Iconic pens

[Aristosseur]

What are your favourite iconic pens in terms of aesthetics? Completely subjectively of course. Mine are Lamy 2000, Wahl Eversharp Skyline and Doric, Parker Vacumatic, Pilot μ.

[ChrisC]

My two favorites are the old-style Omas Paragon and the Montblanc 146.

[Quantum Sailor]

My favorite is the Onoto Magna. The original one, not the remade one. I would say that a close second is a Watermans red ripple with a keyhole nib.

[Laura N]

Parker 51.

[stub]

Conical/triumph nib pneumatic Sheaffers

Sheaffer Imperial IV and their big brothers (PFM)

Parker Vacumatics with the iconic striated celluloid

Aurora 88 (Original versions, personal fav is the 88p)

(I can't believe I am going to type this): Parker 45

Omas 361 (esp. the 60's update of it the VS)



So yeah. I like mid 60s pens a lot. (yet did not name the Lamy 2k, which i think less handsome than the model it replaced the Lamy 27)

[Wahl]

Conklin Endura Senior

Parker Duofold senior

Wahl Eversharp Gold Seal

Waterman Patrician Senior

Some of the vintage OMAS

[Sammyo]

As we are talking iconic pens, these are not necessarily my favourites, but are definitely recognisable. I wanted to throw some non-vintage/classic pens into the mix too.

Visconti Homo Sapiens (any model with the basaltic lava body)

Namiki Capless - has to be the original design to be iconic. The new Decimo is THE gateway drug!

Parker 45 / Sheaffer Target Touchdown (becuse my Grandad used them and they, too me, equal "fountain pens"

Delta Dolce Vita (any model in the classic black and orange)

[Roger W.]

Sheaffer 8C - the original oversize flat top.
Sheaffer Secretary
Sheaffer balance in grey pearl or blue or rose-glow
Sheaffer touchdown, snorkel, Imperial IV and Targa
Sheaffer cat deskbase 1930
Boston 12 (must have been iconic because Wahl bought them out)

Roger W.

[inklord]

Lamy 2000 (Makrolon version)
Lamy CP1
Parker 51
MB 146/149
Pelikan 100/101
Omas 360 (vintage style)
Sheaffer PFM
Nakaya Piccolo
[Franklin-Christoph 02 Intrinsic] (originally included, but maybe not so good...)

[stub]

Lamy CP1
Nakaya Piccolo
Franklin-Christoph 02 Intrinsic

Not looking to police the thread but are those pens
iconic?

[catbert]

Aurora 88 (Nizzoli)
Lamy 2000 (makrolon)
Montblanc 1x, 14x
Omas 361 (50s, ogival)
Parker 51, 61
Pelikan 400NN
Sheaffer military clip, triumph-nib snorkel

[jar]

I have never quite understood what an iconic pen might be.

[inklord]

stub!
These are probably indeed the most questionable on my list. The CP1 (Cylindrical Pen 1) was the first pen to (re-)popularize the "slim cylinder" or pencil format in a mass-produced pen in 1974. After that most European manufacturers seemed to embrace the concept and bring out their own slim cylindrical model.
The Nakaya Piccolo is a pen that in my view epitomizes classic Japanese minimalism - most post-modern mid-size and custom pen makers have a model that heavily leans on the concept.
The F-C 02 is a pen that stands for the rethinking of pen concepts typical for Franklin-Christoph. With its section-front block thread and unique taper of the barrel it is uniquely recognizable even as a silhouette.
While "iconic" could be easily interpreted as "historically significant", the term can also be seen as emblematic for a certain school of product design and thought concept. The latter would apply to these pens better than the former; please note also that the Sheaffer PFM and Parker 51 are in Germany - to name just one sample market - of hardly any historical significance, and probably in a similar position as the CP1 here. Also, the USA (and perhaps other countries) went through a distinct "Golden Age" of the fountain pen, and Americans tend to assign greater significance to pens hailing from or being historically linked to that era. This was not the case in my native Germany, where in the 70's and 80's a fountain pen was still a "Real Pen" and the rest of them were just silly outgrowths of technology
I hope this clarified my choices, which, of course, are just a personal selection in which I largely followed my instincts rather than historical significance. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to explain - I clearly see your view from your vantage, though.

