M805 Stresemann
In the early morning hours of Saturday, December 13th Pelikan announced to the community via its Facebook page for Pelikan International that something new was coming. It was described as the reinterpretation of a classic and an image of just the silhouette of a pen was provided with a short caption. Of course, this generated no shortage of speculation and commentary throughout the weekend. I saw quite a range of guesses as to what was in store, many of which seemed to be hoping for some new variation of tortoise. Thankfully, Pelikan did not keep us waiting for long and, just 48 hours later, they have made the announcement that in 2015 they will be releasing an M805 with a new binde (pronounced BIN-duh) dubbed Stresemann. Binde is a German word that describes the colored/patterned sleeve that is fitted around the outside of the barrel of a pen. It is more of a historical term as the old birds had a barrel with a separate binde to provide the coloration. I believe that this is still the case though for the M8xx series and up but does not hold true for the smaller Souveräns.
What then is the reinterpreted classic? The famous Stresemann binde previously available in green, red, and blue is now going to be available in ANTHRACITE, a rich charcoal color. For those of you not familiar with the term Stresemann, it is a term that has been used to describe Pelikan’s classic pinstripe appearance with green and black stripes. It is the nickname of the Souverän series and was derived from the Secretary of State of the Weimar Republic, well-known for wearing striped trousers. It looks like this color will be available as a fountain pen (M805), roller ball (R805), and ball point (K805). An exact release date is not available at this time.
Personally, I like the looks of the new M805 and appreciate the bit of variety that this new color injects into the line-up. The M805 is a nicely sized pen and fits the ideal for many enthusiast though will prove too big for some. The color is subtle and conservative but still striking and very much in keeping with the classic cultural sensibilities out of Hanover. I’m very much looking forward to its release in 2015. What do you think about this new addition?
M805 Stresemann
R805 Stresemann
K805 Stresemann
Update: Some information suggest that these will likely be available in the first quarter of 2015 with February looking like the probable month. MSRP is anticipated at 470 € but I expect the fountain pen will have a street price of 20% off or approximately 100 € cheaper ($470).
FB Post #1: “2015 a classic is going to be reinterpreted. What do you think, what model could it be? The solution is going to be presented on Monday ;-)”
FB Post #2: “Gracious, precious and elegant: Next year the ‘Stresemann’ is going to be presented in a classic anthracite. Do you like it?”
I suspect that it will be a big seller. It has been a while since I owned a M8xx, in the past they struck me as too big. I may need to retry one in ’15.
It is unique in its color and I think very striking in a subtle way. I’m definitely looking forward to owning one of these. It will look nice next to my green striped and brown tortoise M800’s.
This is exciting news! I’m very much convinced that the M8xx pen bodies are the perfect pen for me. This new binde looks great and I love the rhodium only nib.
Thank you for posting about this awesome pen!
You’re very welcome. As you said, I think the rhodium trim provides the perfect compliment to the anthracite color.
Only in the M800 size? That’s a deal breaker for me. But I am not suprised, M800 will alway command a higher price than smaller pens and I think ROI is part of the calculation whenever Pelikan comes out with something ‘new’. Considering the amout of speculation/clamoring I picked up on around the web for another item in tortoise, I wonder if that will move them in that direction in the future. However, they have recently reissued almost everything in their repretoire in tortoise, except perhaps the M600 Souveran.
It is a nice looking pen, but not nice enough to move to the top of my ‘list’ for 2015.
I’m hopeful that if this is a successful release that we may see the antracite color introduced to other members of the Souveran family, similiar to how we saw the M400 and then an M600 tortoiseshell white.
Ohhhhh, that’s so beautiful. O_O
That is gorgeous. This is classy in a understated way that black with rhodium can never achieve.
Words fail me. I think I’ll get one.
Hi Joshua,
We have the pricing for the Stresemann now in the UK.
It is set at £470 and we have set our price at around 25% off at £350.
We are told that it will be a standard range pen, so not Limited or Special Edition.
Ross Adams – Managing Director, Niche Pens Ltd (www.pelikanpens.co.uk)
I believe all Souverän pens have the binde over the transparent barrel. Where did you get the definitive information that the M4xx and M6xx Souveräns don’t have a separate binde? At their current price point, they should be similarly constructed as the bigger pens (except for the brass piston). Please try and find out from Pelikan if this is the case. I would love to know.
I did not mean my statement to be definitive and I should have been more precise and said that it doesn’t hold true for all of the models. The solid black barrels for instance do not have a binde that can be replaced as they are one piece construction. I have seen custom binde work on M400’s and M600’s with transparent barrels so, in the right hands, these do seem amenable to customization if one were so inclined.
Thank you 🙂
I hope to see the Streseman available in a M605 Pelikan!
I have seen multiple claims that the anthracite Stresemann is to be a regular line-up pen and not a limited edition. Hopefully a successful sales run of the M805 will convince Hannover to bring this finish to some of the other Souverän lines. I wouldn’t expect to see that in 2015 though.