Montblanc Vintage 1960–1989 Meisterstück 149 from 1960 to 1989
Described on this page
Meisterstück 149 from 1960 to 1989 — piston filler of plastic, from 1985/86 of precious resin
There are photos of the 149 of the 1980s (with worn platinum plating) and of the solid gold 149 on this website; for the others the table links to individual pens at penboard (new tab).
Key facts
- Production
- continuously since 1952; here the versions from 1960 to 19891
- Filling system
- piston filler; mechanism of plastic without telescope from 1960, until 19852
- Material
- plastic from 1960 to the mid-1980s, precious resin from 1985/862
- Nib
- 14 ct gold, platinum-plated inside
- 18 ct for France
- three-tone “18C” in the USA, Asia and Mexico3
- Dimensions
- approx. 145–147 mm (closed), cap approx. 16.5 mm, barrel approx. 15 mm4
- Imprint
- “W.-Germany” until 1989/90, then “Germany”5
- Country versions
- white dot, white triangle, without emblem, five-pointed star, line through the emblem6
- Versions
- 9 entries — see table
Not to be confused with
149 of the 1950s
Celluloid, brass telescopic piston, silver rings.
See 149 of the 1950s
Solid gold 149
Forerunner of the Solitaire with pinstripe guilloche, 1983–1992.
See Gold 149
Today’s 149
Precious resin, 18 ct three-tone nib; since the 1990s.
Sources and notes
- forum post of 2 March 2005; “Collectible Stars” volume II.
- Fountain Pen Network post of 3 April 2008; “Collectible Stars” volume II: “until 1985 with plastic mechanism”. Another post dates the end of the celluloid 149 to 1969 (Fountain Pen Network post of 8 January 2011).
- forum post of 26 January 2015; monochrome nibs: post on Penexchange (thread “Montblanc 146 Solitaire Carbon”); 18C nibs: country versions on this website.
- According to an overview in the forum post of 13 September 2005 (dimensions since the relaunch), measured without calipers.
- Fountain Pen Network post of 5 April 2016.
- White triangle also on a 149 of the 1960s: Fountain Pen Network post of 7 February 2017.
The 149 is the only Meisterstück that survived the change of 1959: while the 142, 144 and 146 were discontinued, it continued (forum post of 2 March 2005). It was not listed in the catalogues of the 1960s, but it was available
Materials and mechanism
The 149 did not stay unchanged. According to a Fountain Pen Network post of 3 April 2008 Montblanc changed the body from celluloid to plastic in 1960 and made the piston mechanism entirely of plastic, without a telescope — these are the “lightweight” 149s. It kept silver rings into the 1960s (forum post of 2 December 2005).
In the 1970s, like the other pens of the 12x and 22x series, it was made of simple plastic with plasticiser (forum post of 10 November 2004). The plastic piston mechanism remained until 1985
According to a forum post (Fountain Pen Network) of 13 March 2008 the feed changed from hard rubber to plastic in the 1970s. Feeds were replaced in repairs and are not enough on their own for dating.
Names
A Montblanc catalogue of June 1962 lists the 149 as the “Meisterstück-Füllhalter im Diplomatenformat” (forum post (Fountain Pen Network) of 4 July 2015). In North America the 149 was offered for a time in the 1970s as the “Diplomat” and the reissued 146 as the “Classic”; according to a forum post (Fountain Pen Network) of 16 November 2011 this was only brief and not official, because “Diplomat” is a trademark of another maker.
Nibs
At least in the 1980s and before the nibs were 14 ct, always 18 ct for France; the change to 18 ct came in the early to mid-1990s (forum post of 26 January 2015). All 149 nibs were platinum-plated inside. A nib that looks monochrome is therefore worn; there was none from the factory (page with photos).
Market variants and precious metal
Some markets had different markings:
- a white dot for the Arab markets, later a white triangle or no emblem at all
- a five-pointed star for Saudi Arabia
- three-tone nibs marked “18C” in the USA, Asia and Mexico
As a precious-metal version the 149 existed only in solid gold, never in rolled gold, vermeil or sterling silver (Fountain Pen Network post of 19 January 2011, Fountain Pen Network post of 19 January 2011).
All versions 1960–1989 9 entries
Each version on its own row. A dash (—) marks missing information. “Photos” links to a page of this website or to an individual pen at penboard (↗, opens in a new tab).
Fountain pens 3 entries
| No. | Years | Type | Version | Filling system · nib | Source | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 149 | 1961–1969 | Fountain pen | black, plastic (“lightweight 149”)not in the catalogues of the 1960s, but still available; piston mechanism entirely of plastic, no telescope (from 1960 according to a forum post); partly still with silver rings | piston filler gold nib, platinum-plated inside | “Collectible Stars” II | penboard ↗ |
| 149 | 1971 – mid-1980s | Fountain pen | black, plasticplastic piston mechanism until 1985; according to a forum post the feed changed from hard rubber to plastic in the 1970s; feeds were replaced in repairs and are not enough on their own for dating | piston filler 14 ct gold nib, platinum-plated inside (18 ct for France) | “Collectible Stars” II, ID no. 1502; Fountain Pen Network | penboard ↗ |
| 149 | 1985/86 – early 1990s | Fountain pen | black, precious resinimprint “W.-Germany” until 1989/90; a monochrome nib is worn, there was none from the factory | piston filler 14 ct gold nib, platinum-plated inside (18 ct for France) | Fountain Pen Network | own photos |
Country and market versions 6 entries
| No. | Years | Type | Version | Filling system · nib | Source | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 149 | mid-1950s to early 1970s | Fountain pen | black, white dot instead of the starArab markets | piston filler | forum posts | — |
| 149 | from the 1970s | Fountain pen | black, white triangle instead of the starArab markets; according to a forum post also on a 149 of the 1960s | piston filler | forum posts | penboard ↗ |
| 149 | 1970s | Fountain pen | black, without emblemArab markets | piston filler | forum posts | — |
| 149 | 1970s to mid-1980s | Fountain pen | black, five-pointed instead of six-pointed starSaudi Arabia; authenticity confirmed by Montblanc | piston filler | forum posts | FPN ↗ |
| 149 | period not documented | Fountain pen | black, line through the emblemArab markets | piston filler | forum posts | — |
| 149 | 1950s to 1970s | Fountain pen | black, three-tone “18C” nibUSA, Asia, Mexico | piston filler | forum posts | — |
Sources
Facts from the following sources: “Collectible Stars” volume II (Rösler/Wallrafen), model catalogue “MONTBLANC Schreibgeräte 1980 – 2015”, forum posts in the archive of this website, in the Penexchange forum and on the Fountain Pen Network, individual pens at penboard (only as a link to photos) and the pages of this website.
This page gives no values or prices — neither original shop prices nor current offers.
Literature
- aJens Rösler, Stefan Wallrafen: “Collectible Stars — Montblanc writing instruments from 1946 until 1979”. 2001. On this website “Collectible Stars” volume II. more about the book ›