Platinum #3776 Century - Chartres Blue - Soft Fine Nib

[Garden Man]

*Picture heavy*

 

Platinum Pen Company is one of the Big 3 out of Japan (Pilot/Namiki, Sailor, and Platinum), yet there are few people who really know Platinum and their history.

 

History:

 

http://www.platinum-pen.co.jp/company_history_img/company_history_img_10.jpg

 

1919: Shunichi Nakata* establishes his own pen business.

1924: Nakata’s business is named Nakaya** Seisakusho.

1928: The company is renamed to Platinum Fountain Pen Company.

1942: The company became established as Platinum Fountain Pen Company.

1947: Renamed to PLATINUM Industry co.

1957: Introduced the Honest 60, which was the first manufactured cartridge style fountain pen

1962: Reverted back to Platinum Fountain Pen Company.

1962: Launched it’s first fountain pen with an 18K gold nib.

1968: Shunichi Nakata died; business was taken over by his third son Toshihiro Nakata

1978: Launched the #3776, designed to be the ideal fountain pen

1997: Nakaya Fountain Pen Company is established

2009: Toshihiro Nakata died, business was taken over by his son Toshiya Nakata. Toshiya Nakata is also president of Nakaya Fountain Pen Company.

 

* Nakaya’s nibs are engraved with Nakata, this is a tribute to the founding family of Platinum

 

** Nakaya was resurrected to create the Nakaya Fountain Pen Company, which at first only employed retired workers from Platinum

 

The #3776:

 

The #3776, designed by Haruo Umeda, was first created to be the ideal fountain pen for the Japanese public, and it experienced overwhelming success. Within 6 months of inception, Platinum had sold roughly 150,000 pens, and the number has been steadily increasing.

 

Mr. Umeda wanted the pen to be ideal, perfect for every writing task that needed to be done. During the trial period of the pen, he gave the new 3776 to fifty writers, and instructed them to use it to write, every day. Out of the trial period, there were some guidelines made.

 

1: The barrel of the pen must be thick.

2: The nib must be big, and 14K so that many different hands can use it comfortably.

3: The design must never be boring.

4: It must fit the hand well, and be comfortable to use.

 

This was a pen designed for a single purpose, to write extremely well, and to keep writing for a long time.

 

As time went on, and new models were phased in and out, special editions with materials such as ebonite, celluloid, lacquer, briarwood, briar stone, and others were introduced, along with special Maki-e editions, and the Platinum Music nib, we come to the current era of the #3776. The Century Edition. Starting in 2009, Platinum had begun phasing out their old machinery and molds, and had been creating new ones, and the Century models use these new molds, along with new designs, different from earlier models of the pen. Their newest innovation (along with pigmented ink) has been the slip and seal cap, which is the first completely sealing pen cap available, with a screw cap design. It is hard to find any information on the physics and engineering behind it all, as Platinum most likely wants to keep the design under wraps.

 

The latest models of the Century include the Bourgogne, Nice, Nice Pur, Shoji, Motsuo, Sai, Back in Black, and soon to be released, the Black Diamond, as well as the Chartres Blue, and here is where I shall begin the review.

 

First Impressions:

 

The pen comes in a normal looking white box, with the Platinum logo in blue, and is very non discreet. I like that fact in a pen, of course I enjoy flashy “look at me!” pens, but I always value the workhorse pens above those.

 

http://i.imgur.com/AYPQCYn.jpg

 

Opening the box we get the blue faux-leather clamshell case that the pen comes in, again, pretty standard presentation, which I like a lot. Opening the box, we get some instructional booklets, how to fill the pen, owners’ manual, as well as a cartridge of Platinum Carbon Black ink (pigmented ink, seriously permanent).

 

http://i.imgur.com/oQO8cxR.jpg

 

The first time I saw this pen online I had recently finished a course in Medieval Art History in which covered Romanesque and Gothic architecture for a majority of the time, and a good portion of the Gothic section was focused on the “Big 4”. Chartres, Amiens, Notre Dame (in Paris), and Rheims. In fact, I have a tattoo of the flying buttresses of Rheims on my left arm. Anyway, I digress. I love Gothic cathedrals, I’ve written papers about stained glass in cathedrals, I’ve given a presentation about how the stained glass of Gothic cathedrals (mainly Chartres) was the “scientific” high point of the middle ages. I love stained glass, and I love the Chartres stained glass. The blue in the Chartres stained glass is unlike any blue I’ve experienced, even dyes aren’t quite that blue, so when I saw this pen I was astonished. It actually looks like the Chartres blue. I knew, from then on, I had to get this pen.

 

http://i.imgur.com/qGVo2Ze.jpg

 

Seeing the pen in the box made me giddy with joy, It had come, and it was even more blue that is possible to portray with pictures. It was unreal, incredible how blue the resin was. I was in awe, I knew this pen was going to be my favorite.

