Add a touch of elegant fashion to your writing with the new pen collection from Hermès. The French luxury fashion house has collaborated with Australian industrial designer and Japanese pen manufacturer to launch the Nautilus. Developed by Pilot for Hermès, the indigenously designed writing tool is actually a capless pen conceptualized by Marc Newson.
As reported by WWD, the Nautilus is shaped out of aluminum and stainless steel. Fitted with a rhodium-plated white gold nib, the fountain pen is available in six nib widths. While most will opt for black and carbon blue ink cartridges, Hermès fans will be tempted to pick from the label’s signature colors: H red, ebony and blood orange. The pen is also available in a ballpoint version with two widths.
Though it appears to be a simple pen, the designer noted that the pen took three years to perfect as it involves fitting a rotating mechanism into a very small space. Newson added that “This is the most complex object you could hope to design from an industrial design perspective.”
Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas also explained the action point behind the need to design the Nautilus. He stated that though Newson used Pilot Capless fountain pen, he had never penned down a design for a pen and quoted “He is a prolific designer, but he had not touched that object, so that of course triggered an interest in me.”
Hermès and its artistic director also share their belief in the longevity of writing instruments. Dumas is optimistic about the need and the desire for exceptionally designed writing instruments, stating, “I am convinced that as long as we have five fingers on each hand, we will continue to write. It’s a moment where you are alone and when you can put your thoughts on paper. You can do that of course with a computer and we all do it, but there’s a sensuality in the experience of writing that nothing to my knowledge has replaced.”
While the Nautilus fountain pen will sport a $1,650 tag, the ballpoint pen will sell for $1,350. All set to hit the shelves in September, the cheapest item available in the Hermès’ stores will be the $9.50 tiny orange box of six ink cartridges.
The Nautilus pen collection will also make a perfect addition to the Hermès Crocodile Desk Set and Hermès Folding Desk.
Via WWD and The Telegraph
