Visconti Vertigo Fountain Pens

Visconti: A Modern Classic

Brands from the 1980s usually have a certain stigma attached to them: dated, maybe a little flashy or excessive, and certainly possessing a very distinctive appeal. These companies also typically lack the experience of having decades worth of trial and error to perfect their craft. Yet somehow, Visconti has escaped all these characteristics to become one of the most beloved luxury fountain pen brands in the world.

Born out of Florence, Italy, Visconti quickly soaked up the neighboring fashion and luxury scene all around it. Coming from the minds of two true pen lovers, it’s no wonder that each Visconti pen today feels both luxurious and expertly crafted. The creativity in these pens is certainly hard to deny. Unique materials such as volcanic lava and unidirectional carbon are just a few of the concepts that they have experimented with, not to mention new design techniques such as double reservoir fillers and cap lock systems. And if you’re into handcrafted pieces, Visconti also prides itself in hand-painted pens, handmade filigrees, and other extremely unique designs. All these characteristics make Visconti a leader in the modern fountain pen world.

As I write this article, however, I do know that there is a bit of an elephant in the room when it comes to Visconti. There have been some concerns in the past about the quality control of Visconti pens – fountain pens in particular. Fear no more, my friends! The brand is taking specific steps to ensure that each pen is of impeccable build. We will address a few of those steps in this story, as well as the ones to follow.

Why We Fell for the Vertigo

The pure aesthetics of this pen make it one of our absolute favorite releases from 2018. Even for those who are not pen lovers (they’ll come around eventually, right?), the user must admit that this is a beautiful pen. According to Visconti, the special manufacturing of the cap and the body creates reflective plane surfaces which run one after the other, causing a continuous change of points of view. Each change in perspective almost leads to a sense of vertigo – and we agree!

One of the extremely unique design features in the Vertigo is the steel nib with the gold overlay. The overlay is definitely a surprise and something new for Visconti, and is a fantastic complement to an already gorgeous nib! It’s reminiscent of the popular Delta Fusion pens from a few years back. The nibs have been the main source of frustration for some fountain pen users; however, Visconti USA is working feverishly to address this concern, and the results are immediately apparent. We played around with these pens, and were pleasantly surprised that there were no hard starts, and it never skipped a beat! The new nib is called the "Precision Touch" - keeping with the Dreamtouch and SmartTouch nib names. It writes very precisely! The gold overlay also provides added stability to the nib, so it practically eliminates any risk of railroading.

For the first time in Visconti’s history, this pen also combines the convenience of the magnetic lock with a recall system indexed between the body and the cap, designed to keep in line the eight alternating facets in the pen’s shape, making the design even more unique. This helps to prevent any annoying rattling sounds when the pen is capped. This gives it a tight and sturdy feel in the hand.

The palladium-trimmed Vertigo is in the same shape as the fan favorite Opera Master, but is a little smaller – you may recall the Opera Club model pens from a few years back. Plus, this pen does not constrain you by having only ink cartridges to choose from – it also comes with a converter to allow you to use ink from the bottle! We paired the blue Vertigo with the S.T. Dupont Spring Green! The colors of the pens themselves, however, may be our favorite feature. The blue stands out as our favorite – the stunning blue lines that shoot through the black like an electric current are almost literally striking when it’s used for writing! The pen also comes in orange (a dark amber color with an even amount of black), purple (another electrifying color that shimmers with each turn), and of course an ever-classy solid black.

Now Available from Truphae

We are proud to partner with Visconti to offer these magnificent writing instruments. To order or for more information, you can see the full selection  here.