 

 

9/10

----------------------------------------

Design:

 

As I already described my love for the blue, I'll cover more of that soon, I’ll start on the gold trimmings. I usually do not like gold trim on pens, especially on black pens (sorry Sailor and Montblanc), but on this pen it was done perfectly. The two small gold bands giving rise to the two finials are wells done, and the band around the cap (reading #3776 – PLATNUM – Made in Japan) is also executed really well. I’m not a huge fan of the design of clips, as long as they’re useful and it clips, it’s a good clip. The clip on this pen is gold plated and is slightly taught, but can clip onto things, it works and that’s great!

 

http://i.imgur.com/IaOVO7d.jpg

 

Now, onto the blue. The pen is made of a resin which is slightly transparent, it isn’t a demonstrator in any respect, but the barrel is translucent enough that the outline of the nib can be seen through the cap. Think of the Waterman Edson body. The translucent quality of the resin is what makes this pen so incredible, if it was a solid body in a dark blue it wouldn’t have the same quality. It is reminiscent of dark blue stained glass, slightly opaque, but not too transparent you can see through it, but when held to a light, the pen lights up into a different shade of blue. The amazing thing about this pen, is that they completely replicated the effects of stained glass, in a resin, made into a pen. The people at Platinum must be wizards, because it really in incredible.

 

http://i.imgur.com/GG9DLfN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uUUviwN.jpg

 

The resin is polished to an extreme quality, smoother than any other pen I own, the only place where there is a hint of molding comes in the section, where there is a small line that is a slightly different height, but beyond that, the pen is ultra smooth. The section is comfortable to hold, and the threads are not sharp, and do not in any way impede the writing experience. Another example of how this pen was designed to be the ideal writer.

 

http://i.imgur.com/TBUr8Ly.jpg

 

10/10

--------------------------------

Weight and Dimensions:

 

I love the dimensions of this pen, if first in my hand extremely comfortable, and there is no fatigue what so ever from use. It is comfortable to use posted, or unposted, as the weight distribution posted does not affect the center of gravity (of the pen) too much. This pen was designed to write until the end of the earth, and it will, because it’s so light that the hand will never get fatigued. Some people like heavier pens, but I don’t, because I like my pens to write for hours at a time, and with a heavy pen that isn’t possible.

 

Body diameter: 13 mm

Cap diameter: 15 mm

Grip diameter: 10 mm

 

Body length: 120 mm

Cap length: 67 mm

Nib length: 23 mm

Closed length: 140 mm

Posted length: 159 mm

 

Body mass : 10g

Cap mass : 10g

Body (with cap) mass: 20g

 

10/10

-------------------------------

Nib:

 

The nib. The best part of the pen. Now I’ve said before that I don’t like a super smooth nib, that’s just a preference, some may agree while some may disagree. This is my opinion. With that out of the way, I can say that this is an incredible nib. I ordered the pen with a Soft Fine (SF) nib, because I wanted to see how flexy it was, and it’s amazing. The flex isn’t that great (think Pilot/Namiki Falcon), but it creates a lot of line variation, with the fine nib. Now, a lot of us here know that a Japanese fine is really like a western extra fine, and I knew that, and it is the finest nib I’ve ever used.

 

http://i.imgur.com/p7jXbfW.jpg

 

Being super fine, it doesn’t have one property that I like, it isn’t really wet (unless pressure is applied), but I can get beyond the wetness, because for taking notes, a short drying time is preferred. The other quality I like is toothiness, and boy, this nib is a tooth. It’s not dry, it’s not scratchy, it doesn’t tear up paper, but I can feel every bit of the paper as I write, and it gives that wonderful sound as it does go across paper. It’s magnificent. In fact, it’s such a good writer, that letting the pen rest on my hand and dragging it across paper, it will write a line, with no skips, no hard starts, perfectly. With only the weight of the pen, the nib can write, and this pen is really light, if a force constituting gravity and 10 grams is all that’s needed to write, I can say that this nib is the best writer I’ve ever had.

 

The nib itself is made of 14K gold, and it has a wonderful design with a heart shaped breather hole (I like that part a lot). Either way, this nib is an absolute wonder, and I’m in awe of it every time I write. It may not be wet enough for my taste, but I am giddy with joy whenever I write with it. It’s incredible.

 

10/10

---------------------------------

Filling and Maintenance:

 

This is a cartridge converter (C/C) pen, as all Platinum pens are. Which I think is great, because they invented the cartridge filling pen. Of course they should keep using it, it was one of their defining moments as a company, and I really think they should keep that going. As a preferred method of filling, I don’t really mind, but on a pen of this caliber, a piston filler could have been nice. The only problem with piston fillers, is cleaning the pens out is a hassle.

 

http://i.imgur.com/AfK79jw.jpg

 

With a converter, I can completely clean this pen and change inks in 2 minutes, with a piston filler, it takes much longer. I have not been able to take the nib out, and it is advised against doing so, the nib unit itself cannot come out, except with a knowledge of the pens internal construction (which I do not have).

 

Either way, it’s a nice converter, and a perfectly usable filling system.

