Beauty & Style | Monday 4 July, 2016 4:35 pm |

4th July 2016: An icon of design, the Montblanc Meisterstück takes on a surprising new appearance inspired by the Maison’s heritage, leaving behind its traditional shiny black resin for an elegant matt black finish. Playing on a different shade of black, the new Meisterstück Ultra Black Special Edition is characterized by its matt precious resin, a reference to the first Montblanc writing instruments made of ebonite, a matt material that contains natural rubber, sulphur and linseed oil giving the original pens their distinctive texture and scent.

The special edition writing instrument, only available throughout 2016, pays tribute to Montblanc’s 110-year legacy highlighting the unique feeling the matt finish creates when its surface is touched. While the proportions and shape of the iconic writing instrument remain unchanged, the Meisterstück Ultra Black Special Edition is crafted by sandblasting the precious resin to create the matt surface. The shiny finish of the ruthenium-coated fittings and the Au585 gold nib as well as the polished resin forepart, contrast with the texture of the pen’s surface. 

“The shiny polished resin of the original Meisterstück is one of the design features that make it one of the most instantly recognizable writing instruments in the world, so seeing it with a new matt finish certainly is an experience from a visual and a sensorial perspective,” explains Jérôme Lambert, CEO Montblanc International. “It is a salute to the Maison’s early beginnings and its use of a matt ebonite 110 years ago when the first Rouge & Noir collection was introduced. Unexpected and yet inimitable, this new variation on the iconic Meisterstück underscores its status as a modern classic.”

With balanced proportions and perfect functionality, the iconic Meisterstück has become a symbol of timeless elegance through the decades. Traditionally associated with formality, strength, elegance and authority, the colour black takes on a different meaning with the matt shade of the new Meisterstück Ultra Black Special Edition. As Michael Pastoureau, author of Black – The History of a Colour writes, “Shiny black is the colour of elegance and sophistication – matt black is the colour of mystery.”

Mysterious and surprising, the icon of writing culture in its new finish is available as a Fountain Pen LeGrand, Rollerball LeGrand, Ballpoint Fountain Pen Classique, Rollerball Classique, Ballpoint Pen Classique and the new Midsize. To coincide with the release of the Meisterstück Ultra Black Special Edition, Montblanc has created a special Ultra Black ink available in an ink bottle or in cartridges.