Montblanc (company)

Montblanc (UK:, US: ) 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; it also designs and distributes bags, perfumes, small leather goods, and watches. Since 1993, Montblanc has been part of the Swiss Richemont group.

History
A Hamburg banker, Alfred Nehemias, and a Berlin engineer, August Eberstein, produced simple pens in 1906. After a short period, 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.

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.

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

Montblanc fountain pens are considered to be among the best in the world, and are collected for their smooth writing capabilities as status symbols, artwork, and investments. The most expensive regular production fountain pens are traditionally Montblancs, with some retail pens selling in excess of US $30,000, and some specialty and limited edition pens selling for substantially more. Many upper tier models are purchased as investments and never used.

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

In November 2019, Montblanc launched a partnership with The Webster for a limited-edition, capsule collection.

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.

Branding
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.