This post is a bit late due to an unexpected family illness so please forgive the delay. On Thursday, Pelikan announced a long-awaited and highly anticipated new model. In 2023, Pelikan introduced the “Art Collection,” a series inspired by the company’s deep catalog of historic advertising posters. These were the first pens made with the “Aurora” process, using engraved and guilloched brass barrels instead of resin for a holographic effect. The first model was inspired by a 1909 poster by Glauco Cambon and was well-received. Now, two years later, we have the Rudi Rother Special Edition M600, set for a September release, which builds on the innovation of its predecessor with some new features added.
Pelikan caught me while away on a much needed vacation so this post comes to you from the beach. On Thursday, news surfaced about the Souverän M600 White & Rose Gold fountain pen. The pen’s most notable feature is the inclusion of rose gold trim elements. This marks only the third time Pelikan has used rose gold on a higher-end fountain pen, following The Statue Of Zeus (2016) and the M200 Copper Rose Gold (2024). For those unfamiliar, rose gold is an alloy made from a mixture of gold and copper, giving it a pink to reddish hue. The gold furniture stands out against a stark white resin that forms the rest of the pen’s components, continuing the trend from previous M600 models. The M600 White & Rose Gold will be available in August, with pre-orders now open.
Released alongside the M205 Rose Quartz, the M600 Red-White continues the practice of cladding the M6xx line in white resin. That is a tradition which began in 2012 and was last seen with 2021’s M605 Green-White. This is the seventh model to do so over the past decade, a total comprised of five M600s and two M605s. I have been slow to get this review out simply because of the number of great releases that we have had in the last few months. It’s hard to put the M600 Glauco Cambon (2023) down in order to use something else. The new Red-White comes as an M600, a medium sized pen with gold-plated furniture. Its color scheme was apropos for the holiday season which we recently found ourselves in, reminiscent of a traditional candy cane or peppermint. Personally, I prefer the bolder, red stripes over the pastel hues incorporated on past models. While the Red-White is a solid fountain pen, it perpetuates a few bad habits that will be a turn off for some. Even though the pen has no glaring faults, it fails to inspire in the way that the Tortoiseshell-Red or Tortoiseshell-Black did. That doesn’t make it a bad pen but one that you’ll want to consider carefully before making an investment. Continue reading to see if the Red-White is worthy of your time and money.
Pelikan set for themselves an ambitious timeline of October releases with no less than five models slated to hit store shelves during the autumnal month. While the reasoning behind such a self-imposed glut of new models remains unclear, it seems that Pelikan has not been able to stick to their own timeline. To date, just two of the promised five models have made it to market with All Hallows’ Eve just around the corner and October rapidly drawing to a close. The pens that have already made it into consumer’s hands include the high end M1000 Maki-e Dragon and the M600 Glauco Cambon. The M205 Rose Quartz, which had been pushed back due to post-production issues, and the M600 Red-White are still anticipated for a late October release and evidence suggest that these may be making their way to retailers now. Unfortunately, the M200 Copper Rose Gold looks to be delayed for an as of yet unknown duration. As the Glauco Cambon has now arrived on people’s doorsteps, it’s certainly worthy of a review given that this is perhaps the most innovative pen that Pelikan has put out in years. The “Art Collection” conceit used here is actually decades old. Sometime during the late 1980s/early 1990s, coinciding with Pelikan’s Harmony Und Präzision marketing campaign, the historical art collection first came to life. That initial iteration took the form of special tin packaging featuring one of Pelikan’s historic posters from 1903, ‘The Lady of the Lake‘ by Georg Tronnier. The very same concept again surfaced in 2021 but nothing seemingly came from it, not until August of this year when Pelikan announced the M600 Glauco Cambon, the first in a proposed series of pens based on the company’s extensive collection of historic posters, many of which were derived from competitions that saw entries spanning a wide range of artists, both big and small. Pelikan’s newest M600 doesn’t only bring with it a re-invigorated concept and a fresh design, it launches an entirely new production process for Pelikan, one that achieves an effect not previously seen on any of their pens. Continue reading for an in-depth exploration of this new M600’s nuances in order to help you figure out whether or not you should add it to your flock (Spoiler alert: the answer is an emphatic YES!).
Pelikan has been on fire this August, dropping news of not one, not two, but three new releases. Earlier this month, we learned of the M600 Glauco Cambon, a pen that breaks new ground with a spirit that feels a lot like the Pelikan of old. Before we even had a chance to fully wrap our minds around that release, Pelikan announced the much anticipated M205 Rose Quartz. While that would have been more than enough to temporarily slake our thirst for new models, Pelikan drops yet another release just as the month of August comes to a close. Earlier today, the company announced the forthcoming Souverän M600 Red-White fountain pen, conspicuously just in time for their upcoming 185th Anniversary celebration this Saturday. Pelikan has been bringing bold, bright colors married with white resin to the M6xx line since 2012. Taking into account the tortoise releases over the past few years, that makes the mid-sized M6xx line arguably one of the brand’s most exciting at the moment. In case you need a refresher, white resin M6xxs have included the M600 Tortoiseshell White (2012), M600 Pink (2015), M605 White Transparent (2017), M600 Turquoise-White (2018), M600 Violet-White (2019), and the M605 Green-White (2021). Pushing past the pastels, the new M600 Red-White will come in a bold and striking shade arranged in stripes made of cellulose acetate accented by white resin and gold plated furniture. While this model may frustrate those longing for a new M800 or even M1000, the bold colors and striking looks of this one will likely have it flying off store shelves. Worldwide availability is expected starting in mid-October of this year, available only while supplies last. Read on to learn all about the newest Souverän to join the family.
