A Sailor pen is easily identifiable. Each Sailor writing instrument has a body of ebonite or acrylic with metal appointments including the anchor-inspired clip. Sleek and highly polished, Sailor body types are one of two varieties, generally speaking. Its line of 1911 writing instruments is a classic torpedo shape, while its line of Pro Gear and Pro Gear Slim writing instruments have flattened cap and barrel ends.
"Generally speaking" is the key caveat. There are always exceptions. When this Japanese company released its 110th Anniversary limited edition writing instruments two years ago, even Don Takemura, president of Sailor's U.S. distributor, Itoya ProFolio, was taken by surprise.
"I think a lot of people expected some special King of Pen," Takemura says, referring to Sailor's line of Emperor-sized writing instruments, "but many of us were really surprised to see an all-new design with those pens. The Sailor 110th Anniversary collection features big pens but with metal bodies, a clear top finial, no clip, and a very straight and long cylinder shape. Now we see that design translated into the Ebonite Sculpture series, which has been selling very well, and I hope the design will be used in future pens."
In so doing, this 112-year-old company has showcased its adaptability and its capacity to keep customers engaged: just when you thought you saw everything Sailor can do, it does something new. The company pulled a similar trick with its popular series of U.S.-exclusive Sailor 50 States inks, nominated this year for an Ink of the Year RCA. Never before had Sailor created a comprehensive ink line inspired by and targeting its U.S. customer base, and in hue and chroma, those inks are quite different from Sailor's traditional ink lines while maintaining all the chemical elements that make Sailor inks so good for fountain pen writing.
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av PEN WORLD.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av PEN WORLD.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Show Your Summer Style
The newest Visconti Homo Sapiens, Iris Garden, is a tribute to the beautiful irises that bloom each spring in Florence, Italy's Iris Garden.
Good Made Better Keeps Getting Better
SUZANNE C. LEE tests Dan Keller's wood and metal reading and writing accessories and finds her childhood dream desk come to fruition.
Layers of Talent: River City Pen Company
With his skills in design and eye for details, Rich Paul crafts pens that are as beautiful as they are functional.
Fathoming the Unfathomable
The new Kanilea Pen Co. Blue Moana fountain pen and Mau Loa cap band are inspired by the ocean's depths and universal interconnectivity.
Truphae: Flexibility Is Key
This young pen shop is writing a new chapter in retail pen sales by finding unique ways to foster community.
"Winter Counts:" Transforming Non-fiction into Fiction
Creative writing typically blends what we know and experience with what we invent and imagine.
Swivodex, Sailors, and the Plastic Revolution: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part V
The end of World War II ushered in a new era, with plastics technology opening the way to better and less costly products of all sorts.
The Mystery of the Purloined Parkers
What do G-men, mobsters, and tampons have in common? The two most epic fountain pen heists in history.
The Other Articles of Impeachment
\"Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are commanded to keep silent, on pain of imprisonment...\"
The Road to Recovery
A recent trip to Wajima, Japan, by TACCIA's Shu-Jen Lin shows tragedy in the present but hope for the future.
