New Montegrappa Age of Discovery Limited Edition

A new Limited Edition commemorates the spirit of exploration that gripped Europe from the 15th to 18th centuries – and the handheld technology that made it possible. Age of Discovery is ready to set sail.

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but other instruments of soft power have changed the world. Telescope and sextant motifs evoke the era of the great explorers, as does a miniature magnetic compass, neatly concealed within the cap. The historic route sailed by Victoria – the first ship to circumnavigate the earth – is recorded in antique brass, but rare onboard complications signify a classic, with a modern twist. 

Age of Discovery is made in limited editions of 250 fountain pens and 250 rollerballs, referencing 500 years since the death of the explorer, Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), and his armada’s first circumnavigation of the earth in 1522. A vintage mahogany/antique brass body shows obvious allusions to a golden age, but concealed mechanical complications make this a classic with a modern twist. 

Navigational aids provide the central design elements: a vintage telescope inspires the body, and a sextant provides the clip. Inside the finial is a miniature magnetic compass – a custom complication developed with Politecnico di Milano. Sapphire glass at each end simulates a lens (with hinged cap) and eyepiece to reinforce the novelty of its telescopic form.