Pens of Note

OMAS 360 Vintage Teal

July 2012 - OMAS announced the release of the 360 Vintage in a teal colour. For two 360 Vintage pens to be issued so quickly was not what was expected. OMAS indicated this pen was manufactured for the US market only. Kenro Industries, the North American distributor would looking after distribution to the various pen stores. Not sure if in the end it was limited to the North American m arket.

I was very lucky indeed. My wife, Karen, saw me looking at an advertisement for the pen in a magazine. She contacted Marci at  Novelli Pen in Rome and ordered the pen for me. Not sure if the idea was that we would go and pick it up (always looking for a reason to return to Rome) but in this case Marco shipped the pen to me in Canada.. Shucks, I could have used two trips to Rome in a year!

The pens was produced in two finishes. One with silver-toned HT, another with rose gold-plated trim. I am happy with the silver finish. I think it looks very smart with the Teal colour. It is a stunning pen. In fact I received more compliments when I use the Teal 360 Vintage than when I use the rich ruby red version. I can't rank any better than the other, but I must admit when the light hits this pen, it has a great look.

My pen arrived with a broad width nib. The OMAS 18 kt gold nib, in silver, is a very smooth nib. It is what OMAS was famous for. This was a limited edition and there were 360 fountain pens produced, and I have #096 of 360.

The pen came in a large presentation box, cardboard frame. The bottle of the OMAS turquoise ink that came with the pen seemed to be a bit washed out. After going through a number of colours I have typically rested with Waterman Inspired Blue or ku-jaku by iroshizuku. The latter is a deep dark turquoise. Quite stunning.

I often do not cap this pen when writing as it is very long and I find the pen goes a little too vertical in my hand. With the famous 360 triangular shape there is no worries of this pen rolling off the desk.