257 years of tradition and dedication to luxury writing instruments continues
There are pens, there are high-end pens and there are Graf von Faber-Castell pens. The luxury line of German stationery brand Faber-Castell, Graf von Faber-Castell focuses on creating fine writing instruments that befit the highest stratas of society – used today by royalty, aristocracy and captains of industry to sign-off on moments of global importance. Utilising only the finest materials – rare woods, precious metals – and meticulously handcrafted by artisans in Germany, each Graf von Faber-Castell pen or pencil is a work of an art in itself.
Formed in 1993 to focus on luxury lifestyle products by the House of Faber-Castell’s eight generation member (and former CEO) Anton-Wolfgang Graf von Faber-Castell, the Graf von Faber-Castell brand is a return to the rarefied air of the family’s heritage. “I was inspired by the writing instruments produced by my ancestors,” he says. “And I saw it as a personal challenge to rediscover these products of a past age, and to bring them up to date with timeless design and the use of modern technology.”
That challenge has turn into success and admirable acceptance. Today, Graf von Faber-Castell is known for its beautifully-crafted range of pencils, mechanical pencils and pens (fountain, ballpoint and rollerball). Distinguished by the use of rare materials, they are elegant to admire and sublime to use. In the Classic range, the nibs are hand-made by German artisans from 18-carat gold with iridium tips, ‘run in’ by hand’, with barrels made from one of four precious woods – the reddisch brown Pernambuco, the expressive grained Macassar, the deeply dark Ebony and the extremely durable Grenadilla. The Guilloche series utilises an engraving technique more common to high jewellery and high horology – transforming a base of multi-hued precious resin into textured masterpieces through hand-lacquering and repeated polishing. Alongside the sleek Intuition, Tamitio and Slim fine writing implements, Graf von Faber-Castell also produces the Perfect Pencil – a pencil rendered in beautifully-grained Californian cedar wood with an integrated sharpener – and every year (since 2003) creates a Pen of The Year, award-winning creations made from only the finest exotic materials that are considered the most prized fountain pens in the world.
Beyond the realm of ink, Graf von Faber-Castell also produces a range of lifestyle accessories to complement the nature of its clientele. The Epsom range of desk accessories completes the office of a modern millionaire, while a full suite of leather-bound accompaniments like pen cases, wallets, credit card cases and key fobs are available in the same expressive textures or impressive colours of the Classic and Guilloche series. There are notebooks (for when the sketching muse strikes) and the brand has even ventured into the realm of jewellery, with cufflinks that adhere to the very same ‘Handmade in Germany’ ethos that all Graf von Faber-Castell products do.
Rising from humble beginnings, the writing instruments of Graf von Faber-Castell – together with the house of Faber-Castell – are today part of the upper echelons of nobility. Founded in 1761 by cabinet marker Kaspar Faber, the company has been in the family for eight generations, and became the force it is today under the Kaspar’s ambitious great-grandson Baron Lothar von Faber. The marriage of Baron Lothar von Faber’s granddaughter Ottilie von Faber to cadet of the Counts of Castell Count Alexander zu Castell-Rüdenhausen in 1898 created the modern-day House of Faber-Castell and that aristocratic lineage is evident in every Graf von Faber-Castell penstroke and drawn line. With its exemplary selection of beautifully-crafted and meticulously-engineered writing instruments, the spirit and ambitions of Kasper Faber and Lothar von Faber live on in the Graf von Faber-Castell brand.
A question of taste – Which Graf von Faber-Castell collection best suits your lifestyle?
Dark Beauties – The Graf von Faber-Castell Classic Macassar Series
Endemic to the island of Sulawesi, Macassar ebony is a dark precious wood, with a beautiful variegated texture of interspaced brown and black streaks. One of the rarest and most expensive woods in the world, and usually used to make musical instruments, the dark wood is combined with metal to create the Graf von Faber-Castell Classic Macassar collection. With a finely-channeled shaft of the expressive wood – and front- and end-pieces adorned with a light-dark-alternating PVD coating made of titanium mimicking the grain – the natural differences in shade and structure make each Classic Macassar unique. More than just visually striking, they are also functional – with a slender shape, the pens lie comfortably in the hand. The collection includes a fountain pen with a hand-inscribed 18-carat gold nib with a ruthenium coating and an iridium tip in six nib sizes, a rollerball pen with a smooth-running precision tip, a twist ballpoint pen with a large-capacity cartridge as well as a twist pencil with a 0.7mm lead and replaceable rubber.
Bold and Beautiful – The Graf von Faber-Castell Guilloche Series
As the seasons change and moods move, there is a Guilloche writing instrument for every one of them. Named after the guilloche grain technique – an intricate engraving procedure that enables the surface relief to change colour depending on how the light hits it – the ensemble includes the Guilloche Fountain Pen and Guilloche Twist Ballpoint Pen, with coordinating ink colours provided in either a stylish bottle with Graf von Faber-Castell Collection’s characteristic fluting or as a cartridge. There are also Guilloche Pencils for notes and sketches (in sets of three) and Guilloche Pocket Pencils, which will go perfectly with colour-coordinated leather writing instrument cases, wallets and key chain. Linen books – made by an artisan Bavarian factory and accompanied by loving-designed illustrations by artist Kera Til – are the canvas for inspiration. The Graf von Faber-Castell Guilloche series is available in the following colours and patterns – Burned Orange, India Red, Coral, Electric Pink, Turquoise, Gulf Blue, Viper Green, Cognac, Olive Green, Black, Rhodium-plated and Chevron-patterned.
Robb Report Malaysia x Graf von Faber-Castell – A Question of Taste
There is a pen to suit every personality. And to suit all the important moments in life – whether it is signing a multi-million ringgit contract or to sketch out idea for the next great digital startup. Which Graf von Faber-Castell collection best suits you? Enlighten yourself by clicking on the link below and taking our test.
