Jewellery & Watch News
Every year since 1992, luxury pen, watch and accessory manufacturer Montblanc have launched a limited edition Writers Edition collection in honour of some of the greatest icons in literary history. From Ernest Hemingway to Agatha Christie, Mark Twain to William Shakespeare and Virginia Wolf to Rudyard Kipling, Montblanc have tributed several generations of writers with stunning limited edition collections of fountain pens. For 2021, Montblanc launch a brand new series, this time a Writers Edition collection inspired by the legend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
If you were asked to name the world’s most famous fictional detective, we’re sure you’d answer with Sherlock Holmes. Created by Scottish-born author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes has taken bookworms and light-readers alike through exciting and captivating adventures across sixty different stories, solving mysteries and puzzles with his companion Dr John Watson. From the author’s very first story, A Study in Scarlet to the legendary The Hound of Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing remains some of the greatest in the world, still studied and obsessed over to this day. Born in 1859, Doyle originally trained in medicine and even practiced as a doctor, but ultimately, his passion for storytelling took over and, in the end, he completed nearly 200 novels, short stories, poems, historical books as well as pamphlets. He also had a spirit for adventure, something certainly revealed in the Sherlock Holmes’ franchise, and visited the Arctic and Africa where he volunteered as a doctor during the Boer War. He later wrote a chronicle that decried the shortcomings of the British forces which went on to earn him a knighthood from King Edward VII for services rendered to the Crown.
The new Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection is inspired by the tales of Detective Sherlock Holmes and the extraordinary life of his creator with unique design details inducing the stories that have captivated readers for generations. Writers and detectives alike need a good pen to make it through the day, and with every Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fountain pen, the brand have assured, as always, an effortless and beautiful writing experience. Each of the four new designs includes a special clip shaped like a magnifying glass in honour of the great detective and the author’s likeness is engraved on every nib accompanied by a special story element from the theme of the respective edition. Let’s take a look at the full Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection in more detail…
Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Writers Edition
First up in the Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection is this wonderful grey-toned resin fountain pen. Inspired by the tartan pattern famously worn by Detective Sherlock Holmes, the precious resin is subtly decorated with the same tartan effect as well as excerpts from the old street map of Victorian London, highlighting “Upper Wimpole Street” where Doyle had his medical practice, and “Baker Street”, the residence of Sherlock Holmes. The dark grey tone of the resin has also been purposely chosen to reflect the dark foggy streets of London, a place described often in the Sherlock Holmes stories.
The Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pen continues to offer Doyle-inspired tropes including the initials “JB” behind the clip in reference to Doyle’s medicine professor for Joshua Bell and a red lacquered dot above the magnifying glass to represent an ophthalmoscope from the 19th century, a reference to the medical area Doyle eventually specialized in. The nip of the Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pen is beautifully crafted from 18 carat gold and engraved with a portrait of the author alongside Pterodactyl dinosaurs from The Lost World, a science fiction novel also written by the author. Lastly, the cap ring is decorated with Doyle’s signature, the vine symbol from the cover of A Study in Scarlet, and the date at which the publishers wrote to him about obtaining the copyrights: “Oct 30, 1886”.
Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 1902
Another tribute to Sherlock Holmes comes the Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition pen under reference 1902. This time, the design, which comes as both as a fountain pen and a rollerball pen, tributes the detective’s famous pipe with a handsome brown lacquer finish and a cap top and cone crafted from wood. The two pens are limited to 1,902 pieces each in reference to the publishing date of The Hound of Baskervilles and the year Doyle was knighted by the King. The brown coating is once again decorated with the London Street map, this time referencing “Victoria Street” where Doyle´s Psychic bookshop was located.
Turn the Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 1902 pen over and beneath the clip lurks a unique silhouette of a hound as reference again to The Hound of The Baskervilles story. The image is treated with a layer of glow in the dark Superluminova coating for an ominous finish. Again, the nib is made from rhodium-coated Au750 solid gold with a special engraving of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a magnifying glass while the cap ring is decorated with the author’s signature, A Study in Scarlet logo, and the date Doyle opened a Psychic book shop in London with his wife: “February 1925”.
Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 97
Next up is the Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 97 pen, a colourful design inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s House “Undershaw” in Surrey. The reference number “97” is a nod to the year 1897 when the house was completed which would later become the family home where he penned most of his important works including The Hound of Baskervilles. The blue and purple lattice-like design overlaid by solid white gold commemorates the stained glass windows of the house.
The Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 97 pen also celebrates Doyle’s spiritualism with a cap top engraved with the words “A New Step Into the Unknown”, the name of an article written by him on Spiritualism and decorated with a removable ring inspired by a Sideric Pendulum, a medium of communication to Spiritualists. The solid gold nib is also engraved with a ship’s mast from his short story The Captain of the Pole Star and the cap ring features Doyle’s signature, the vine symbol and the publishing date of Pheneas Speaks, a book that describes communications Doyle had with spirits: “March 21, 1927”.
Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 8
Last but not least is the Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition pen under reference 8. This wonderfully unique fountain pen celebrates Doyle’s love of exploration, particularly his time as a ship’s surgeon at just 20 years old which saw him set sail for the Artic Circle. The cap and barrel are adorned with three-dimensional icebergs crafted from 18 carat white gold and surrounded by mesmerising blue lacquer to evoke the icy waters of the Artic. The matching white gold nib is adorned with an engraving in yellow of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a ship´s mast from The Captain of the Pole Star story.
Further celebrations are made on the cap ring including Doyle’s signature, the vine from A Study in Scarlet logo, and the first publication date of The Captain of the Pole Star: “January, 1883”. The cone is also engraved with “September 11th. – Lat 81º N.; long. 2º.” the location of enormous ice fields as written in the story of The Captain and the Pole Star. The Montblanc emblem stands out beautifully adorned with diamond pave while the cap top ring features the engraving “I CAME OF AGE AT 80º NORTH LATITUDE”, a note written by the author in his diary on the day of his 21st birthday. Lastly, the Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Limited Edition 8 includes the familiar magnifying clip this time revealing the initials “ACD” in red lacquer as featured on a stained- glass window at his House Undershaw, with a single sapphire adorning the top.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Montblanc Writers Edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection, head over to the C W Sellors website here. You can also contact our team of specialists by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at sales@cwsellors.com.
