The new Fighter Provenance Fountain Pen from London-based luxury goods firm Dunhill does not take its name in vain: the limited edition writing instrument is made from the original aluminum engine casing taken from the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of the legendary World War II Spitfire MK1 fighter plane. Produced in very small numbers due to the scarcity of the material, the pen's details also reflect this iconic aircraft - the bolt and rivet effects in the original aluminum; the tapered edges echoing the aerodynamics; and a window feature on the side of the barrel displaying level of ink and even the pen clip design directly references the shape of the spitfire propeller. The cap is also created using plexiglass which is exactly the same material used for the bubble canopy of the late 1930's and early 1940's fighter planes. The pen nib is 18 carat gold with rhodium plating and the instrument is presented in a lacquered Alfred Dunhill display box.

[via JustLuxe]

Recently Montblanc unveiled their latest pen in Mumbai. One of Mohandas Gandhi's great-grandsons (Tushar Gandhi shown above) was in attendance as the golden pen was unveiled in time for the 140th anniversary of the birth of the Mahatma . The beautiful pen has angered some who say that a luxury good from a foreign company does not honor Gandhi's legacy and don't see the connection between their beloved icon and a bauble for the rich.

The pen is available in two editions. The Mahatma Gandhi Limited Edition 241 is an 18K gold pen that depicts Gandhi setting off on the salt march of July 1930 and is priced at 17,000 euros (around $24,000). Another addition is available in fountain and rollerball versions for around $3000-$3500. Only 241 commemorative gold fountain pens will be sold, the number refers to how many miles he walked during the "salt march," a protest against salt taxes levied by the British. The pens are decorated with Gandhi's signature and a saffron-colored opal. The pen also comes with a 26-foot golden thread which can be wound around the pen and is meant to recall the spindle that Gandhi used to weave simple cotton cloth. The pen comes in a luxury box with a booklet of Gandhi quotes.

The good news is that Montblanc is donating some money to Indian causes. Montblanc chief executive Lutz Bethge gave a check for 100,000 euros to Tushar Gandhi, for a foundation that works to improve child nutrition and education. The foundation also gets more money (approximately $200-$1,000) for each pen sold. Tushar Ghandhi made news earlier this year when he protested Antiquorum's auction of Mahatma Gandhi's glasses, sandals and pocket watch. He has also asked Britain to return the Koh-i-noor diamond to India.

UPDATE: According to the Gulf Times, Dijo Kapen, from the Centre of Consumer Education in Kerala's Kottayam district has filed a petition in state high court challenging Montblanc's right to market the pens.

Last week, Davidoff Madison Avenue celebrated the launch of its new S.T. Dupont "shop-in-shop" concept. Guests were hosted by general manager Michael Herklots to wine and hors d'oeuvres as they walked through Manhattan's upscale tobacconist and perused the latest accessories from the Parisian luxury goods company. In attendance, and offering a few words, was Alain Crevet, CEO of S.T. Dupont Paris, who celebrated the partnership.

"There's been a wonderful synergy and working relationship for a number of years between the Davidoff stores in New York and S.T. Dupont," said Herklots. "We're excited to take this next step with our two brands. Our beautiful Madison Avenue flagship store has always maintained a selection of the finest cigars and good life accessories including those by S.T. Dupont. This new collaboration with S.T. Dupont allows us to offer our customers an even greater range of unique merchandise, in keeping with what they've come to expect from Davidoff of Geneva in New York City."

The shop-in-shop corner within the store is packed with an extensive selection of S.T. Dupont merchandise. Though the company's products are not new to Davidoff Madison Avenue, the build-out offers a unique venue in which to enjoy the Dupont experience. In a tough market for cigars and cigar accessories, the expansion of the Davidoff/S.T. Dupont gives cigar smokers a reason to be excited.

Watch an interview with the Herklots after the jump.

Whether you're an artist looking for an unparalleled selection of colors or a home decor aficionado looking for an unusual visual display, you're likely to be intrigued by Felissimo's "500 Pencils" service. Not unlike other "of the month" clubs, Felissimo will deliver another set of 25 colored pencils to your home for 20 months until you've got all 500. The service costs $33 per month, a they each come in an acrylic holder that you can mount on the wall or arrange in any number of whimsical shapes.