 

9/10

----------------------------

Value:

 

There is some dislike for the price of this pen, and I can see where that is coming from. The MSRP is $220, the retail price (in the US) is roughly $176, I bought mine for $80. Buying direct from Japan via Ebay, or any Japanese online market is the best way to go.

 

Is this pen worth $80? Yes.

Is this pen worth $176? Yes.

Is this pen worth $220? Yes.

Is this pen worth $250? Yes.

Is this pen worth $300? Maybe not.

 

http://i.imgur.com/GiwgThe.jpg

 

This pen, is an incredible value for the money. Now, I’m not talking about the #3776 line in general, I’m talking about the #3776 Century Chartres Blue with a Soft-Fine nib. This pen is unbelievable. I will be using this pen for the rest of my life with joy, and in the process I will probably get more of this model (just with different nibs, the Ultra-Extra-Fine looks particularly nice).

 

10/10

------------------------

Final Tally: 98% A

 

 

First Impressions: 9/10 (10%) - 9%

Design: 10/10 (20%) - 20%

Weight and Dimensions: 10/10 (10%) - 10%

Nib: 15/15 (40%) - 40%

Filling and Maintenance: 9/10 (10%) - 9%

Value: 10/10 (10%) - 10%

 

A: 100-89

A-: 88-84

B+: 83-77

B: 76-70

B-: 69-65

C+: 64-60

C: 59-55

C-: 54-51

F: 50-0

 

--------------------------

Writing Samples:

 

http://i.imgur.com/xj3UQOL.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/WLBMS8Z.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/izDq06i.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/nBuR1X0.jpg

Edited May 31, 2015 by Garden Man

[visvamitra]

Nice , thorough review. Thank you for taking time to share it.

[PAKMAN]

Thanks for the review! I agree completely and love mine!

[Garden Man]

  On 5/30/2015 at 3:39 PM, PAKMAN said:

Thanks for the review! I agree completely and love mine!

You're welcome! I can't wait to get my hands on more of them!

[T4TEXAS]

thank you very much for your very careful review. it is now on my want list.

[delano]

Good review and GREAT photography!

[Garden Man]

  On 5/30/2015 at 8:25 PM, delano said:

Good review and GREAT photography!

 

Thanks! It was fun to do! I just wish my apartment got more light, north and west facing windows only. Woohoo.

[Gloucesterman]

A writing sample would really be a great addition to a fine review.

 

Thanks for the review.

[Garden Man]

  On 5/31/2015 at 12:26 AM, brgmarketing said:

A writing sample would really be a great addition to a fine review.

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Just added a writing sample! Couldn't get to it yesterday, it's at the very end.

[Tasmith]

Wonderful review!

[mudman]

Great review, I was just looking at this exact one last night. I love blue.

[Tas]

Fab review, thank you.

 

I've only had my red 3776 <F nib> a few months but love it dearly.

 

The 3776s are Incredible pens that, like you say, punch well above their weight.

[Gloucesterman]

  On 5/31/2015 at 6:17 PM, Tas said:

Fab review, thank you.

 

I've only had my red 3776 <F nib> a few months but love it dearly.

 

The 3776s are Incredible pens that, like you say, punch well above their weight.

 

Thank you for the additional information - image. Definitely a pen that I will add to my wish list.

[mmg122]

Very nice review, GardenMan... I have this pen in the Bourgogne color with a Broad nib and like it quite a bit. Due to your review I became enamored with the Chartres Blue color and found it on Amazon for $81.00 New! How could I resist? I am now the proud owner of two great pens. Guess it's my lucky day.

[mmg122]

Very nice review, GardenMan... I have this pen in the Bourgogne color with a Broad nib and like it quite a bit. Due to your review I became enamored with the Chartres Blue color and found it on Amazon for $81.00 New! How could I resist? I am now the proud owner of two great pens. Guess it's my lucky day.

[mmg122]

Very nice review, GardenMan... I have this pen in the Bourgogne color with a Broad nib and like it quite a bit. Due to your review I became enamored with the Chartres Blue color and found it on Amazon for $81.00 New! How could I resist? I am now the proud owner of two great pens. Guess it's my lucky day.

[mmg122]

Very nice review, GardenMan... I have this pen in the Bourgogne color with a Broad nib and like it quite a bit. Due to your review I became enamored with the Chartres Blue color and found it on Amazon for $81.00 New! How could I resist? I am now the proud owner of two great pens. Guess it's my lucky day.

[mmg122]

Very nice review, GardenMan... I have this pen in the Bourgogne color with a Broad nib and like it quite a bit. Due to your review I became enamored with the Chartres Blue color and found it on Amazon for $81.00 New! How could I resist? I am now the proud owner of two great pens. Guess it's my lucky day.

[mmg122]

Very nice review, GardenMan... I have this pen in the Bourgogne color with a Broad nib and like it quite a bit. Due to your review I became enamored with the Chartres Blue color and found it on Amazon for $81.00 New! How could I resist? I am now the proud owner of two great pens. Guess it's my lucky day.

[mmg122]

Sorry about the double post. IPad acting up, I guess.