There is no holding back the Artisans at Montegrappa. Hot on the heels of Odyssey Chapter I, the renowned Italian manufacturer of writing implements has unveiled a beautiful new limited edition collection called Marconi Model 150 as an ode to the life of Guglielmo Marconi.
Summer 2024 sees Montegrappa celebrate the life of one of the modern world’s most influential inventors. The new limited-edition celebratory collection is a skilful combination of early-century materials with modern Italian verve and is a most fitting way for the company to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi’s inventor’s birth.
Born in Bologna in 1874, Marconi is widely regarded as the father of modern communication. His lauded reputation was built on an astonishing sequence of scientific and business achievements, with perhaps his most noticeable achievement being his transmission of the world’s first radio signal when he was only twenty years old. Coincidentally, 2024 also marks the centenary of Italy’s state broadcaster, RAI—an institution Marconi helped establish.
Marconi Model 150 is the newest addition to Montegrappa’s Avanguardia collector series, which emphasises originality and period authenticity.
For this new limited edition collection, Montegrappa has chosen to use rosewood and brass, with each component milled in its state-of-the-art machining centre. To simulate a copper effect, the artisans have used rose-gold electroplating combined with steel cable wire and braided cable.
Commenting on this, Montegrappa’s Owner and Creative Director, Giuseppe Aquila, said, “We wanted to create the sensation of a pen made from parts found in Marconi’s workshop.”
To reinforce the technological feeling of bygone days, Montegrappa has created a resin cap “clicker” dome that revives the morse-code haptics of a classical telegraph key.
Further down, a particle-filled polycarbonate barrel segment represents the coherer wave-detection device, which was a key component in Marconi’s discovery.
An accompanying wooden bureau allows owners to display their writing instrument or disassemble it into five separate components.
Ensuring that original, high-concept designs like the Marconi Model 150 live up to elite-grade writing instruments’ ergonomic and performance demands requires particular expertise and extensive prototyping. To produce this collection, a design and development process that spanned almost four years was necessary.
All Montegrappa writing instruments are hand-made at the company’s headquarters, which is located beneath Monte Grappa in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. Artisan-operated since 1912, Montegrappa’s historic factory combines expert craftsmanship with state-of-the-art machinery and tooling to continually explore the limits of writing instrument design.
Pieces in the Marconi Model 150 collection cost from €2,950 ($3,550) and will be available from department stores, fine stationers, watch and jewellery boutiques, and via montegrappa.com.