It’s been exactly 400 years since William Shakespeare passed away. To mark the anniversary, Montblanc has dedicated its special Writers Edition collection of pens and cufflinks to the revered English playwright, poet and actor.
Issued every year in a strictly limited edition worldwide since 1992, the Montblanc Writers Edition pays tribute to the greatest icons of literary history. This time it’s for the author of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and many other masterpieces.
The diversity and richness of Shakespeare’s work is honored in the many details of the William Shakespeare Limited Edition, created from the most select materials and shaped by highly skilled master craftsmen with meticulous dedication.
In a first for Montblanc, the precious resin cap takes on an octagonal shape reminiscent of the famous Globe Theatre – the venue Shakespeare’s company built – and its octagonal structure. A feat of technical virtuosity and precision, the shape is achieved by ensuring that the facts and edges are perfectly defined while never losing the highly polished surface of the resin.
Limited to 1597 pieces, referring to the year his most important play “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” was first published, the William Shakespeare Limited Edition is inspired by his greatest tragedies.
The multi-colored barrel of the pen is embellished with exquisite guilloche patterns evoking his quill overlaid with precious lacquer, contrasting with the cap crafted from pure black lacquer. The black and red colors are a reference to the flags that flew above his theatre to inform audiences of that genre being performed at the time: red for historical drama and black for tragedy.
As well as featuring the embossed symbols on the cap and cone’s gold-plated rings representing his most famous plays, the William Shakespeare Limited Edition 1597 is decorated with Tudor design elements reminiscent of the era in which Shakespeare wrote most of his plays and the longstanding patronage of Queen Elizabeth I.
To complete the Collection, Montblanc is introducing two pairs of circular cufflinks with the Tudor rose as the central motif. The simple elegance of a red rose contrasts with the yellow-gold PVD finish of the first pair, while a black rose complements the shine of the stainless-steel pair.