Lamy 2000

In 1966, Dr. Manfred Lamy (then Marketing Manager of Lamy^[1]), collaborated with designer Gerd A. Müller on a pen in the style of that designer’s famous Braun razors, ushering in the era that the company now refers to as “Lamy design”. Now, more than 65 years later, the design looks as futuristic as ever, while simultaneously enduring as a model of 1960s industrial design. The 2000 is still offered with only small improvements to the original design: its internal parts remain interchangeable with the original.

The distinctive cigar-shaped body is formed of black Makrolon (a strong and lightweight plastic) with a distinctive brushed texture, which flows seamlessly over the entire length of the pen, elegantly obscuring the presence of the piston knob, the seam between the barrel and the nib section (from which extends two tiny, metal protrusions that provide purchase for the cap), and marrying together the black plastic of the body with the stainless steel nose cone, which is identically textured. The barrel also features an understated ink window which disappears entirely when the pen is filled with black ink.

The finial at the end of the piston knob was originally adorned with the Lamy ‘L’ brand mark in black on a silver disc, but the third generation removed this in favour of a plain silver disc.

The cap’s friction-fit mechanism gives it a distinctive scrape-and-then-click of confirmation when capping, while still allowing the cap to be posted on the featureless end of the pen if desired. The robust metal clip, machined from solid stainless steel and affixed with a spring-loaded hinge, has had a couple of subtle design changes over the life of the model, and features both the standard Lamy brand mark subtly engraved on its side, as well as the traditional “GERMANY” (previously: “W. GERMANY”) mark of origin discretely hidden on the underside of the clip, facing the pen body.

The hooded nib was originally 18 karat gold, but an update to the pen during the 1980s replaced it with 14 karat gold. These nibs, produced specifically for this pen (unlike most Lamy pens, the 2000’s nib is not interchangeable with other pens) were coated in platinum, giving them a polished chrome appearance.

The underside of the nib section, featuring the breather hole, was originally made of a Makrolon insert housed within the stainless steel nose cone. The fourth generation replaced this with the current all-metal nose cone including the breather hole.

• Lamy 2000 and the Origins of “Lamy Design”, Brandon Hollingshead