Name: Why It Takes Years of Training to Make This $1,200 Montblanc Pen
Uploaded: 2026-04-21T16:00:00Z
Duration: 6 min 47 s
Description: Montblanc’s fountain pen, the Meisterstück, is a sought-after $1,200 luxury item. WSJ visited Montblanc’s factory in Germany to see why the pen is still popular after 100 years.

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Montblanc’s fountain pen, the Meisterstück, is a sought-after $1,200 luxury item. WSJ visited Montblanc’s factory in Germany to see why the pen is still popular after 100 years. Photo: Andrew Kirschenbaum

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260421/648826e7-e7a3-4a3e-a76e-52a400161d6c/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Montblanc’s fountain pen, the Meisterstück, is a sought-after $1,200 luxury item. WSJ visited Montblanc’s factory in Germany to see why the pen is still popular after 100 years.

Why It Takes Years of Training to Make This $1,200 Montblanc Pen

Jens: Everybody sees you are successful 'cause you write with a Montblanc Meisterstück.

When you're holding it, it just feels a little bit heavier and more luxurious.

Axel: To produce a Meisterstück, if we just make one, it would take around about four to five weeks.

Jens: The branding is spectacular. You see the star, know exactly what it is.

Alexa: Kings use it, presidents use it, celebrities use it.

Oh sure Richard, you can use my Montblanc.

Jens: It's about 800, 900 euros. So it was always a status symbol and was very expensive.

We really intend them to be companions of unique journeys, and by nature, that means that people tend to use the Meisterstück when those moments occur. The Meisterstück was first launched in 1924 and Meisterstück is German and means masterpiece. It's not so easy to pronounce if you are not a native speaker. And legend has it that the pen already existed, but in the drawers of our master craftsmen, and then clients came and asked for a special pen for the Sunday use, so the pen of the pens. And this is when they pulled that one out of the drawer.

Fountain pens were always this prestige object, but the Meisterstück was always high top of quality and with a lifetime guarantee, so people were secure to use it and they're proud to show it. So Montlanc was never a innovation leader and they copied a lot of other companies, but they done it in the best way you can do it. Be the fast follower, invest in the right marketing on high quality level. My grandfather was one of the founder of Montblanc. I was surrounded with pens and pencils. And we tested him too, breaking, sometimes, things, and writing, and filling with ink. My grandfather and my father, too, told me is the employers, the workforce has to be well-educated 'cause they're responsible at the end for the quality.

I am in charge of the gold nib department. I started at Montblanc over 35 years. When you have a nib produced in gold material, you can give the pan from generation to generation. If you can do that, you have no problem with corrosion. For the grinding process, we have over six months training and it's not for everybody. I think 50% cannot achieve the training level. You need very good eyes. You need very good dexterities. Your hand moving have to be very good. Also, high concentration is very important. The perfect nib has to be not too loud. We test every nib and every nib unit in my department by hand. The embossing, the characteristic design for Montblanc is a Montblanc logo and the 4,810 meters, the highest mountain in Europe.

Penmaker: When we ask people if they know the brand and what they know about the brand, one of the very first things they will mention is our emblem. So the snow cap that adorns every of our riding instruments. And that is a key recognition element that people really love about the brand.

The story of the star is interesting 'cause it is this typical story that design follows function. Mr. Eberstein, member of the first founder, had a patent on the cover cap top for fountain pens, but it was not protectable in Germany. So they were looking for another idea and they decided to make a star on the cap top.

Penmaker: This precious resin just gives you a fantastic, deep, shiny surface that we really using for our icon.

Penmaker: It's a timeless color. It's a bit like in fashion, the little black dress, you can bring it to any occasion, any moment.

Penmaker: We check the quality with a special light.

We are looking at the pen and, of course, and if you move it like this, you will see the flame looks like a candlelight, and it goes from the cone up to the Montblanc logo.

Alexa: It is a piece that we reinvent every year, which we use as a canvas for storytelling and which also inspires the creation of other pieces. There are a lot of different reasons why people write with fountain pens.

Laura: I'm practicing calligraphy, doing monoline italic with a Meisterstück 146. You know, in monoline italic, you want something that is quite uniform. The pen, you know, writes very smoothly and there's not much variation, so this is very ideal.

Favorite pens of my collection to tell a little story, have much more. Here are three pants I'm very fond of. There's only one piece in the world you can have. This is a prototype.

Right now, I love to write with the . I love this one because it's made out of wood and it feels really nice in the hand.

For my signature, I write with a double broad bb.

Laura: I usually keep about five pins inked and one will always be a Montblanc pen. When the mood strikes, I always know that it's always gonna work properly. I inherited one from my husband. He used to work in finance and he was using it for quite a bit. I think that the price of the Montblanc pen for me personally, may not be worth it. I think that I'm very lucky that I got my pin secondhand, and I know people personally that have inherited from, you know, their father or grandfather. If you come at it from that type of angle, I think that, you know, it's probably worth the price 'cause it's made to last that long

Jens: If this brand Montblanc will not exist, I think the idea of buying fountain pen as a status symbol will not be in the mind of many, many people who can afford the status symbol like a Montblanc pan.

Coveted highlights the precision and process behind expertly-crafted cult favorites—from the smallest everyday items to the ultimate luxury splurge.