The Monte Rosa was a plainer range positioned below the Meisterstück, which Montblanc sold as a school and everyday pen. Its specification and ambitions are accordingly lower than those of the top models; as a collector's item a Monte Rosa can therefore be had comparatively cheaply, and it is occasionally mistaken for one of the brand's better pens.
There were several versions. The Monte Rosa of the 1950s (O42 and O42 G, 1952–1961) are, according to “Collectible Stars” volume II, made of thermoplastic with a wavy cap band and came in several colours. Early pieces with a steel cap, as mentioned in the forum, did not exist. In the 1960s the Monte Rosa 41 and 401 followed. A brushed metal cap with the lettering “Monte Rosa” was, however, fitted to the Spanish Monte Rosa 402S and 402SG shown in a Spanish Montblanc brochure of about 1967. The “G” after the number stands for the gold nib; without the “G” the nib was steel.