Montblanc (company)

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Montblanc International
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryLuxury goods
Founded1906; 115 years ago (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 Edit this at Wikidata

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

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.[3]

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 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.[4]

In November 2019, Montblanc launched their partnership with The Webster for a limited-edition, capsule collection.[5][6]

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.[citation needed]

Website blocking[]

In October 2014 the first blocking order against trademark infringing consumer goods was passed against the major UK Internet service providers (ISPs) by Richemont, Cartier International and Montblanc to block several domains selling trademark infringing products.[7]

Products[]

Range of products commercialised by Montblanc includes:

Type Products
Writing implements Fountain pens, ballpoint pens, Fountain pen inks
Watch Wristwatches, smartwatches
Leather Bags, handbags, suitcases, backpacks, belts, keychains, compasses, bracelets
Paper Agendas, Notebooks
Jewellery Bracelets, necklaces
Audio Headphones

Gallery[]

  • 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

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. ^ "Penspotters :: Montblanc pens". rickconner.net.
  4. ^ Gardiner, Victoria (25 January 2014). "Montblanc Announces Hugh Jackman as Global Brand Ambassador". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Montblanc and The Webster celebrate the launch of their new, limited-edition collection". gothammag.com.
  6. ^ "Montblanc And The Webster Celebrated A New Capsule Collection In NYC". Essence.
  7. ^ Little, Trevor. "Landmark judgment handed down in dispute between Richemont and ISPs". Retrieved 17 October 2014.

External links[]

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