Text: Irina Malkova SEVERAL DESIGNS DISTINCTING ALL MONTBLANC PRODUCTS ARE ACHIEVED BY THE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY OF THEIR PROCESSING. THIS CIRCUMSTANCE AND DETERMINES THE STYLE OF THE BRAND, FAMOUS HERE FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS.
Christian Ruach is Montblanc's Managing Director for Writing Culture, Jewelry and Leather. He is young, looks great and is polite in German. It can be said that his appearance is ideally suited to the image of the illustrious Montblanc House, although, perhaps, I expected to see someone older. But today, young leaders in any company are a big plus and a demonstration of the brand’s progressiveness. Arriving in Dubai for just a couple of days, Christian kindly made time for an interview.
First, he enthusiastically shows me a pen from a completely new limited collection dedicated to the famous German piano master Heinrich Steinweg, the founder of Steinway & Sons. The demonstration itself is a special process. Christian puts on thin velor gloves, takes out a crystal, almost transparent box and extracts from it a new work of art by German masters. The keys of the piano are depicted on the cap of the handle: white - from pure white gold, black - from precious black resin. The case is inlaid with diamonds.
“We made only 88 such pens,” Christian says. - Because there are 88 keys in Steinweg’s piano.
Can I find out what its price is?
Christian: About 60 thousand dollars, but believe me, this is not just a pen - this is a masterpiece of skill. In addition to these 88 copies, other pens from the same series will also go on sale, which are slightly cheaper. They will be released 4810 pieces - it is this height in meters that Mount Mont Blanc has. For us, this number is symbolic.
For limited editions of Montblanc pens dedicated to famous personalities and great writers, true collectors have long been hunting. Personally, I am fascinated by a pen dedicated to Albert Einstein.
Christian: We released this series last year, and if I'm not mistaken, the entire collection is sold out. The pen case is decorated with engravings in the form of Einstein's famous formulas. The limited series consisted of 99 copies, and this is not accidental either: the number symbolizes the atomic number of the chemical element of Einstein, named after the great scientist. As you can see, behind the facade of each collection has its own mystery.
Our collectors like it. Do you release limited collections every year?
Christian: Yes, since 2003, the company has been releasing a limited series of stationery once a year, united on one topic. At different times, the collections were named after Leonardo da Vinci, Catherine the Great, Voltaire, Hemingway, Honore de Balzac, Marcel Proust, Pablo Picasso, Princess of Monaco and others. Such series symbolize the special status of Montblanc pens as excellent writing tools worthy of bearing the names of great people. Moreover, according to company policy, we never release a similar series again - the entire collection remains exclusive and original. After the production of the last instance, we even destroy the tools with which these pens were made. And if you suddenly have scratches on the surface of the pen, then we will not change it, as well as introduce other aesthetic innovations or updates. Our collectors know for sure that if 99 items were released, then you won’t find any more such pens.
And so you create your collectors, like collectors of rare paintings ...
Christian: Absolutely. All our customers have one thing in common - a passion for writing and unique products. Pens are a kind of investment. And its owner is sure that it is one of the few in the world. On the other hand, we have permanent collections - Starwalker, Boheme, as well as the famous Meisterstuck (translated from German as “masterpiece”), which was released back in 1924 and this year celebrates its 90th anniversary. This pen with a white star with rounded rays on the top of the cap is one of the most popular in the world.
It seems to me that these days it’s hard to name politicians who don’t use your pens. Each time they show on TV how they sign an important agreement, Montblanc flashes on the screen.
Christian: By the way, I have a great photo where Mikhail Gorbachev signs the contract with our pen. But people use them in everyday life when they write something close to their heart and important to them. Yes, some of the pens are very expensive - sometimes they cost up to 500 thousand dollars or even 1 million. But still, a quarter of the selling stationery falls on the price range from 500 to 1,500 dollars. We produce pens for those who care about what he writes.
Let's imagine that this is the first time I am in your boutique and want to buy a pen. What will you advice me?
Christian: First you need to understand the purpose for which you will use it. What will you do: write letters, keep a personal diary, put a signature?
To put a signature.
Christian: Then first of all I will ask you to write something on paper. Depending on how energetically you write, how and with what tilt you hold the pen, on the degree of pressure and the style of writing convenient for you, we can make a pen for you personally. All the information about the handwriting that we collect here in the store, we will send to our manufactory in Hamburg and then we will produce a personalized pen that is ideal for you. This service is not available everywhere, but in Dubai it is available.
And how long will it take?
Christian: About three months. But believe me - you will appreciate the convenience and comfort of a bespoke pen very quickly. Of course, the metal itself and the type of collection you can choose to your taste. Here, try my pen!
Christian takes out a smooth black Meisterstuck handle with gold trim, unscrews the cap and hands it to me. Frankly speaking, I have never used a custom-made pen. Personal initials are visible on the side of the pen. Despite the rather massive appearance, writing to her is easy and really very convenient. “Try another one,” Christian offers me.
He takes out a small handbag from somewhere, opens it, and I see his personal collection of 6 Montblanc pens for different occasions. It looks beautiful, very expensive and very unusual.
Can I find out why you need so many different Montblanc pens?
Christian: For me it's a matter of mood. And then, I like to use pens to keep my own diary. I am constantly traveling around the world and often write down my impressions of different cities and from events in which I have participated.
Perhaps one day my son or grandson will read the diary, and this will be important for him. I believe that texts typed on a computer do not convey the emotional background and mood. The handwritten text is kept alive for centuries.
I look at the traveler’s diary and, with curiosity, also notice Christian’s artistic talent. Next to the text, I see drawings and sketches of a very good performance, which you involuntarily begin to compare with the drawings in the fields of Pushkin or Turgenev. Agree, such a hobby among top managers these days is very, very rare.
Montblanc often supports various cultural and social projects around the world, and there is even a joint project with Emirates Airline.
Christian: Yes, we have a special series of pens that you can only purchase on board Emirates Airline. We and the airline deduct 20% of the amount of each pen purchased to the Emirates Foundation. This is an educational project - the money goes to the maintenance of schools around the world. We have a similar project with UNISEF - Signature for Good. We believe that the best thing we can do is teach young children how to read and write. After all, if you do not know how to read and write, then you will not be able to feel full in this world. For example, if you are going to a small village in Africa, bring medicines or medical equipment there, then in order to correctly calculate the dose of medicine or learn how to use devices, you still need to be able to read. That is why it is so important to be educated. Yes, we are associated with the luxury industry, but we believe that true luxury is helping other people.
HANDLE OF ALBERT EINSTEIN
The decorative element of the pen dedicated to Albert Einstein is associated with the lattice, which is often used to visualize the space-time continuum. Since the general theory of relativity dictates that the lattice should be curved under the influence of matter, the openwork element gracefully bends around the sapphire tip of the clip. Light passes through gravitational lenses in space and forms the so-called "Einstein ring"
HANDLE PABLO PICASSO
Exclusive pens from the collection dedicated to Pablo Picasso resemble a pencil in shape - thus the company pays tribute to the exceptional talent of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. The signature of the artist is engraved on the pen. In one of the series of pens - 39 copies, which symbolizes the number of paintings and drawings depicting Sylvette David, known as the "girl with a ponytail" - the muses of Picasso of the 50s. The clip mount looks like a ponytail, and through it you can look at the signature of Picasso. The lacquered strips of red on the tip of the pen on top of an 18-carat gold base recall the artist's Spanish origin. The pen was first presented to selected collectors by the grandson of Pablo Picasso Olivier at the Museum in Barcelona.