[Source: Felissimo via Acquire]

Welcome to our new feature, "10 Luxuries." For each installment a notable figure in the world of luxury, tastemaker or stylish personality will tell us about the 10 necessary luxuries they simply cannot do without. Related quotes and images of each item can be found in the gallery.

Perry Oosting became president of Vertu, the world's leading luxury mobile phone manufacturer, earlier this year. He joined the company with extensive experience in the luxury industry via senior roles held at several blue chip brands including Bulgari, Prada, Gucci and Escada.Vertu uses the finest materials from the world of watchmaking, automotive design, aeronautics, and jewelry to create truly unique mobile phones of unparalleled craftsmanship and exclusivity, such as the new Ascent Ti Carbon Fiber. Vertu is also the only phone in the world to ever receive a hallmark from the Swiss Assay Office, the organization that guarantees the quality of the world's finest watches. In the gallery, Oosting reveals his 10 essential luxuries, from his favorite hotel, watch and car to shoes, wine, writing instrument and more, and tells us what makes them a must.

The venerable Parisian luxury goods firm of S.T. Dupont has come out with the world's most expensive lighter (right) priced at $79,000.

The Ligne 2 Champagne lighter, part of Dupont's Prestige Collection, is made of solid 18-carat white gold embellished with 468 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Also available is a matching fountain pen in solid 18-carat white gold as well with rhodium finished trims and 502 brilliant-cut diamonds for $74,000.

S.T. Dupont, founded in Paris in 1872 by Simon Tissot Dupont, made bespoke pieces for the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Windsor. Daniel Craig also carried Dupont accessories as James Bond in Casino Royale.

[via JustLuxe]

The 40th anniversary of the moon landing of Apollo 11 is today July 20 and Fisher Space Pen Co.has made 1,000 limited edition AG7-40LE Space Pens to commemorate the event. The pen is designed as a replica of the historic anti-gravity model pen that was invented by company founder, Paul C. Fisher, in 1966 and flew aboard the Apollo missions. The 40th anniversary pen features a piece of "Kapton" foil, used as protective thermal insulation on the Apollo 11 Command module, Columbia, which carried the astronauts to the moon and back. The tiny piece is mounted in an acrylic dome sealed into the pen's cap.

The presentation case has a resin casting of the Neil Armstrong's famous footprint on the moon inset into the hinged lid. A magnetic pedestal allows the pen to sit on its own "launch pad" for display when the lid is closed. The sides of the case features a band of plated stainless steel engraved with a timeline that tells the moment-by-moment story of the mission's key events, from launch to splashdown. The pen is finished with black titanium nitride and engravings inlayed with 24-karat gold show the pen's sequential serial number, the names of the Apollo 11 crew and the image of an astronaut planting the American flag into the lunar surface. The limited edition ball-point pen and display case is $800 and is available on the Fisher website.

Montblanc, makers of fine pens with the famed "snow cap" motif (above), will auction off a series of celebrity portraits to benefit UNICEF in September. On Friday, May 8, they're hosting a benefit at Sotheby's in New York to announce the World Exhibition Tour of the photo project honoring the involvement of 12 great actresses and their efforts to "support UNICEF's fight against inadequate education and illiteracy". Sienna Miller, Eva Longoria, Christina Ricci, Emily Blunt, Marcia Cross, Andie MacDowell, Helen Hunt, Lauren Hutton, Milla Jovovich, Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon and Mira Sorvino are featured in a series of signed portraits by photographer Roger Moenks.

The portraits will be on display from May 6 - 13 at Sotheby's New York before traveling to London and then Los Angeles where they'll be auctioned off to benefit at a charity gala dinner on September 8th, International Literacy Day. Based on an original concept by Signature International, a cultural and artistic charitable initiative, each actress was photographed "portraying her favorite literary heroine in celebration of the art of writing." Each portrait will be presented to the winning bidder accompanied by a limited edition Montblanc writing instrument covered in the finest diamonds and sapphires.

[via JustLuxe]

Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux has been making fine timepieces for well over 200 years, but 2009 marks the first time they've manufactured a writing instrument. The firm, founded in 1791, is debuting a luxurious new line of pens based on their famed Three Bridges gold tourbillon watch. There are three models of writing instrument, adorned with precious metal engraved with delicate guilloche work, based on a vintage 1945 Three Bridges Tourbillon, a famed Girard-Perregaux model. The clip on the caps is double-arrow shaped, like the bridge on the watch.

