Montblanc International GmbH
Formerly
  • Simplizissiumus-Füllhalter (1906-1907)
  • Simplo Filler Pen Co. GmbH (1907-1934)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryLuxury goods
Founded22 March 1906; 116 years ago (1906-03-22) in Berlin, Germany
Headquarters
Hellgrundweg 100, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
53°35′37″N 9°53′57″E / 53.5937423°N 9.8990675°E / 53.5937423; 9.8990675Coordinates: 53°35′37″N 9°53′57″E / 53.5937423°N 9.8990675°E / 53.5937423; 9.8990675
Number of locations
638 boutiques (2021)
Key people
Nicolas Baretzki (CEO)[1]
Products
Revenue€370.4 M (2017)
ParentRichemont[2]
Websitemontblanc.com

Montblanc (UK: /ˌmɒ̃ˈblɒ̃(k)/, US: /ˌmɑnˈblɑŋk/) is a German manufacturer and distributer of luxury goods, founded in Berlin in 1906, and currently based in Hamburg. The company is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. Since 1993, Montblanc has been part of the Swiss Richemont group.[3]

History[edit]

A Hamburg banker, Alfred Nehemias, and a Berlin engineer, August Eberstein, produced simple pens in 1906. After a short period of time Wilhelm Dziambor, Christian Lausen, and later Claus Johannes Voss took over the business. Their first model was the Rouge et Noir in 1909 followed in 1910 by the pen that was later to give the company its new name, Montblanc. The Meisterstück name (lit. 'Masterpiece', the name used for export) was used for the first time in 1924. Today, the Montblanc brand is on other goods besides pens, including watches, jewellery, fragrances, leather goods, and eyewear.

The company was founded in 1906 as Simplizissiumus-Füllhalter in Berlin, and in 1907, moved to Hamburg and changed its name to Simplo Filler Pen Co. GmbH; it was incorporated under that name in 1908. Its current name was adopted in 1934.[4]

Montblanc was acquired by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. in 1977, following which lower price pens were dropped, and the brand was used on a wide range of luxury goods other than pens.[5]

In 1993, Montblanc became part of the Swiss Richemont group.[3] Its sister companies include luxury brands Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chloé, and Baume et Mercier. Montblanc is owned, through Richemont, by the South African Rupert family.

In October 2014 the first blocking order against trademark infringing consumer goods was passed against the major UK Internet service providers (ISPs) by Montblanc to block several domains selling trademark infringing products.[6]

Products[edit]

Montblanc StarWalker pen

Montblanc is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. In 2022, the company began collaborating with streetwear brand BAPE and lifestyle brand Maison Kitsuné to broaden its leather goods portfolio and attract a younger audience. CEO Nicolas Baretzki told Vogue Business in 2022 he believes leather goods will become one of the company's biggest categories, possibly even overtaking pens.[7]

Montblanc makes several models of pens, with the Meisterstück (fountain pen) representing the cornerstone model. Each is slightly different, however Meisterstück models created after 1990 have a serial number located on the ring at the top of the clip, and under the clip is usually has "Pix" engraved. The barrels of pens made of black 'precious resin' will reveal a reddish hue under strong lighting; if the pen in question does not have these attributes then it is possibly a fake.[8]

Branding[edit]

Snowcap logo

A trademark identified with Montblanc is the white stylized six-pointed snowcap with rounded edges, representative of the Mont Blanc snowcap from above, the symbol being adopted in 1913. The number "4810", the mountain's height in metres, is also a commonly recurring theme.

In January 2014, Hugh Jackman was announced as Montblanc's Global Brand Ambassador, outside of the United States.[9]

In November 2019, Montblanc launched their partnership with The Webster for a limited-edition, capsule collection.[10][11]

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "New CEO for Montblanc", Prestige Magazine, 2016-11-24
  2. ^ Richemont's 2019 Interim Report now available online on Richemont.com, 15 Nov 2019
  3. ^ a b "Montblanc – Handarbeit seit 1906". Handelsblatt. 13 November 2019.
  4. ^ Forster, Jack (9 March 2018). "Inside The Manufacture: Montblanc's Pen Factory And Museum In Hamburg". Hodinkee. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Penspotters :: Montblanc pens". rickconner.net.
  6. ^ Little, Trevor. "Landmark judgment handed down in dispute between Richemont and ISPs". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  7. ^ Benissan, Ezreen (27 June 2022). "Can Montblanc draw the in-crowd with leather goods and collabs?". Vogue Business. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. ^ Cerf, Nathaniel (1 April 2018). "Don't Be Fooled by Fake Mont Blanc Pens". The Pen Market. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. ^ Gardiner, Victoria (25 January 2014). "Montblanc Announces Hugh Jackman as Global Brand Ambassador". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Montblanc and The Webster celebrate the launch of their new, limited-edition collection". gothammag.com.
  11. ^ "Montblanc And The Webster Celebrated A New Capsule Collection In NYC". Essence.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montblanc (company).

Official website