WatchProSite Pursuits: Fountain Pen Review, An Unboxing of Faber Castell Pen Of The Year 2019: Samurai
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” It’s an old cliché, but it’s true. In today’s world, wars and trade agreements
are declared with nothing more than a stroke of a pen or a few button presses
on a computer keyboard. Think about it... Today, the world's most powerful actions are set into motion with a pen. Nobody goes into a boardroom with a sword.
The handle of the pen is especially meaningful. It imitates the grip of
the KATANA which is wrapped in stingray leather and silk thread.
Samurai, is the word for a noble Japanese warrior who is
loyal to his lord. Samurais fight for
their lord not as hired mercenaries, but as men bound by honor. In the story of the “47 Ronin” a Lord Asano
was insulted and tricked by another Lord Kira to act in an undignified way. Lord Asano was forced to commit seppuku
(suicide by disembowlment) to atone for his undignified behavior. However, Lord Asano’s Samurais knew that
their lord was the victim of a plot by Lord Kira; they became leaderless
samurai or “ronin” after the death of their master. The 47 Ronin would then bide their time,
patiently waiting for the opportune moment to take their revenge on Lord Kira
years later. After they took their
revenge, the ronin, restored as Samurai, committed seppuku themselves.
The pen is piston filled, meaning that it has a piston that moves up and down its barrel, when it moves up, it sucks ink into the barrel as it draws ink from the inkwell. A transparent window shows the liquid ink (above in blue ink) moving inside the pen.
It’s rare today to see men with honor such as the brave and idealistic Samurai. Graf Von Faber-Castell, the luxury writing instruments manufacturer, has decided to celebrate the Samurai in its annual Pen of the Year special edition.
The fitting quote is, "Today, I win against myself of yesterday" is by Miyamoto Musashi an expert in swordsmanship.
Offered in two Fountain Pen Editions; the Black version is
limited to only 330 pieces worldwide and costs $5400 USD. The Ruthenium version with a magnolia wood
barrel is limited to 400 pieces and costs $3900 USD. I find the black version stunningly beautiful, and a powerful pen.
The wave pattern symbolizes calmness and tranquility and is a common theme in Japanese history.
IN CONCLUSION
It's rare to see a limited edition fountain pen with a theme that is so well executed. Many of them are simply executed in overly elaborate designs and colored differently from one year to another. This particular limited edition was well researched and thoughtfully presented. With only a total of 730 fountain pens for the entire world in both editions; there is no doubt that this pen will sell out quickly among Asian collectors and Western collectors who have an affinity for Asian culture. Overall, as a collector of writing instruments for over twenty years, I seldom see an edition that distills so much about the subject into a micro canvas of a pen. If you can regard pens as a work of art; I highly suggest you consider this pen, put it in a shadow-box picture frame, and hang it up on your wall as a work of art. Break the glass in case of emergency when you need to sign an important contract!
Please enjoy photos of the unboxing of the Ruthenium version below.
Outer cardboard box.
Black piano lacquer box. Four layers of boxes is the perfect amount of justice for this impressive pen.
Guarantee papers are at the bottom tray of the box. There's also a six pen tray so you can store other beautiful pens in this beautiful pen box that will rest proudly on your desk. Your colleagues may assume this beautiful box is a cigar humidor until you open it and they will realize it contains beautiful pens.
The black Samurai pen....
Cheers, Filip
Thanks for the review and photos...
Love this pen, have it in Classique :) myself just love the blue color :D and hints of Le Petit Prince :) [nt]
Very nice pen! My latest Montblanc was the Borghese piece.
Fantastic Review.....
Thank you Salman! We seem to have a lot of similar tastes; from cars, to pens, to watches! [nt]
Beautiful pen, and an interesting packaging :) but hoping to see her in person to get a better view, I've become very biased to Pelikan :D and spending that kind of bling needs to be seen in
We are very spoiled by the amount of beautiful pieces out there today !
You may find it hard to believe...
I don't think its hard to believe at all :D my second fountain pen was a Montblanc and had it not skipped I think I would have been in trouble and added more.
Superb, Patrick. This fountain pen is superb. Congratulations. I hesitated to open your thread because pens are a dangerous attraction on me. ;)
You see what you did? Here are some I am thinking about...
I'm really enjoying my Montblanc Borghese pen...
One I like very much.
You know me, I vote for the Guggenheim piece. I always liked that piece. [nt]
Thanks for sharing Patrick
Thank you for reading!
That's a great question Patrick
I think in general I'm a fan of all things well designed and of good quality. Dare say it's a keener eye that has been honed by this hobby
Good luck to your pursuits!
A lot of fun to have there. I got myself a super complex music box in Singapore last year. These are truly beautiful creations that are underappreciated.