Celebrating Century Of A Masterpiece: Montblanc Meisterstück

A brand that prides itself on extraordinary craftsmanship and elegance, Montblanc has become synonymous with luxury accessories. A hundred years ago, they introduced a fountain pen that has gained legendary status today—Montblanc Meisterstück. It has been held by cultural and political icons alike, from Nelson Mandela and Yoko Ono to Presidents John F Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

At the core of the Montblanc Meisterstück is its nib that is made from 14K or 18K gold. The nib undergoes a 35-step process to achieve perfection. The final test involves listening to the sound it makes as it glides across paper—only nibs that glide smoothly, without scratching or snagging, and produce a continuous sound, pass this final inspection. The cap and barrel are made from deep black precious resin, with the iconic white Montblanc emblem inlaid on the cap. Paired with its handcrafted solid gold nib with rhodium-coated inlay, three rings and cigar-shaped design, the Meisterstück is a design icon.

Meisterstück, in German, means masterpiece and Montblanc is celebrating its centenary in 2024. Meisterstück is no longer a product, it’s an emotion, an identity and a commitment to deliver simply the avant-garde by the Hamburg-based writing instrument company that has now morphed into a behemoth specialising in everything from leather and luggage to watches to pens. Montblanc is leaving no stone unturned to make the centenary celebrations memorable and impactful.

After introducing its ‘100 Years of Meisterstück’ campaign in May 2024 with a short film written and directed by award-winning screenwriter and director Wes Anderson, Montblanc delved deeper into its extraordinary world in a series of new campaign visuals in phase II, paying tribute to the iconic Meisterstück writing instrument on its centenary.

Outlook Luxe caught up the man who is driving the centenary celebrations in India, Montblanc India MD and CEO, Neeraj Walia at the Montblanc Boutique at Jio World Drive, Mumbai. Here are the edited excerpts of the interview.

Edited excerpts:

1. How are you celebrating the centenary year of Montblanc Meisterstück?

When we talk about 100 years, it is not a short time, it is a long journey. And since it had to be a celebration around the world, there were many thoughts around who could be our storyteller and what voice could bring this beautiful story to life and add fun, wit and amazing style to this. Finally, we chose Wes Anderson, a unique storyteller and also an amazing storyteller with his own style, colour palette, wit, everything. He created two campaigns in his distinctive colour boards, the chalet concept was created. It is a beautiful story which was structured around that.

We did a 100-year big event in Los Angeles. We are doing some activities around in different markets in India as well. There have been celebrations all around. In Mumbai, at Jio World Drive, through the installations, we are taking our clients through the entire journey through these 100 years of this amazing icon, Meisterstück.

2. Can you throw more light on the Wes Anderson campaigns?

Wes Anderson created the campaign around the theme of a chalet, library. We got actor and designer Waris Ahluwalia in the campaign. We have multiple actors in it for different markets. We also have the assets of Waris Ahluwalia specially curated for India, which are splashed across print titles and prominent OOH locations.

The creative has Waris holding a Meisterstück pen in his jacket pocket and in his other hand is the Meisterstück leather line. We have got this beautiful two-tone colour as if the leather was kept on ink and the ink got absorbed gradually by the leather and it has got a two-tone effect across on that.

3. How it is relevant to have fountain pens in a digital era and what are the efforts the brand is taking to keep it relevant?

On one side, digitization has added a little bit of convenience. But the more we progress in the digital world there has been an increased appreciation for all things analogue. Post-COVID, we have seen an increase in journaling. More and more people are taking up journaling as a self-care tool, where you consciously allow yourself to spend more time with your thoughts. This has led to many clients exploring not only their thoughts but also how they convey and put them down in an artistic way. This is where the fountain pen plays a bigger role. We have seen many young clients coming in and picking up fountains. That’s why at our boutiques you will have all of these tester kits. You can try and pick up different nib sizes.

We’ve also conducted calligraphy and handwriting classes by India’s ace calligraphist K.C. Janardhan. When we started these calligraphy classes, the module was defined by a Montblanc academy in Hamburg. It was a 45-minute module at the end of which you received a certification. We did the first one and every single attendee complained about how could we finish it in just 45 minutes. We then made this class one and a half hours long. It was still not sufficient. Now we do a two-and-a-half-hour module. Everybody who attends that session wants to come back because you start falling in love with how the fountain pen writes, and how the ink flows on paper. It is the dance of ink on the paper, as the calligrapher says.

4. So are fountain pens growing as a category?

Fountain pen is growing as a category, which is a positive feedback we receive from the market. We say it is okay if the market is growing but when fountain pens grow, we know people are falling in love with writing. Montblanc, a few years back, introduced the flex nibs, the curved nibs, those are for people who are already into calligraphy, taking them to a level above.

For travellers, we are introducing the traveller kit this month. The kit contains a fountain pen which can have the full barrel filled with the ink. It has a piston; you do not need to worry about the amount of ink coming in. It is loaded and then moves on. It is a very different mechanism and a new technology we are introducing.

