From the first nib, to the fountain pen on Mount Everest, to the writing watch. The over-a-century history of the Platinum brand is an extraordinary story of how a love of fountain pens makes the impossible possible.

The first company logo and photo of the creator of the Platinum brand

In 1919, Shunichi Nakata from Okayama decided to manufacture fountain pens. Initially, he designed nibs and pens alone, but his craft was so successful that six years later he founded the company "Nakaya seishakusho" (Japanese: "Manufacturer"), which focused on producing these writing instruments. By then, he had eighty employees.

In 1928, the company's name was changed to Platinum Fountain Pen Co. Nakata had no idea at the time that the name would be changed twice more, ultimately returning to its second version, now known to all fountain pen enthusiasts around the world.

The brand's early years were marked by hard work, but also by innovative solutions, such as selling pens via a mail-in catalog. This form of sales was completely new in Japan at the time.

In 1948, the company won its first major award for its product when the Platinum fountain pen won first place at the National Pen Exhibition in Japan. Emperor Hirohito himself presented the award to Nakata.

In 1952, the company purchased its first casting machine and began the automation process. Five years later, as a global pioneer in this industry, Platinum produced and sold the first cartridge-powered pens. This was made possible by Platinum's engineers, who designed a nib that automatically controlled the ink flow. The first cartridge-powered pen was called the Honest 60 and was advertised with the telling slogan: "Goodbye, bottle of ink!"

In 1958, Platinum sent its testers to Mount Everest to prove that the pen wouldn't leak even at the low pressures found at the top of the world's highest mountain. As you might imagine, the pen passed the test with flying colors.

Twenty years later, Platinum once again brings its product to the mountains: the #3776 fountain pen is launched. The name refers to the height of Japan's highest peak, Fuji. This fountain pen became the Japanese brand's flagship product, so recognizable that in 2012, Platinum decided to reissue it, with a slight facelift. The #3776 Century model was launched, becoming the first Platinum fountain pen to feature Platinum's patented "Slip & Seal" cap closure system. This ensures an airtight seal. Platinum offers a one-year warranty that the fountain pen will not dry out even when not in use, and extends this patent to its subsequent fountain pen models. This fulfills the greatest dreams of the late Shunichi Nakata, who, from the very beginning of the company's founding, had strived to find a solution to prevent ink from drying out.

Of course, in the meantime, the company continues to pursue innovative solutions, and in 1981, it releases the "writing watch," the world's first fountain pen with a digital clock embedded in the barrel. The pen becomes a hit, as do other Platinum writing instruments – the brand doesn't limit itself to fountain pens, also producing ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils.

Today, Platinum pens are popular not only for their utility and practicality. Thanks to the long-standing efforts of Nakata's successors, who wanted to bring pens to the masses and dispel the myth that they were exclusively for advanced users, the small Preppy was created, beloved by beginners. Of course, the company hasn't abandoned models for enthusiasts, such as the Century 3776, which have become almost classics in the writing market and have their fans among users and collectors worldwide.

Photos are from platinum-pen.co.jp