Now we’re talking! That’s the first thing that leapt into my mind when news broke last evening of the next release due out from Pelikan. You might recall a story featured on this blog in August 2021 that detailed Pelikan floating the notion of a series of pens whose designs were derived from one of the company’s many historic posters. That back catalog is deep and, in addition to being vehicles for advertising, many of Pelikan’s historic posters were works of art, created by some of the early twentieth century’s notable artistic talent. Three different prototypes were previewed in 2021 and a survey asked respondents to vote for their favorite. Aside from a few unsubstantiated rumors, little has surfaced since, leading many to believe that the concept had withered and died on the vine. With Pelikan having a lot on its plate already, there was little optimism that we’d see the concept brought to life anytime soon, until yesterday that is. The company surprised us with the rather unexpected news of the new Souverän M600 Art Collection – Glauco Cambon Special Edition. Not only is this a concept and design that’s a bit unique amongst Pelikan’s pantheon of pens, the actual construction of this M600 takes a twist all its own. As if that weren’t enough already, this is just the first in a projected series of special edition fountain pens that Pelikan has planned. Hannover must be listening because this is just the direction that they’ve needed to go in order to breathe some life back into the brand. Read on to learn all of the exciting details about this upcoming release.
The talk of the last few weeks has clearly been focused on the newest tortoise release from Pelikan, the upcoming M605 Tortoiseshell-Black. While this black tortoise is a new species, never before seen, the standard bearer across the lines has always been the brown tortoise. It is somewhat ironic then that the M6xx line has never enjoyed a large scale brown tortoise release. I don’t mean to imply that it’s the only Souverän to not get the brown tortoise treatment. The M3xx and M10xx models have likewise gone without, it’s just that the M6xx line is perhaps the most glaring omission since it’s also the most accessible, the other two being at the extreme ends of the Souverän line. It has been perceived by many aficionados of the M6xx to be a black hole of sorts. Perhaps as a subconscious effort to make up for that deficiency, the M6xx line has actually been graced with more unique tortoise releases than any other Souverän. Let us recap. We have had the M600 Tortoiseshell-White (2012), the M600 Tortoiseshell-Red (2020), and now the M605 Tortoiseshell-Black (2022). Many have lamented the lack of a Tortoiseshell-Brown model, but it is a little known fact that there have actually been two such releases, both targeted to the Japanese market in what were likely ultra-limited runs. Pelikan and Japan have long been odd bedfellows with a relationship spanning the 1970s through the late 1990s from which several unique models have arisen. The old-style Tortoiseshell-Brown M600 has been so seldomly seen, that many debated its very existence for the longest time. It reminds me of the coelacanth, thought extinct for 66 million years before being rediscovered in 1938 by a South African museum curator on a fishing trawler. A few years after Pelikan’s alterations to the model’s design, there was a new-style Tortoiseshell-Brown M600 released in 1999 that has been discussed on this blog previously. Collectors can search for decades and never find one of these. Having finally been able to procure an example of each, it seemed a topic worth rehashing. Read on to learn all about the traits that characterize these two ultra-rare beauties.
The Maruzen Co., Ltd. has long been one of Japan’s leading booksellers. With a core focus on books and other periodicals, the company has cultivated a diverse portfolio that includes stationery, fashion, and information technologies. Founded in 1869 as Maruya Shosha, its success and longevity over the past 152 years is likely due to the forward thinking of founder Yuteki Hayashi. Hayashi’s ambitions were reportedly spurred on by the encouragement of Yukichi Fukuzawa, an educator and founder of Japan’s first private system of elementary and secondary schools, who was a proponent of Westernization. Great change was underway in Japan during the mid-19th century, heralded by the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853, an American naval officer in command of the East India Squadron. He played a leading role opening Japan to the West after more than 200 years of isolationist policy under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate which comprised the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Hayashi saw opportunity brought about by this cultural shift and sought out translated versions of many of the seminal works of the Western world. His relationship with Fukuzawa positioned Maruzen to have a strong presence with educational institutions, a major areas of sales for the company. Maruzen further diversified its product lines throughout the twentieth century and was able to survive the damage inflicted by World War II. Many sources indicate that Maruzen played a major role introducing the fountain pen to Japan, predominantly by importing brands such as Onoto and Waterman from England and the United States. As such, it is hard to overstate the importance of Maruzen’s involvement in bringing this writing technology to the citizens of Japan. Today, the company has a number of stores and international offices to its credit. Of course, I’m not here to regale you about the company’s rich and storied history. As a stationary retailer, Maruzen has had the opportunity to partner with several manufacturers of fine writing instruments over the years in order to celebrate its various milestone anniversaries, beginning sometime around 1989. I’m sure that you have surmised by now that a Pelikan or two may have been a part of some of those past offerings. Read on to learn all about these unique and rarely seen models.
