Montblanc Vintage 1930–1939 Stylos of the 1930s

A stylo writes with a thin tube instead of a nib. Montblanc took such pens back into the range in 1930 — first without a number, then as the 15 and 17.5, from 1935 as the 421, 422 and S422 and from 1936 as the piston filler 432 with the red dot. After the war they did not return.

How a stylo writes

Instead of a nib, a thin platinum tube sits at the tip. Inside lies a fine writing rod whose movable gold point protrudes slightly. When the pen is put to paper the point is pushed back, and the ink follows by capillary action between rod and tube; when the pen is lifted, the rod drops back and stops the flow.

The rigid tube gives an even line and also allows carbon copies. According to a forum post of 9 October 2009, inks that would clog a fountain pen could also be used, since a stylo needs no feed.

Return in 1930 and the first stylos without number

Montblanc already offered tube pens in its first catalogue of 1909. According to the text of “Collectible Stars” I they disappeared from the range around 1922 and returned in 1930, prompted by the success of the Rotring ink pencil (“Tintenkuli”), also made in Hamburg. The chronologies of volume II and of the Diary give 1930 as well.

The stylos of the first years carried no number. According to the Diary they were lever fillers at first in 1930–1931, and half a year after the start the push-knob system followed. They came in black, coral red, azurite blue and malachite green, with a ribbed cap with a serrated top edge, “MONT BLANC” with the star on the cap and “ORIGINAL SIMPLO MONTBLANC” on the barrel.

In 1932–1933 they received a clip, in 1934 also cap rings and, on the barrel, the number D.R.P. 508058 — according to maxpens.de the 1929 patent for the closure of the push-knob fillers. Alongside, there were stylos with a streamlined cap in pearl and black and in green and black mottled in 1932–1934.

Two sets of instructions are reproduced. The one in the Diary is for the lever filler: press the lever down until it resists, let it slide back and wait five seconds; there is an air hole in the mouthpiece.

The one in volume I, with the printer’s mark “XI. 30” and the note “D.R.P. angem.” (German patent applied for), is for the push-knob filler: unscrew the black cone at the end of the barrel, press the metal filling knob and release it, and leave the mouthpiece in the ink for a few more seconds. Both mention a ring clip that can be taken off after unscrewing the cap top, and a cleaning rod for the tube.

The stylos 15 and 17.5 (1933–1935)

For 1933–1935 volume I lists the stylos 15 and 17.5, both push-knob fillers with a ball-shaped cap top and a small star: the 15 in black, 15.0 cm at Ø 1.30 cm, the 17.5 in black or red ripple, 16.0 cm at Ø 1.35 cm.

The collectiblestars.com database gives hard rubber and measures with the cap posted. From 1930 to 1934 the same numbers were also carried by fountain pens with a nib, push-button and push-knob fillers 15 and 17.5 — so a stylo is recognised by its tube, not by its number.

Whether the stylos of this series carried an engraved number at all has not been resolved. According to a forum post of 15 November 2004 none of them had a model number, and only the successor model received the red dot. A forum post of 18 November 2004 knows unnumbered pens in the shape of the 15, while a forum post of 20 November 2004 mentions a stylo with an engraved 15. If a fountain pen of these years has no number, it may be a converted stylo according to a forum post of 18 November 2004; the mouthpieces of stylos and fountain pens were mostly interchangeable (forum post of 20 November 2004).

The push-knob fillers 421, 422 and S422 (from 1935)

With the numbering system of 1935 the stylos received a 4 as their first digit; according to the Diary the 4 stood for stylo or glass nib. As with the fountain pens, the second digit gives the filling system. As push-knob fillers volume I lists three models:

• the 422 with a flat top, papyrus clip and two cap rings, 16.5 cm at Ø 1.35 cm — black from 1935 to 1941, azurite blue (white or blue spots), malachite green and platinum striped in 1935–1936
• the similarly equipped, slightly smaller 421, black, 1935–1939, 16.0 cm at Ø 1.30 cm — a lady size according to the Diary
• the streamlined S422, black and pearl or green, gold and brown marbled, 1935–1936, 17.0 cm at Ø 1.35 cm

According to the Diary the barrel of these push-knob fillers reads “ORIGINAL SIMPLO MONTBLANC D.R.P. 508058”.

The piston filler 432 and the red dot

In 1936 the piston filler 432 followed, black or platinum striped, 15.5 cm at Ø 1.35 cm. Its cap top has a red dot, small or large, which indicates the size of the writing tube. A 432 always has a clip (post on Penexchange (thread “Montblanc Füller welches Modell”)). According to maxpens.de the German patent 689598 of 3 March 1937 covers the stylos.

The red dot belongs to the stylos: on a fountain pen it points to an exchanged cap top (post on Penexchange (thread “Auf der Suche nach einer Druckplatte für Montblanc Stoßfüller #4”)), and a pen with a 4 in front and a nib has an exchanged end piece (post on Penexchange (thread “Montblanc Füller welches Modell”)). Anyone repairing a 432 removes mouthpiece and piston towards the front and warms the mouthpiece first so that the thread does not break (Penexchange forum post of 31 January 2019 (thread “Montblanc Tintenschreiber 1936-1939”)).

Wartime, end and mixtures

According to volume I the wartime regulation of 1942 allowed only one stylo model. In the table this is the 432, black until 1942 and as a wartime version with engraved cap rings in 1943–1946; the 422 ran until 1941. Both are described on the page Stylos, sub-brands and special productions of the 1940s. When Montblanc resumed production in 1946/47, the stylos were not taken back into the range.

Because parts of stylos and fountain pens fitted each other, mixtures exist: maxpens.de shows a 234½ as a stylo with a red dot and dates it to 1938–1939, and a Penexchange forum post of 27 May 2015 (thread “MB 332 Wie komme ich an den Kolben?”) mentions another. According to a forum post of 10 January 2005, however, a 234½ stylo was never made by the factory; presumably the front section or the turning knob was exchanged.