Pens of Note

Leonardo Officia Italiana - Momento Zero

In September 2017 Salvatore Matrone met me in Rome, to show me the the prototype for the founding pen of his new company, the Momento Zero. This was the starting moment of his company. I won't forget sitting on our patio overlooking the Piazza Cavour and talking about his company, and the new exciting pen. Writing with it was wonderful. From that moment on, I was confident he would have a very successful company and the Momento Zero, it would be a success in the market. And what an success. Leonard Officia Italiana - Leonardo Pen - his the market with a punch and has continued a leading company.

The Pen Material

The Momento Zero Abyss is made from a rod of celluloid. Celluloid is a material with the characteristic of building a relationship of light and the patterns within the celluloid. It is warm to the hand, and oh so smooth to hold. This pen starts the company and the line of a high note. Celluloid is a preferred material for high-end fountain pens. Cotton is the start of the process, it is processed, formed into a rod colours and chemicals added and then baked for long periods. Leonardo acquired a supply of beautiful Italian celluloid for their pens. Likewise, they have also rods of resin for pen bodies made from resin. That enables them to make pens at different price points.

Celluloid pens standout in how the light interacts with the colours of the material. For me, when the natural light fell on the blue tones of the celluloid body and cap, the pen came alive with colour. From a distance, with no light falling on the pen, the Momento Zero appears as a dark toned, almost black fountain pen. Classic in appearance, good style, and beautiful gold plated trim that includes two rings at the base of the cap, and an attractive clip. I would be pleased to have the pen in classic black.

But as light hits the pen, it changes. As I held the pen in my hand to write with it, the light caught the and brought all the subtle and vivid colour tones. There are beautiful streaks of blue, aqua, silver and gray.

One of the characteristics of celluloid is its light weight. This pen floats in the hand. The celluloid, combined with a converter as compared to a heavier piston fill mechanism, results on a featherweight pen and nicely results in the hand as I write. As people have picked up the pen they most common comment is how light the pen feels in the hand.

Leonardo later issued various models of the Momento Zero line in beautiful resins. Using resin provides a lower price point and made the line available to a large number of pen users.

The Size

The pen is an excellent size. It measures much the same as the Pelikan M800, with the exception that the body, especially for the area just about the nib which is a bit wider. I like that, it gives the pen a good substantive feel. The M800 is considered by many pen owners as a very popular size of writing instrument.

Filling Mechanism

I had the prototype, so my pen used a converter for its ink filling mechanism. The converter is the extended version that uses the entire length of the inner body. Screw off a cap at the end of the pen, the twist a small nob to expel in draw up ink. Salvatore told me the celluloid line will have its own piston for the ink filling mechanism.

The Nib

For fountain pens, it is all about the nib. The Momento Zero pens are available in either a steel or 14 kt gold nib. I used a pen with a steel nib in Medium. It was a smooth writing experience and I must admit I liked how I could use it for editing documents and smaller sized writing. From the moment I dipped the pen in a bottle of ink, and testing the pen I found the pen to be a very smooth writer. Some may think that steel nibs are something to be avoided. Not so. I can attest to the smooth writing experience.

I wanted a broad nib I had the pen fitted with a 14 k broad nib. The nib creates one of the best writing experiences. It just slides across the paper, laying a good line of ink. I love it. The Leonardo nibs are excellent.

The nibs sits on a high quality ebonite feed mechanism, and the ink nicely flows from the converter to the nib. Having the higher qualify ebonite feed enhanced the writing experience. At work I have the pen uncapped on my desk, I pick it up, and its writes without hesitation.

The nibs have the name LEONARDO imprinted. this is a very smooth writing nib. It is a medium width and I have enjoyed using this nib where I need slightly finner writing.

When you order your pen, you will be asked about what nib you want, steel or 14 kt gold.

The Clip

The clip of a pen is a very important aspect of its design. Clips can range from being too small to being too large and clunky. Sometimes the design of the clip overtakes the overall look of the pen. The Momento Zero has a very classic subtle clip. The clip runs about 3/4 the length of the pen cap. At the end of the clip a small roller aides in allowing the clip to effortlessly slip over the shirt pocket material. It has such a classic look and so very suited to the overall look of this pen.

The Cap

The cap of the pen can also impact the style and look of a pen. In this case, the cap of the Momento Zero is the same length as the cap of the Pelikan M800. With the Momento Zero, the cap is in the same celluloid material as the body so visually it smoothly blends into the overall look. I write with my caps posed, and this cap nicely posts to the body of the pen. The body is round, and I never like to leave a pen, without the cap closed or posted to the pen.