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Montblanc (company)

Coordinates: 53°35′37″N 9°53′57″E / 53.5937423°N 9.8990675°E / 53.5937423; 9.8990675
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Montblanc International GmbH
Formerly
  • Simplizissiumus-Füllhalter (1906-1907)
  • Simplo Filler Pen Co. GmbH (1907-1934)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryLuxury goods
Founded22 March 1906; 118 years ago (1906-03-22) in Berlin, Germany
Headquarters
Hellgrundweg 100, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
53°35′37″N 9°53′57″E / 53.5937423°N 9.8990675°E / 53.5937423; 9.8990675
Number of locations
638 boutiques (2021)
Key people
Nicolas Baretzki (CEO)[1]
Products
Revenue€370.4 M (2017)
ParentRichemont[2]
Websitemontblanc.com

Montblanc (UK: /ˌmɒˈblɒ(k)/, US: /ˌmɑːn(t)ˈblɑːŋk/) is a German manufacturer and distributer of luxury goods, founded in Berlin in 1906, and currently based in Hamburg. The company is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. Since 1993, Montblanc has been part of the Swiss Richemont group.[3]

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 (lit. '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 founded in 1906 as Simplizissiumus-Füllhalter in Berlin, and in 1907, moved to Hamburg and changed its name to Simplo Filler Pen Co. GmbH; it was incorporated under that name in 1908. Its current name was adopted in 1934.[4]

Montblanc 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.[5]

In 1993, Montblanc became part of the Swiss Richemont group.[3] 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.

In October 2014 the first blocking order against trademark infringing consumer goods was passed against the major UK Internet service providers (ISPs) by Montblanc to block several domains selling trademark infringing products.[6]

Products

Montblanc StarWalker pen

Montblanc is most known for its luxury pens and also designs and distributes bags, small leather goods, and watches. Meisterstück is the company's flagship line of pens.

In November 2019, Montblanc launched their partnership with The Webster for a limited-edition, capsule collection.[7][8]

In 2022, the company began collaborating with streetwear brand BAPE and lifestyle brand Maison Kitsuné to broaden its leather goods portfolio and attract a younger audience. CEO Nicolas Baretzki told Vogue Business in 2022 he believes leather goods will become one of the company's biggest categories, possibly even overtaking pens.[9]

Branding

Snowcap logo

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.[10]

  • Montblanc Meisterstück 149 with a Longines DolceVita Chronograph
    Montblanc Meisterstück 149 with a Longines DolceVita Chronograph
  • Montblanc Diplomat c. 2006 (left) and Meisterstück 149 (right), c. 1978-1980
    Montblanc Diplomat c. 2006 (left) and Meisterstück 149 (right), c. 1978-1980
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald fountain pen from 2002 in double-broad (BB) nib
    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
    BB engraving of the Montblanc F. Scott Fitzgerald model, featuring The Great Gatsby
  • Montblanc Meisterstück cufflinks gold and onyx
    Montblanc Meisterstück cufflinks gold and onyx
  • Sterling Silver Montblanc pencil, biro, and black leather case
    Sterling Silver Montblanc pencil, biro, and black leather case

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. ^ a b "Montblanc – Handarbeit seit 1906". Handelsblatt. 13 November 2019.
  4. ^ Forster, Jack (9 March 2018). "Inside The Manufacture: Montblanc's Pen Factory And Museum In Hamburg". Hodinkee. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Penspotters :: Montblanc pens". rickconner.net.
  6. ^ Little, Trevor. "Landmark judgment handed down in dispute between Richemont and ISPs". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Montblanc and The Webster celebrate the launch of their new, limited-edition collection". gothammag.com.
  8. ^ "Montblanc And The Webster Celebrated A New Capsule Collection In NYC". Essence.
  9. ^ Benissan, Ezreen (27 June 2022). "Can Montblanc draw the in-crowd with leather goods and collabs?". Vogue Business. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  10. ^ Gardiner, Victoria (25 January 2014). "Montblanc Announces Hugh Jackman as Global Brand Ambassador". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
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