Pelikan M400 White Tortoise Fountain Pen

In the year 1929 Pelikan was the first company in the world to introduce the differentiated piston mechanism. This technique causes the spindle inside the fountain pen to turn quicker than the end piece of the barrel, with the help of two different threads. To this date, this fountain pen exists in many different variations, and though it has been developed in design and technical details over time, the basic mechanism remains the same.

In 1950, the model 400 was launched. With its green-striped sleeve, it has become a world-wide symbol for the brand of Pelikan. In the eighties, the series was baptized Souverän, though popular lore has taken to calling it by its nick-name Stresemann, because the state secretary of the “Weimarer Republik” was famous for his striped suits…

The tortoise-white Souverän pen was produced in 2004, along the lines of the pen model 400 of the 1950’s with a tortoise-brown/transparent ink container. Its striped, transparent sleeve shines delicately in gold. The cap and the remaining parts of the body are held in white and give this model its characteristically bright and friendly splendor.

The production of the sleeve is an elaborate task, as the cotton material – its formula was developed specially for Pelikan – must go through many manufacturing steps in order to create this striped piece of material. It is bent, smoothed and its contours are diamond-cut. Next, the characteristic double clips at the back of the barrel and on the cap are integrated into the material. This is done with the highest precision in order to obtain a virtually seamless transition between the materials. The writing instrument is then polished to a high sheen before the slightly springy clip with its famous, stylized Pelikan is mounted.

Fountain pen

Piston filler including a 24 carat gold plating and an elaborately striped body made of celluloid acetate. The nib is made of 14 carat/585 gold. It is refined with a rhodium decor and its writing qualities were tested by hand. The fountain pen is equipped with a differential piston filling mechanism.