The write stuff
Montblanc
John Lennon Limited Edition 70
Celebrating the musician's 70th birthday, and echoing his most remembered solo hit, the word 'Imagine', rendered in a skeleton of white gold, encircles the pen. The transparent precious resin on the cap and barrel recalls Lennon's trademark round blue glasses; a colour that's repeated in the sapphire set on the clip alongside three diamonds that mark out the song's chord. The pen's cone is lacquered to resemble a piano keyboard, and, on this 70-piece edition (HK$2.08 million), the 18K gold nib bears Lennon's self-portrait signature.
Dunhill
Sentryman Explorer II
The barrel conceals a little torch; a reference to the 'bag light' Alfred Dunhill created in the early 1900s for his wife. Three interchangeable nibs provide the choice of 18-carat gold fountain nib, pencil or ballpoint. Made from gunmetal grey PVD-coated carbon fibre, and limited to 150 globally, each pen is priced at HK$26,200 and comes in a black lacquered box.
Montegrappa
Limited Edition Icons Tribute to Muhammad Ali Pen
Caran d'Ache
1010 Chrono Sport Limited Edition
Designed to evoke the intricate workings of a chronograph, the 1010 Chrono Sport pays tribute to the first recorder of time and the athletes it recorded. It's available in two versions: fountain pen and roller pen, both in a limited edition of 500 pieces. An extra 10 collectors' pieces were made in solid rose gold (pictured, HK$580,000). The fountain pen, set with a ruby, has a piston pump finished in soft-touch matt black.
Visconti
The Golden Man HRH
Visconti pays tribute to the fifth-century BC nomadic tribes of the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea, referred to by Herodotus as 'griffins - treasurers of gold'. The collection is inspired by the mythical Golden Man, a mysterious armed warrior who adorned himself with thousands of jewels - gems and gold - representing leopards, ibex, winged horses and floral motifs. The colours and motifs are a tribute to the animalistic Scythian art used by these nomads, a limited edition of 18 fountain pens (HK$494,000 each) has been created, in yellow gold with red lacquering, and 250 white diamonds on the clip and barrel.