1906. Three Truly Inspired Associates Mastermind The Brand'S Takeoff.

In 1906, three businessmen decided to join forces: Hamburg merchant Claus-Johannes Voss, engineer August Eberstein and banker Alfred Nehemias. They had just discovered a new fountain pen with its own built-in ink reservoir, which was tremendous progress at the time. They decided to create what is known today as a joint venture, pooling their different talents and financial resources with the impression of taking a huge business risk. The three visionaries set up their factory in Hamburg's Schanzen district and began manufacturing fountain pens, which were easy to use and marketed with stationers, thinking that ""the product had a future"". Their ambition was to produce the pen in small quantities, but always looking for the very highest quality. The company was called the Simplo Filler Pen Company. In 1908, they launched their first collection of ""Red and Black"" fountain pens, drawing inspiration from Stendhal's famous novel. The pens were made of black ebonite with a red-topped cap. The pen was quickly nicknamed ""Little Red Riding Hood"" and met with resounding success. The ""advertisements"" of the time boasted the pen's qualities: ""the fountain pen that does not blot"". For the first time, the new pen was called Montblanc after the majestic snow-capped summit, whose six glaciers as seen from above form a star, which adorns the cap. The name was registered as a trademark and the pen's success was such that the Simplo Filler Pen Company became ""Montblanc Simplo Gmbh"". Right from the outset, the brand set its sights firmly on the international market. After Berlin, Leipzig, Breslau, Hanover and Bremen, new offices were opened in Europe in Paris, London and Barcelona. The collection expanded and stores also started selling writing paper, ink and propelling pencils, all decorated with the famous star.