[stub]

Thanks for your clarification. As you might imagine I don't entirely concur but now I understand at least. Even still I'd take issue with the F-C pen. I love them and I love the distal cap threading on my 1937 Crest too but again it isn't my place to police the thread, just found those choices kind of baffling. I find these threads very quickly devolve into people shouting out their favorites without regard to the original criteria. For myself, I hesitated to put the Omas 361 in. It is historic, well loved, innovative but probably not iconic even in Italy. But close enough.

[inklord]

Icon: a person or thing regarded as representative of a concept, phenomenon or a category of things or persons. Obviously that includes a wide spectrum of interpretations of what's iconic.

[jar]

Icon: a person or thing regarded as representative of a concept, phenomenon or a category of things or persons. Obviously that includes a wide spectrum of interpretations of what's iconic.

Exactly. Somehow I can't quite see how any brand or model of a fountain pen might be considered iconic. For a long time I thought I could but the more I looked at the examples the less sure I became.

[inklord]

Icon: a person or thing regarded as representative of a concept, phenomenon or a category of things or persons. Obviously that includes a wide spectrum of interpretations of what's iconic.

Exactly. Somehow I can't quite see how any brand or model of a fountain pen might be considered iconic. For a long time I thought I could but the more I looked at the examples the less sure I became.

...that's wisdom... maybe in another 10 years, I'll be ready to follow you on that one, jar

[Laura N]

While "iconic" could be easily interpreted as "historically significant", the term can also be seen as emblematic for a certain school of product design and thought concept. The latter would apply to these pens better than the former; please note also that the Sheaffer PFM and Parker 51 are in Germany - to name just one sample market - of hardly any historical significance, and probably in a similar position as the CP1 here.

Oh, I think that's debatable, when it comes to the 51 at least. (No knowledge about the PFM.) The 51 was manufactured in other countries around the world, including England. Its sales were worldwide. It was the world's best selling fountain pen, not merely a product limited to the US. Historically, it absolutely would have been known in Germany.

The 51 design proved inspirational to any number of Parker competitors, including those in Europe. One quick example: the Aurora 88. And many others.

These are both markers of historical significance.

But the key thing for a Lamy fan might be that Lamy designers (German) specifically have cited the 51 as an inspiration for several of their iconic fountain pen designs, including the obvious one, which is the Lamy 2000.

Even today, I think Europe tends to be ahead of the US in its appreciation of modern design. And even today the Parker 51 is a design known in Europe by those in the fountain pen world. I have had a conversation with the Parisian owner of Venvstas where he mentioned the 51.

I don't know how to draw the line between historical significance and product design, when one is talking about historically significant product design, but I do think that the Parker 51 is the very definition of a historically significant product design. YMMV, of course.

[inklord]

I stand corrected, Laura! Indeed C.Joseph Lamy started his business as a Parker representative, hence the inspiration. As you see, I did originally include the 51 in my short list; also, now I finally looked up YMMV... seems like another American Icon
But the point is: some pens are or rather were of different significance in different markets, right? Though the markets have somewhat fused now in this 'age of globalization'.

[pajaro]

I have a Conway Stewart 87, which looks like a teal Parker 51 with a rolled gold cap. The 51 is iconic and was widely imitated.

In the US the German pens are fairly unknown except among pen people, and this persisted until Montblanc became a fashion accessory. Most foreign pens are probably still relatively unknown in the US, except among fountain pen people. Until you get into this hobby and join with one of these fora or until you get a catalog from a pen seller introducing you to worldwide brands, Americans won't know about foreign pens. I believe that most of the "iconic" pens are icons to pen collectors. If you belong to one of these fora, you are a collector or you are on your way to being a collector.