Montblanc Vintage 1940–1949 The third series in the 1940s: 322, 326, 331, 332, 333½ and 334½

The third series grew in 1935 out of the less expensive III. Sorte and was Montblanc’s third line, recognised by one cap ring and a star engraved only as an outline. In the 1940s it comprised the push-button filler 322 and the piston fillers 332, 333½ and 334½; during the war the 332 and 334½ lost the cap ring, and after the war they carried two. In 1948 the 331 “Reflex” was added.

Origin and distinguishing marks

Montblanc had created the III. Sorte in 1932, during the world economic crisis, as a less expensive line; even that line carried only an embossed outline instead of the white star. The numbers of the third series begin with a 3. According to a forum post of 3 July 2004 these were not purely pupils’ pens but the third line, also for adults; after the war Monte Rosa took over as the school pen.

The third series has one cap ring and in the cap top a star engraved only as an outline, which was never filled with colour (forum post of 16 September 2005). The early nibs carry the letters a, b or c in a triangle instead of a number; volume I lists them until 1937. Here a corresponds to size 2, b to 4 and c to 6 (forum post of 7 March 2005).

At the beginning of the 1940s

At the beginning of the 1940s the third series consisted of the push-button filler 322 — black, with one cap ring and a nib marked “a” or “2”, until 1940 — and the piston fillers 332, 333½ and 334½. Volume I lists these for 1936–1942 with one cap ring and an engraved star. On the 333½ and 334½ the turning knob sits under a blind cap; on the 332 it is exposed according to the photos on this website and maxpens.de, and volume I draws separate turning knobs for it.

The 333½ and the 334½ look almost the same; they differ mainly in the nib size, 3½ or 4½, and in the number (forum post of 27 December 2004). Unusual is a 326 in green and black stripes, listed in volume I for 1940–1943: not made in Germany, probably in Eastern Europe during the war. According to a forum post of 1 July 2004, platinum-striped celluloid also appeared on third-series pens at the start of the war, always on the whole pen and never combined with black.

During the war

The wartime regulation of June 1942 banned coloured fountain pens, patterned ink windows and decorative rings on the home market. In the third series Montblanc then built the 332 and the 334½. In 1943–1946 both have no cap rings, only an engraving; the Diary draws a dotted area at the end of the cap instead of the rings. The wartime pens reached the shops only in mid-1943 and were sold until the end of 1946.

The 332 of these years has a gold or a steel nib. According to the Diary the nibs of these wartime pens vary considerably because old parts from stock were fitted along with new ones.

Volume I also lists the 333½ for 1943–1948, still with one cap ring. According to forum posts a 333½ with ribbed instead of gold rings is a wartime model, made around 1942/1944, with a celluloid barrel, end pieces of hard rubber and a size 3½ steel nib (forum post of 23 February 2005, forum post of 23 February 2005).

After the war

After the war the rings returned. The 332 and the 334½ were made from 1948 to 1950 with an engraved star and in the pre-war shape; volume II illustrates them with two gold-coloured cap rings instead of the single ring of the pre-war years. Volume I also gives the 332 with two cap rings. It describes the post-war 334½ with telescopic piston, also with a steel nib and 5 mm shorter than before the war.

New was the 331, with a steel nib and the imprint “Reflex”, made from 1948 to 1950. Reflex was Montblanc’s entry-level brand, so that dealers did not have to turn to competitors for inexpensive pens. Individual pens kept appearing under it until the mid-1950s, and in Switzerland Monte Rosa pens also carried this name for a time. From 1951 the 342 and 344 followed — described on the page third series 1948–1960.

Nibs

The gold nibs of the third series are stamped 14 ct; for the 333½ the Diary gives “3½ MONTBLANC 14 C”, for the 334½ “4½ MONTBLANC 14 C”. Steel nibs were possible. For France there were 18 ct nibs, and there Meisterstück nibs stamped 4810 also went into pens of the second and third series (forum post of 26 February 2005). Steel nibs with “MONTBLANC” and the size in the star — 2, 4½, 6 — date from 1939–1947.

The coloured 333½ pens

Two pages of this website show coloured 333½ pens with two cap rings (blue marbled, burgundy marbled). According to volume I they are export or dealer versions of 1935–1937 and therefore pre-war pens, and the book gives them the diamond clip.