Montblanc (company)

Montblanc International (UK: /ˌmɒ̃ˈblɒ̃(k)/, US: /ˌmɑnˈblɑŋk/)[3] is a German manufacturing company of luxury goods, based in Hamburg.

Montblanc International
Subsidiary
IndustryLuxury goods
Founded1906 (1906)
Headquarters
Hamburg
,
Germany
Number of locations
449 boutiques (2012)
Key people
Nicolas Baretzki (CEO)[1]
ProductsPens, bags, watches, jewellery, other accessories
Revenue€370.4 M (2017)
ParentRichemont [2]
Websitewww.montblanc.com

Montblanc produces a wide range of products, including goods for travel, writing implements, watches and jewellery, among other products.

History

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 (English: "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 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.[4]

Today, Montblanc forms part of the Richemont group. 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.

Branding

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 meters, is also a commonly recurring theme.

In January 2014, Hugh Jackman was announced as Montblanc's Global Brand Ambassador, outside of US.[5]

Characteristics

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. Under the clip is usually the words "Made in Germany" and often "Pix". 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.

Website blocking

In October 2014 the first blocking order against trademark infringing consumer goods was passed against the major UK ISPs by Richemont, Cartier International and Montblanc to block several domains selling trademark infringing products.[6]

Products

Range of products commercialised by Montblanc includes:

Type Products
Writing implementsFountain pens, ballpoint pens, Fountain pen inks
WatchWristwatches, smartwatches
LeatherBags, handbags, suitcases, backpacks, belts, keychains, compasses, bracelets
PaperAgendas
JewelleryBracelets, necklaces
Audio Headphones
  • Montblanc Meisterstück 149 with a Longines DolceVita Chronograph.
  • Montblanc Diplomat c. 2006 (left) and Meisterstück 149 (right), c. 1978-1980
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald fountain pen from 2002 in double-broad (BB) nib
  • BB engraving of the Montblanc F. Scott Fitzgerald model, featuring The Great Gatsby
  • Montblanc Meisterstück cufflinks gold and onyx
  • Sterling Silver Montblanc pencil, biro, and black leather case
gollark: And would end up in some ridiculous cat and mouse game.
gollark: You would almost certainly get beeized legally somehow.
gollark: Problematic, though, considering.
gollark: Not currently. It could be, and it would be a fairly simple way to do it.
gollark: Probably the best approach to avoiding surveillance now would have to involve deliberately polluting facial recognition databases and such with fake pictures of you.

See also

Notes and references
  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. "Wiktionary entry for 'Mont Blanc'". en.wiktionary.org.
  4. "Penspotters :: Montblanc pens". rickconner.net.
  5. Gardiner, Victoria (25 January 2014). "Montblanc Announces Hugh Jackman as Global Brand Ambassador". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  6. Little, Trevor. "Landmark judgment handed down in dispute between Richemont and ISPs". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
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