M800 Relikan Renaissance Brown

M800 Renassaince Brown

Pelikan Special Editions

When Pelikan issues a special edition, it is available for a limited time. Rather than committing to produce a set number of pens, Pelikan commits to produce the pens for that year.

Of the Special Editions I have the pleasure of owning, the Tortoiseshell Brown was issued in February 2013, the M800 Burnt white was released in 2015.

M800 Renaissance Brown Special Edition

The Souverän M800 is one of the iconic pen sizes. Other pens are often referenced ion terms of their size and the size of the M800. The classic M800 is 14.1 cm when closed, 16.4 cm when the cap is posted, and is relatively light, weighing in at 29.3 grams without ink.

The Renaissance is made with the standard M800 body and cap. The acrylic body and cap (same material used on both) is a beautiful blend of rich browns with large flecks of pearl that catch the light as you hold the pen. This is where the pen gets it name. Pelikan says the nuances of light and shadow in the acrylic are a typical characteristics of Renaissance painting. The pen pays homage to the masterpieces painted by the period's greatest artists.

The rings and clip of the pen decorated with 24 carat gold/There is gold plate trim at the base of the nib section and beneath the section with the piston turn knob. This all nicely sets off the beautiful resin used in the cap and the body. The resin is semi translucent and when you hold the pen up to the light you can see part-way into the body.

The nib is the smooth writing 19K gold nib, and it is available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium and Broad. Gone are the days where a broader assortment of nibs were available.

I thought they went cheap on the box, and when a read about the pen on the Pelikan web site I see they call it a "practical" box and that prestigious gift boxes can be ordered separately.

With this pen, they note the 2017 Ink of the Year is Smoky Quartz, a matching colour for the pen. The ink was available in May 2017.