5. Describe a typical Montblanc customer across categories today.

A typical Montblanc customer is a young, progressive professional who enjoys his life, who travels, loves his me-time, loves stories, enjoys the history and savoir-faire of the brand and wants to know more details about what goes behind the creation of the product and is ready to explore more and more. Now we see this happening all across.

6. What are some of the new launches across Montblanc’s different categories?

We’ve already discussed how fountain pens are attracting the young generation. Now we launched a range of watches as well for a different explorer. Three years ago, we launched the first diving watch. Then at Watches and Wonders 2024 at Geneva, we launched the 4810, the deep-sea diving watch. We also have high mountain climbing watches that function without oxygen as well, Zero Oxygen series across. We launched the watch wherein the start-stop mechanism of the chronograph is not with the crown or any pusher but on the bezel.

7. Out of the new launches at Watches & Wonders 2024 and products you have already received, anything which has surprised you with the reaction?

I think all three-four collections that were launched earlier this year have worked very well for us. I wouldn’t single out one, but the Iced Sea collection, which was very good, has continued to do good for us. The Zero Oxygen series has done well. Cupro, the new alloy material which we launched, is sold out. We don’t have a Cupro watch in India now.

8. Is India receiving the new pieces launched?

You remember the CARBO2, the new material we launched. There is a CARBO2 on display at the Jio World Drive boutique. India also got a few pieces of the LE290, which was for Reynold Messner and there is one LE290 piece on display as well. I am very pleased to share that we were one of the first ones to receive novelties whenever they are launched globally.

9. What is new in Montblanc’s luggage?

We have a range of trolleys in different colours, in different sizes. There is the compact cabin bag that can accommodate everything. The way we travel is becoming more and more digital. We are not carrying less paper with us. It’s either a pad or a thinner laptop and this piece of luggage suits these needs. The traveller is also becoming more ambitious with their choices. So the trolleys are coming in different colours and sizes. Even the backpacks are transformed as are the crossbody bags.

10. How has Montblanc kept up with the changing styles and trends?

Montblanc used to be seen as brand using serious colours such as a deep blue, black, grey or brown. Now we have vibrant colours such as yellows to cater to younger consumers. We have introduced tote bags to match the style of the young progressive. Now when you are travelling, music is a part of you, to address this Montblanc launched the headphones and this year we launched in-the-ear earplugs as well. Then we have augmented paper; you write and make it digital as well. One more thing, we are becoming less cash in paper, and more and more plastic in terms of currency transactions and all. So instead of thicker wallets, it’s time for more and more flatter card holders across.

11. Tell us about the current retail network and expansion plans.

We are currently present in four cities, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad with our internal network. We also have boutiques in Pune and Chennai. In other cities, we are just waiting for the right retail space to happen. The number of Montblanc stores at airports has doubled from 74 to almost about 150. The travel retail section is becoming a very important point because it is not that the consumption of luxury is happening only in the metro cities, it is happening all across the country. So, in the absence of retail in their cities, these travellers have an amazing opportunity to see luxury at the cross sections when they are passing through the bigger airports. India is perhaps one of the only markets or the most important market where along with duty-free, duty-paid which is the domestic channel of retail is becoming gradually important.

12. So how many retail points do you envision in the next one year?

It’s not that anything is holding us back. The moment the opportunity presents itself, we will be more than keen to bring the product closer to our client.

13. How has the e-commerce journey been for Montblanc in India?

We were one of the first ones to on board from Richemont. If I correctly remember, it was around midnight on April 11, 2018, when we went live with TataCliq. I am pleased to share that nobody, not even us, ever imagined that by 4 o’clock we got our first order, not of pens, of the latest collection of wallets from a district called Kanpur Dehat. Right now, we have 329 cities being covered through TataCliq where customers are buying from.

14. What products are moving better on e-commerce compared to the others?

For us, there is no difference. We did not differentiate in the product categories between online and offline. My boutique inventory is uploaded across on TataCliq. So, an e-commerce customer has access to the same new launch which a customer walking inside the boutique has. If you are in Virar or Vasai or Borivali, you don’t need to come to the Montblanc boutique at Jio World Drive. You can explore the entire range online as well and you choose. And you never know the product is being shipped out of the inventory of Jio World Drive only.

15. Are watches moving online as well?

It’s not as fast, but we are very happy to share that the watches are moving well. There has been no decline nor a month where we could say that the business has come down on watches. It’s always been consistent.

16. What is driving this growth in consumption of luxury products?

There are two very important factors driving this growth. One, the wealth or the consumption of luxury is not only in the metro, it’s all across. But the second important factor is when we talk about Indians as a nationality consuming luxury, they are not consuming luxury only in India. When they travel outside, they buy, they shop, and they want to experience those big flagship stores in Champs-Elysees in Paris, Bond Street in London, Fifth Avenue in New York or Dubai Mall. When they come back, India becomes a destination to feed them with their consumables. For example, people buying fountain pens or pens outside India, need after-sales, they need inks out over here. For their day-to-day gifting needs, they don’t need to travel far to pick up a wallet for their cousin or a backpack for their sister.

Images: Montblanc