S.t. Dupont Classique Review

February 19, 2015

This is a more detailed review as a follow-up to the quick and dirty review of my fountain pens, which can be found here.

This review is about my S.T. Dupont Classique pens, one in silver and the other in Lacque de Chine.

The photo below shows the Lacque de Chine pen next to the TWSBI. The TWSBI is quite big and you can see that it clearly longer than the S.T. Dupont.

Of these two the silver one came in the traditional red leather box (which is always useful to keep a number of pens in), while the other came in a chamois leather pouch marked S.T. Dupont.

I have owned the silver pen for over 30 years and the other was acquired recently in an auction.

Right out of the box these Classique pens have a distinguished look. It is immediately clear that these are fountain pens if you see the cap with its distinctive clip. Cap and bottom half are almost the same size, but the bottom has an extra 0.5cm compared to the cap.

Visible are all of the usual S.T. Dupont markings: S.T. Dupont Paris engraved on the central ring and 925 plus two other silver markings, denoting sterling silver and (in the Lacque de Chine pen) gold plated sterling silver. The Lacque de Chine pen also states its is Lacque de Chine on the ring. The clip is marked 'metal' on one side and has a number on the other side. The clip is fastened to the cap in a very nice way, with a screw on the inside of the cap to hold it. Opening the pen reveals a simple looking nib with a large hole on the underside.
The cap twists off easily and closes without much sound. I miss the distinctive click that some of the other S.T. Dupont pens have. These two pens are identical in how they were made, nibs and converter. It's just the outside that differs.

The silver pen is obviously made of silver, down to every little detail, even the clip. It shows patina easily when it is being used, but this polishes off easily with a silver cloth. The silver really shines once polished and the ribbed structure on the bottom half stands out nicely. The Lacque de Chine pen is brownish with a bit of gleam. It is not as polished as some of the later Lacque de Chine pens I have and the design is a bit dull. Part of this might be caused by age or treatment. The silver pen is my favourite in terms of how it looks.
For their size these pens feel relatively heavy, due to the metal used. To the touch they feel nice and cool. The black plastic/composite (?) just above the nib has little lines engraved in it, which provides the fingers with a good grip. The lines do fill up over time, so sometimes a toothbrush is needed to clean them out a bit.
The silver is quite sturdy, but it is susceptible to dents if you drop the pen. The Lacque de Chine doesn't have that problem, but the lacquer can chip off.
When the bottom half is unscrewed you see that the nib section is all plastic, even the screw thread. The bottom half has a metal screw thread obviously, because of the materials used in these pens.
The plastic in the nib section is strong enough, but in the silver pen a very small leak has appeared after about 25 years of use. It was exactly where the fingers gripped the section. I don't really have a very firm grip, so this might be the weak point of the pen. Since then it has been repaired by S.T. Dupont.

Once the nib section and bottom half are unscrewed you notice that the nib section is quite light. All the weight of the pen is in the bottom half and the cap as a result of the metal used in those parts.

The pen has a good grip, not wide like the Ellipsis I discussed previously, but wider than the other classique model I own. I t is quite suitable for ong writing sessions and in fact the silver pen got me through college in the pre-computer era.
The cap has a long narrow clip, almost 5/6 of the cap length and fastened on top in the unique (old fashioned) S.T. Dupont way. It is flexible enough for easy use and because of its length sits quite secure.

These are classic looking pens. Put them next to a Leica M6 on a small cafe table nest to a coffee and croissant and you feel transported to another era immediately. Some of the old Dunhill fountain pens had the same effect on me. They exude a luxury feeling if you know what I mean. I wouldn't change anything about these pens, the only thing I would do (if I worked at S.T. Dupont) is get this model back in production.

The pen writes very nice and moves over any paper in an effortless way. I wish S.T. Dupont (or whoever they used for the nibs) would still make them like this.
The pen is best used uncapped. The size and weight are fine, unless you have very big hands. If the pen is capped it feels fine too, it doesn't chafe against the hand anywhere, but the pen feels too heavy then and this impedes the writing.

The nib is a fine to medium size, on the smaller side of medium. Very pleasant to use, just right for me. The nib is made of 18K gold and has the 'D' and 750 stamped on it. There is a gold marking on the right side of the nib. The ink flow is perfect on any paper and I never experience a disruption. The nib is slightly flexible and does not feel scratchy at all. One peculiar thing is the look of the nib on the underside. I always thought that a big hole like this would dry out the ink faster, but that isn't the case, it works just fine.

As far as I know I can't easily remove this nib to service it or replace it. It needs to go to the S.T. Dupont service center if repair is needed.

The pen uses cartridges or a converter. The converter is flat on top (where it goes onto the nib section) and the opening is smaller than on other (modern) converters. If you have a converter like this, hang on to it. I filled it with Pelikan 4001 ink.

In the writing example you can see that the nib is slightly thicker than the Fine of the TWSBI. The ink flow is very steady, no interruptions or scratches that are visible or can be felt.

I bought the silver pen new ages ago new for 120-150 euro I guess. The Lacque de Chine was acquired in a recent auction for 53 euro. Both pens, at new price or in auction are terrific value for money. Although they get less use nowadays these are still my favourite fountain pens. I am not sure whether I am right in assuming this, but my experience is that the older S.T. Dupont fountain pens seem to be better quality than the more modern models.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Letrow

February 19, 2015

Great review. I thought about getting this one but I'm not that kind on gold nibs, I prefer chrome.

Edited February 19, 2015 by visvamitra

September 11, 2015

I am curious about this statement because I have the same problem with my pen. It's leaking, but only after it's been sitting for a little bit.

The plastic in the nib section is strong enough, but in the silver pen a very small leak has appeared after about 25 years of use. It was exactly where the fingers gripped the section. I don't really have a very firm grip, so this might be the weak point of the pen. Since then it has been repaired by S.T. Dupont.

Who did your repair? And is it working ok now? Thanks for the help with this.

September 29, 2015

Hi Jenn_O_Matic. I think you probably received my response per e-mail, but I'll answer here too for others who are interested. I went to Akkerman in Amsterdam and as far as I understood from them they sent the fountain pen to the S.T. Dupont factory for repair.

They also replaced the converter with a more modern one. That was the only thing that went wrong, as the modern converters have a slightly larger opening, which means that it is a bit loose now when attached to the nib section. Luckily I had some older converters left, so it wasn't a problem.

Edited September 29, 2015 by Letrow

September 29, 2015

Hi Jenn_O_Matic. I think you probably received my response per e-mail, but I'll answer here too for others who are interested. I went to Akkerman in Amsterdam and as far as I understood from them they sent the fountain pen to the S.T. Dupont factory for repair.
They also replaced the converter with a more modern one. That was the only thing that went wrong, as the modern converters have a slightly larger opening, which means that it is a bit loose now when attached to the nib section. Luckily I had some older converters left, so it wasn't a problem.

Actually the opening is exactly opposite of that. The older ST Duponts used the Parker/Aurora standard converters and cartridges while newer ST Duponts use the International Standard cartridge converter. The Parker has a larger Inner Diameter at the nipple.