Montblanc Celebrates 100 Years of the Meisterstück Pen

100 years meisterstuck
Inside Montblanc’s Meisterstück Anniversary PartyCourtesy of Montblanc

Montblanc creative director Marco Tomasetta recently received a note for his birthday. It wasn’t sent on WhatsApp or via Instagram DM—the handwritten card was delivered in the mail. He locked it in a vault for safekeeping.

“A letter is the most precious thing,” Tomasetta tells ELLE through a translator. “I would love to have a new generation understand how important the personal intimacy of writing and drawing is. Through this, I learned to know myself. I like to tell young adults not to [focus on] the lives of others on Instagram. Don’t be obsessed with other people’s lives. Be obsessed with knowing yourself.”

los angeles, california may 01 l r rupert friend, maude apatow, and jason schwartzman attend as montblanc celebrates 100 years of meisterstück, written and directed by wes anderson at the paramour estate on may 01, 2024 in los angeles, california photo by jon kopaloffgetty images for montblanc
Rupert Friend, Maude Apatow, and Jason Schwartzman attend the 100th anniversary of the Meisterstück.Jon Kopaloff

Montblanc celebrated the power of writing at the Paramour Estate in Los Angeles last night—specifically, the 100-year anniversary of the Meisterstück, a luxe pen that has become associated with world-class penmanship and James Bond, whose writing weapon of choice is the Montblanc Classique.

los angeles, california may 01 r bianca balti and marco tomasetta, artistic director, montblanc attend as montblanc celebrates 100 years of meisterstuumlck, written and directed by wes anderson at the paramour estate on may 01 2024 in los angeles, california photo by jon kopaloffgetty images for montblanc
Bianca Balti and Marco Tomasetta.Jon Kopaloff

The location made perfect sense for the brand, literally and metaphorically. “Los Angeles is the city of dreams. You can think about doing impossible things that become possible,” Tomasetta explains. “Los Angeles’ light allowed movies in the 1920s to be lightened up. We wanted to convey a message of light. I want the light of Meisterstück to be visible for the next 100 years.”

Friends of Montblanc were there to commemorate the special occasion and corresponding global campaign for the Meisterstück, conceived by none other than Wes Anderson. The director’s signature pops of color and cinematic style were evident throughout the party, and a short film directed by and starring Anderson, Rupert Friend, and Jason Schwartzman debuted as well. “I chose Wes Anderson because when we were in the [Meisterstück] archives, I noticed there were colors that felt very 1950s. They were reminiscent of him and his universe,” Tomasetta says. “He is the perfect director to explain how color is important to Montblanc.”

EGOT-winning singer John Legend graced the stage with a performance of some of his biggest hits, including “Ordinary People” and “All of Me.” Other attendees included Maude Apatow (who is a face of the campaign), Callum Turner, Maya Erskine, Kiernan Shipka, Adrien Brody, Simu Liu, Emma Roberts, and more.

“A pen is so important,” Tomasetta concludes. “With this object, you can do anything you want. You can write anything. You can be a director. You can be a writer. You can be a musician, creative, or architect. That is what I hope all the guests got tonight.”

john legend performance
John Legend performs onstage.Courtesy of Montblanc

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