Visconti Aida May/June 2006 Stylophiles Online

By Dyas A. Lawson

It's been interesting the last several years to watch the Italian company Visconti re-tool its lineup of pens. The company has become more consistent in its approach and presentation, in my opinion, while also offering some distinctive new designs that set this firm apart. Italian pens as a group tend to have more flair and sense of fun than their generally more stodgy Continental counterparts, and Visconti and OMAS are at the very top of the heap in my book.

Getting a look at the new Visconti Opera Master did nothing to dispel my regard for the company. This is a big pen, a special edition in the largest size of the company's "squaring the circle" series that includes pens at levels suitable for the more modestly financed among us as well as those with deeper pockets. I like the outline of this series; it has a graceful, lean silhouette with the squared-off corners serving as a little surprise.

The Opera Master, a special edition called the Aida, is, in a word, stunning. Made from a special vintage celluloid Visconti managed to get hold of (real celluloid isn't often made anymore, because cellulose acetate is extremely flammable), it has that famous celluloid clarity and depth of color. In a pattern of blues, grays, and pearlized blue/gray variations, involving celluloid chips with slender black stripes, it has a definite 1920s appearance that, combined with its contemporary outlines, combines old and new to create a beautiful synergy.

The pen, already elongated and lean, offers a longer section than most (about an inch and a quarter or a little more). This appears to elongate the pen - rather the way that clothing designers' drawings of women include impossibly long legs - as well as providing plenty of room for the fingers to rest. A few of Stipula's models offer long, slender sections that are similar, but this design element is fairly rare among pen makers for some reason.

The blues, grays, pearlized colors, and blacks are complemented by crisp silver fittings, including Visconti's trademark arc clip, cap band and barrel bands. It looks, to anthropomorphize it, like an extremely well-dressed, au courant individual self-confidently striding into an upscale office, knowing that he/she will stop action just by walking in the door. The pen has quite an amazing combination of subtlety and aggression, and it's a perfect blend.

On the long section, the squared-circle theme carries through, making for a comfortable, secure grip. The company's two-toned 14K nib is, as it should be, the flashiest thing on the pen, sporting its crescent-shaped breather hole. Though we weren't allowed to write with the pen, our experience with Viscontis has been good; they've been smooth, reliable writers for us.

Large but well balanced, the pen feels wonderful in the hand-how not, with that celluloid, famed for its warmth and organic feel?-smooth and sleek, like stroking a mink. It feels a bit forward weighted, which will make it easier to wield. While I'd not post the cap on this pen because of its length, I do think that people with large hands would be able to write comfortably with the cap posted. I just wouldn't want to cover up any of that luscious celluloid.

This is obviously one of Visconti's higher-end pens, made for lifetimes of use. The cap and barrel threads are all metal, ensuring years of trouble-free performance. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the pen comes only in the cartridge/converter-fill style. If I have a pen this classy and expensive (about $700 retail), I want a filling mechanism to go with it. A piston would be fine, though pedestrian; a pump or button-filler system even better. I want to make a ceremony out of filling this puppy, by Jove!

As do all other industries, the pen community goes through fads and trends. One of those in recent years has been the use of vintage style celluloids, when they can be found. Celluloid is a great material for pens, offering a huge range of colors and patterns, vivid and subdued. However, its use also means that a great deal will be added to the price. Whether this is justified by the material's cost, I don't know; I don't have access to the numbers. The Italian acrylics that are becoming more common are, in my opinion, an equally beautiful material without the high cost factor (or the potential for pyrotechnics-not that that's easy to do, exactly, but many novice pen repairers have been astonished to apply heat to an old celluloid pen's barrel/section and see it flame up!).

If the cachet of the celluloid is important to you, you'll buy this pen. It's beautiful, eye-catching but not gaudy, well made, well thought out, and will be comfortable and enjoyable to use. Every time you take it out of your pocket, it will make you smile with pleasure. Personally, I'm trying to figure out how to keep it on my desk, but prevent everyone else from noticing it hasn't gone back to its original home!

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