States to avoid a trail related to the theft of company monies.
MONTBLANC INTERNATIONAL GMBH
service@montblanc.com
Montblanc Customer Service Canada
4610 Eastgate Parkway, Unit 1
Missisauga, Ontario L4W 3W6
Telephone: +1- 905 602 1262
Montblanc Customer Service USA
252 Broadheard Road, Suite 500
Bethlehem, PA 18017
1.800.995.4810
The "Rouge Et Noir" was issued in 1909 and became the first significant pen by the new company.
In 1910 the name "Montblanc" was registered as the trademark and from that time used as the name for all its pens. In 1913 the white star, or sometimes called the snowflake, became the branded logo for the company.
It was in 1924 the company established lines of pens, with the Masterpiece (Meisterstück). It was in 1929 that the number 4810, the height in meters of of the highest peak in the Alps, Mont Blanc, appeared on the nib.
In 1934 the company changed its name to Montblanc Simplo GmbH.
The factory was destroyed during World War II. During that time, Montblanc's pens were made in Denmark. After the way, Montblanc Simplo GmhH rebuilt is production centre in Germany.
Following the same stylish theme of the Meisterstück line, the iconic Meisterstück 149 was issued in 1952.
In 1977 Alfred Dunhill obtained controlling interest. Dunhill's marketing strategy was to concentrate on higher price points and also expand into other luxury products. US distribution was assigned to Koh-I-Noor. Montblanc USA was later created. Dunhill was later acquired by the Richemont AB Swiss Luxury Good Group.
In 1986 Montblanc launched its marketing brand: the art of writing. Credit must be given to Montblanc and its marketing to raise the profile of writing instruments.
The top line pens, the masterpiece, usually had the number "1" in the name, such as the 149, 144, 146 etc. The second line of pens typically had the number "2" in the name They often had the small snowflake logo on the clip or the band of the pen. Being referred to as the second line does not mean they were of a lower quality. The third line had a "3' in the name, were smaller and had smaller nibs. Student quality pens were below these. After Dunhill acquired the company it moved away from producing anything but the top line pens.
The iconic Montblanc 149
