It is, at first look, liable to be mistaken as a defender guarding the galaxies with its bold Art Deco silhouette, a comfortable balanced weight and a military styled clip inspired by the vintage Sheaffer Balance.
It goes without saying that not every pen has in it the inner power to shape itself into an “Icon”. The Sheaffer Icon can, for it has the legacy of successive lineages dating back to Walter Sheaffer no less. The Icon draws back to the DNA of the Sheaffer brand and reimagines it through modern lenses in what can veritably be called, a postmodern fantasia. The pen is backed by the “White Dot” – the symbol of power, prestige and a lifetime mechanical guarantee.
The design details are exceptionally manifest without compromising on either the excellent functionality or the sheer delight of writing with the instrument – a balance that can be attained by only the best in the craft. The Icon claims it provides “the best of Sheaffer history, all in one pen”, and the pen walks the walk. The hooded nib permits a more customised, personalised grip, allowing the pen to be held closer to the cap, which adds to the overall pleasure of writing. The writing balance is superb, especially during long, extended writing – though, admittedly, the Icon first bowled over my heart, at first sight itself!
Now a quick word about Art Deco. It was a visual art form that swept across France just before World War I characterised by bold Cubism and the Vienna Secession; ballet Russes and Fauvism; with exotic dollops of influence from China, Japan, India, Persia and Egypt. That Sheaffer is reintroducing the Icon, with such pronounced Art Deco influences is in itself such a big thing; that the Chrysler building, one of the best examples of the movement’s monuments, was built a hundred years to date, seems to be a mere coincidence.
These pens will be available exclusively at William Penn outlets in India. Nikhil Ranjan, the Managing Director is all smiles, “It has been our constant endeavour to curate the best collection of writing instruments for India and the Sheaffer Icon is another very welcome feather in our cap.” It will net be out of place to mention here that it is exactly prime mover initiatives like these that have made William Penn attain the heights that it has in the domain.
The story of Sheaffer began more than a hundred years ago, with Walter A Sheaffer, a skilled jeweller by trade, who had an eye for detail and a mind for invention. In the small ante-room of his father’s Iowa jewellery store, Sheaffer developed and patented a revolutionary fountain pen that improved the writing experience of pen users across America and then set out to conquer the hearts of the fountain pen lovers of the world.
In 1907, Walter A. Sheaffer invented an ink-loading system for fountain pens, utilizing a small lever on the side of the pen’s barrel (now mostly known as the lever filler). The now-traditional “White Dot” was first applied to Sheaffer pens in 1924 on the upper part of the cap on the Senior celluloid pens, as a mark of Lifetime Mechanical Warranty. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the Sheaffer White Dot is one of the most “iconic” trademarks in the world of writing instruments.
Incidentally, William Penn seems to be on a roll these days. First it was the Sailor Fika launch that had the Indian fountain pen fraternity swooning. Now it is the Sheaffer Icon and soon, it will be time to celebrate their Big Day, the 20th Anniversary of William Penn, no less!
For more information: https://www.williampenn.net/
