You love many of the same simpler classic watches that I love, so it's not surprising with pens. As with watches, there were quite a few understated fountain pens even 20 years ago. Then the pen industry moved in the 'luxury' direction and designs became more extreme and less useful and practical for everyday purposes. It's at this point that I lost some interest, though I still love the earlier models (e.g., Montblanc 146/149, Pelikan 800, Parker Duofold and 75).