The Legend
There is a story behind the Stresemann, and why it isn't simply called the anthracite or Souverän M805 Grey. This edition is named after Gustav Stresemann, a Nobel Peace Prize winning, trend-setting, foreign minister of the Weimar Republic. His diplomatic efforts, in conjunction with Aristide Briand, reconciled relations between France and Germany after World War I. He also popularized the fashion of wearing a short, dark lounge suit jacket with the typical men's morning dress of the day. This type of outfit was further known to be the "Stresemann" and Pelikan pens of the day, with their striped barrels, were commonly acknowledged by the same name.
The Pelikan Souverän M805 Stresemann is of the same model of the Souverän 800 size.
Souverän M805 Dimensions
Length Capped : 5.59"Length Posted : 6.57"
Length without Cap : 5.00"
Diameter : 0.52"
Weight : 0.99 oz
The M800 is designed to be a "big" pen for large hands. Whereas the M600 could be considered a unisex size, the the M800 is geared toward a more masculine demographic.
The Pen Details
The key identity to the Stresemann is embodied in the anthracite and black pinstripes tailored on the barrel of the pen. The grey stripes, matched with the polished, black resin and palladium plated clip and trims create an impression of a writing instrument that doubles for a luxury accessory to wear with formal attire. This pen would be a more impressive accessory than a pocket square, that is for sure!
The nib is crafted from 18ct solid gold, coated with rhodium to match the silver clip and furnishings. The engraved graphic on the face of the nib is emblazoned with the Pelikan logo and the gold designation "18C-750," along with the size, which is "M" in this case. When the pen is released, it will be available in the extra-fine, fine, medium and broad sizes.
The filling mechanism of the Souverän fountain pen is the patented Pelikan internal piston-filling system. Unscrewing the blind cap pushes the plunger inside toward the front section, expelling air from inside the barrel chamber. With the larger diameter of this pen, this pen can extract and hold a significant amount of ink. When rotating this pen in a 6 or 7 pen daily carry, I would anticipate writing off of the same ink refill for at least a month.
The In-Hand Experience
Right out of the box, the Pelikan M805 Stresemann is a knockout. It is elaborately packaged in a Pelikan gift box that has an off-white leather pen pouch that contains the pen. Warranty booklet and care & use guide are hidden under the box platform and should be kept to use a reference or if you would need to contact Pelikan service in the future. As with any new Pelikan fountain pen, the new owner of a Souverän fountain pen could opt to exchange their nib without any charge. For US customers, this would be done directly with Pelikan's US distributor, Chartpak.
You better like whatever ink you're filling this pen with, because you are probably going to be writing with it for a long time. The piston mechanism flawlessly draws ink through the nib and feed, extracting an enormous amount of writing fluid. I chose MontBlanc Oyster Grey to go with the grey/silver theme of this pen.
The nib writes smoothly with a flow that is a bit on the drier side. The Oyster Grey is laid down in a warm grey color and shades darker wherever the ink pools within a letter stroke. The softness of the gold nib is slightly responsive to gentle finger pressure, but is not meant to be flexed. It only takes a delicate pull of the nib on paper to produce a rich mark.
Writing with this pen for an extensive period of time proved to be more pleasurable with the cap in-hand rather than posted on the back. I am more of the posting type, but this pen with the cap posted extends longer than is comfortable for my hands. The section has a substantial girth and the weight, while feeling substantial in-hand, was not heavy enough to cause hand fatigue.
A Few Choice Words
Summary :- Writing Quality : 18ct solid gold nib performs smoothly and with expected refinement. The weight and size is perfect for those with larger hands, but can work for those who can write un-posted. (grade A-)
- Aesthetic Quality : The Stresemann is the 2015 power-suit of pens. (grade A+)
- Utility : Pelikan always gets the checkmark on this category for the large internal piston-filling mechanism for its ability to hold a tanker-full of ink. This pen is on the larger side and may have a little difficulty fitting with some pen loops and pouches. (grade A)
- Price : This type of quality and Pelikan brand-name craftsmanship does come at a hefty cost. The $800 retail price may give most sticker shock, but, if you're in the market for a grail pen, we're offering a discounted street price that will be competitive to any US retailer. (grade B)
Final Grade : A
When it comes to Pelikan releasing a new edition of their tried and true Souverän collection, they can hardly do any wrong. When Pelikan released the M800 in the brown tortoise in 2013, we couldn't keep them in-stock long enough to even do a review. We expect that the Stresemann will experience similar success. If you've longed for a Pelikan Souverän to be a part of your collection that could also be "worn" to formal occasions, you certainly could not go wrong with the Stresemann.
