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No. 644
Here we have the celluloid 644 G with its beautiful rolled gold cap from the mid-1950s. According to an old Dutch catalogue, there was also a silver cap option for about 50% cheaper. The 6xx is part of the Meisterstuck series, and it has the telescopic piston system. Its design is very distinct. Another two series - the 7xx and 27x (Danish) - look similar. There is also an "N" version which I believe has the winged nib like the 25x series. I have two 644s - one was made for the German market and has "Meisterstück" engraved on its cap, while the other one was made for the export market of India.
The 64x also comes in striated green and grey colours, which are beautiful.
A beautiful grey striated 644 belonging to Albert Domenech
The barrel and ink window on my second 644 was in pretty bad condition. There wasn't much that I could do to restore it. So, I decided to replace it. But, the replacement body would have to be pretty special to deserve the heart of a vintage classic like the 644! So, I chose to have the barrel made using a rare Tibaldi rod, and that too by none other than Francis Goossens. I think the combination of the black turning knob, Tibaldi barrel, and rolled gold cap is quite a winner. Judge for yourself!
This particular 644 is special because it was made for the Indian market. Pen dealers in India that have been around for a while say that a certain market in Mumbai - Jhaveri Bazaar - did the official distribution for Montblanc back in the 1950s. They say one can find celluloid MBs that have a "JB" imprint on the blind cap to signify this. See picture on right.
A beautiful green striated 644 belonging to Shashwati D.
Jhaveri Bazaar (JB), also spelt as Zaveri Bazaar, is a gold and gems market located in Mumbai. JB controls more than 60% of the gold trade in India, and that's a lot because Indian households are the worlds largest hoarders of gold! The bazaar is more than 150 years old and today it has more than 7000 tiny and busy retail stores and also gold and diamond workshops manned by more than 30,000 skilled and unskilled workers (pic credit - Rediff.com).
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