A design that doesn’t fade for a century and is synonymous with business – Elmo 02 by Montegrappa

Whether we consider him a visionary or a designer of timeless aesthetics, the first technical director and co-founder of Italy’s oldest fountain pen manufacturer, Heinrich “Elmo” Helm, knew what he was doing when he created the Elmo 02 pen a century ago.

Pulled from Montegrappa’s archives of the 1920s, the design of this pen with its retro charm still resonates perfectly with good taste today – demonstrating the interest among lovers of high-quality writing instruments and the recognition Montegrappa itself gives to the Elmo 02, given its 100-year evolution as a formative element of the brand.

The widespread use of Elmo pens in the first half of the 20th century, especially in Italian offices and classrooms, is explained by their innovation and reputation for never failing.

The formula that Heinrich ‘Elmo’ Helm sought and found in terms of design was to minimise the use of metal without sacrificing the decorative feel and especially the user experience in terms of functionality on which the brand’s reputation is based.

This formula still delivers on its original promise today – and offers the modern writer a sophisticated, unpretentious, business look, with professional performance.

The impression of innovative design does not fade in the slightest when viewing Montegrappa’s new Elmo 02 collection; which has kept the authentic proportions that produce the serious, sober elegance typical of the time when the original model was created.

As then, so with the new incarnation of the Elmo 02, its only indulgence is a ribbed clip made from brass, with traces of early art déco.

The main novelty that the new collection brings concerns the finishes of some of the variants of the respective writing instruments.

Specifically, to break up the formality of the original black colour of the Elmo 02, Montegrappa also produced the model in several sophisticated marble finishes as an expressive alternative to the formality of the standard black instrument.

                                      Elmo 02 Asiago…                                                                     …and Sorapis

These vibrant finishes make each piece unique, as swirling textures are created randomly when mixing the resin from which the instrument bodies are made.

One of the finishes, called Asiago, conveys with great expressiveness the specific colours and landscapes of nature around the eponymous town of Asiago, located in the Province of Vicenza in the Veneto region of northern Italy.

Another of the finishes called Sorapis, is inspired by one of the most beautiful lakes in the Dolomites, the fabulous turquoise Lago di Sorapiss, located at almost 2000 meters above sea level and close to one of the most fashionable ski destinations in Italy, Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Montegrappa’s new Elmo 02 collection offers a range of fountain pens, rollerball pens and ballpoint pens; made of resin, with stainless steel details and a brass clip for hanging.