High Artistry A Journey on the Orient Express Limited Edition 1 Fountain Pen

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The name ‘Orient Express’ conjures magic and myth from a time when sophisticated travellers heeded the siren’s call of exotic lands. It awakens visions of a train designed for glamour and sumptuous living. It unites a longing for adventure, for the distant, mysterious lands, with total immersion in a world of lavish luxury. It all began with Georges Nagelmackers, a visionary who dreamed of travelling comfortably and unimpeded overland from Paris to Constantinople. His dream finally became reality on 4 October 1883. On that day, an elegant crowd thronged the Gare de l’Est in Paris to celebrate with great fanfare the maiden run of one of the most luxurious train ever created. The myth of the Orient Express had begun. The Orient Express offered a glamourous setting for intrigue and espionage. The secret side of this exclusive train could be found not only in novels, but also in real life spies such as Robert Baden-Powell, who posed as a naturalist and encoded secret information into butterfly drawings. The oval-shaped Montblanc High Artistry Orient Express Limited Edition 1, whose silhouette emulates the oval form of the Orient Express cars pays tribute to this legend with an intricate butterfly made of plique-à-jour enamel at the heart of its design. Resting behind a windowed door, the butterfly unfolds its full wingspan when the door is opened. Seemingly crafted out of tiny, colour-infused drops of light, each wing is a masterpiece of the sophisticated art of plique-à-jour enamel. This complex technique reached a high point during the Art Deco era in the hands of the visionary glass designer René Lalique. The butterfly adorning this edition reflects the same level of artisanship as the historic works of decorative art he created for the Orient Express. Hidden beneath the wings is an engraving resembling the enemy fortifications Lord Baden-Powell concealed in his butterfly drawings. The entire solid Au 750 signature gold fountain pen is covered with diamonds as well as individual-cut and navette-cut rubies. Further diamonds decorate the solid Au 750 signature gold clip and highlight the special snap mechanism that opens the cap. A tribute to the elegant machinery of the steam locomotive, this mechanism works by pressing a button on the side. The train’s traditional routes from 1930 are traced in diamonds, rubies and blue sapphires on the forepart, commemorating the fascination of this exclusive journey. An engraving of a steam engine set with a ruby transforms the handcrafted, solid Au 750 gold nib into a celebration of the golden era of rail travel. In token of the ironwork in the roof of the Gare de Lyon in Paris, the cap top of this 1-of-1 edition is decorated with a similar grid made of solid Au 750 signature gold, decorated with diamonds and crowned by a splendid ruby. The entire cap top functions as a hinged door hiding a miniature automaton watch with mechanical movement and a fluorescent butterfly motif on the dial. Turning a small wheel by hand activates and deactivates the filling mechanism in the solid Au 750 signature gold cone, which is decorated with engravings, diamonds and rubies as well as white chalcedony. With signature gold and/or signature gold-coating, Montblanc evokes the enlightened shade of yellow gold which has become an appreciated tone for the Maison’s writing instruments.