Three openings on the pen body showing the ink level refer to the timepiece's power reserve indicators. Fountain pens come equipped with an exclusive high-capacity double reservoir system preventing leakage. There are three models available: a piston fountain pen in guilloche silver and resin (above), limited to 999-pieces; a piston fountain pen in guilloche pink gold and resin, limited to 99 pieces; and a rollerball in guilloche silver and resin, limited to 999 pieces. A matching set comprising the silver fountain pen and rollerball is also available in an edition of 199 pieces.

It's probably not the best time to be selling a diamond-covered pen. Luckily only one is for sale per year. The Aurora Diamante contains over 30 carats of De Beers diamonds on a solid platinum barrel. It has a two-tone, rhodium-treated, 18KT solid gold nib and is personalized with a coat of arms, signature or portrait. Aurora Pens says it is the only over 30 carat pen in the world. It is believed to be worth around one million euros which would make it more expensive than the Van Cleef & Arpels Mystery pen.



[via Pens from Heaven]

Here we have a pen for those who want a writing instrument that's top notch but still masculine and, most importantly, durable and functional enough for regular use. It's the SureFire Pen, from SureFire (of course), and among its list of features you'll find that it has a sleek, aerospace-grade aluminum body, a "virtually indestructible" stainless steel tip, and a tail cap that's designed to function as a window-breaker in an emergency. And how does it write? The SureFire pen is fully adjustable to accommodate almost any of your favorite ink cartridges, but to make things even easier it comes standard with its own easy flow cartridge featuring high-performance Schmidt® Technology.

A perfect gift for that hard-to-buy for guy on your holiday shopping list! $125

Via acquire

Swiss watch company Raymond Weil is launching a new line of pens and cufflinks designed to complement their high-end timepieces. To begin with, the the brand is offering purchasers of its new $16,000 Cuore Caldo Split-Seconds Chronograph, which is limited to 500 pieces, a matched pen and cufflink set (above). The accessories are made of stainless steel accented with carbon fiber and rose gold to complement the watch's design elements. Weil, founded in 1976, plans future offerings along similar lines.

Watchmaker François-Paul Journe has created his first line of writing instruments. The F.P. Journe pens are made in platinum PT 950 and 18K gold, the same metals used in his watch creations. His fountain pen uses an original retractable system, registered with patent Number EP 07 405119.4. The bottom of the pen has six flaps that open and close like flower petals to reveal the nib. The first collection of F.P.Journe first writing instruments, a fountain pen and a roller, will be available in December 2008 at the five F.P.Journe boutiques in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Geneva, Boca Raton and Paris. Each is a limited Edition of 500 with a hand guilloché barrel. The nib of the fountain pen is in 18K red gold and is engraved with the F.P.Journe logo. The platinum version is lacquered in blue while natural color lacquer is used for the gold version with 18K red gold inserts as shown above.

Look at the pens on your desk. Maybe you have an especially nice one, one that means something sentimental to you, and another one you especially like. What on earth are the rest of them doing there? You don't even like those pens! Why do you make yourself use them every day when it would be so easy to have something you like?

Pen Intervention Steps:
1. Throw out all pens with names of prescription drugs on them. Seriously.
2. Try to give away away the pens you don't like. Does your yoga studio want pens? Your local school?
3. Give up and throw out the pens you don't like.
4. Look at the pens you have left. Why do you have each pen? "I have to have a red one" is not good enough. You will be getting a red pen you like.
4. Decide how many pens you need and what kind you like. Ballpoint? Felt tip?
5. Go shopping. A good pen lasts a long time. Get good pens. Broke? Start stealing them from hotels. A pen with a story is better than a Bic.

It's just another easy way to make life more lux for cheap or free.

Perfect for those who love their Maserati, wish they had a Maserati to love, or are just all about all high-end sports cars, the latest writing instrument from OMAS is a silver, sleek Maserati pen. The inspiration from the Italian auto can be seen in the aerodynamic design, in the grille pattern on the upper half of the case, and of course by the Maserati logo engraved on the pen's silver nib. Made of sterling silver the pen will be issued in a limited edition of only 1,914 in honor of the year Maserati was founded, 1914. Available in fountain or rollerball styles, $2,750

Via Bornrich