This time, I’d like to focus on the M800 Green Transparent, which was released in 1992. In addition, I took a closer look at the M800 Green Transparent, I noticed some of the M800’s innovative features that aren’t immediately apparent in the standard M800, so I’d like to highlight a few of them.
 
In 1991, customers in the United States requested that a transparent green M800 be produced⁽¹⁾(Pelikan Schreibgeräte). A total of 3,000 units were manufactured and released on the U.S. market in 1992 as a “Collectors’ Edition” (Pelikan’s Perch). A smaller number were also produced and supplied to Italy and France (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). These fountain pens were not assigned serial numbers. For this reason, this fountain pen is not generally referred to as a limited edition. However, the U.S. distributor issued certificates at their own cost stating that this was, indeed, a limited edition. These certificates noted that only 3,000 of these fountain pens exist and provided the pen's unique “registration number.” By doing so, the U.S. distributor sought to enhance the value of this fountain pen (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). 

This is not the first time Pelikan fountain pens have been produced in limited quantities. As far as I know, the M760 and M750 were released in 1988 to commemorate Pelikan’s 150th anniversary, and their barrels were engraved with 5- or 6-digit serial numbers; however, even by looking at those serial numbers, I cannot tell how many were made or what number the pen is in the series. Additionally, the Souverän M800 released in 1989 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Maruzen—one of Japan’s leading bookstores and stationery retailers—and the Souverän M800 released in 1990 to commemorate the reunification of East and West Germany (Pelikan’s Perch) were likely produced in limited quantities, but despite my research, I was unable to determine the exact production numbers (I have a Souverän M800 commemorating the reunification of East and West Germany, but neither the pen nor the certificate lists the production number or serial number) . Additionally, the M900 released in 1991 was initially named the “Toledo M900 Collectors’ Edition” and produced in a limited number of 500 pens for the North American market. The certificate included the production number of 500 and the pen’s unique “registration number,” but the pen itself did not have a serial number. Ultimately, since the M760, M750, M800, and M900 all continued to be manufactured as regular models thereafter, these fountain pens were likely not considered limited editions.

The M800 Green Transparent appears to have been well received in the US market. Pelikan therefore decided to produce another limited-edition transparent fountain pen targeting a specific customer segment with high purchasing power. This led to the release of the Blue Ocean in 1993 (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). The Blue Ocean features a serial number engraved on the pen body itself, in the format xxxx/xxxx, on the crown of the cap top (Pelikan’s Perch). Because of this serial number, the Blue Ocean came to be known as Pelikan’s first limited-edition fountain pen. Thus, the M800 Green Transparent missed out on becoming Pelikan’s first limited-edition fountain pen.
 
Now, back to the M800 Green Transparent: while the pen body retains the familiar M800 shape, it is made of transparent green resin. This fountain pen is also known as the M800 “Green Demonstrator”⁽²⁾, and its filling mechanism and cap structure are clearly visible. The regular M800 Green Stripe consists of two parts: the grip section and the barrel. The barrel, in turn, is made up of an inner transparent tube made of acrylic resin and an outer translucent green and black striped layer made of cellulose acetate. The M800 Green Transparent is also composed of two parts—the section and the barrel—but the barrel appears to be made from a single piece of green acrylic resin (Fig.11-1). This leads me to suspect that excluding the cost of making a new mold, the production cost for this model might actually be lower than that of the M800 Green Stripe. I wonder if that’s actually the case? All the trims are finished in gold. Like the M800 from the same period, the cap top is engraved with a logo with two chicks (Fig.5-1). As for the standard M800, the cap ring (and the ring on the piston knob) appears to be two separate pieces, but upon closer inspection of the M800 Green Transparent, you can see they are connected on the underside (Fig.7-2). The resin between the two rings is all the way around the cap, leaving no visible seams. I’m not exactly sure how these rings are integrated into the turning knob and the cap, but they are undoubtedly crafted with great precision (Fig.7-2). The grip section features a metal trim (Fig.11-2). When the cap is tightened securely, the lower edge of the inner cap presses tightly against this metal trim (Fig.4 arrow), ensuring the nib remains airtight. It has been noted that this metal is prone to corrosion over many years of use; this is likely because ink tends to accumulate here and because of the repeated friction caused by opening and closing the cap. Therefore, to prevent corrosion of this metal, it’s not enough to simply wipe the ink off the section; you should also check to see if ink has accumulated inside the inner cap. However, since I personally don’t use the same M800 multiple times a day, I haven’t experienced this kind of corrosion, and I don’t go to the trouble of wiping the section and cap that thoroughly. Also, when viewed through the transparent section, the metal part of the collar is positioned directly beneath the section end. Since this area bears the greatest force when writing with strong pressure, this trim ring appears to also serve as reinforcement for the section (it seems that the TWSBI Diamond 530, described below, was prone to cracking in the grip section (万年筆おやじの備忘録), so a trim ring was installed on the section of its successor, the Diamond 580). The turning knob features a gold-colored metal disc set into it (Fig.12), in keeping with the style of the era. While the metal disc and metal ring on the rotating knob don’t seem to serve any specific functional purpose and might not be strictly necessary, I believe they create a perfect pairing with the cap ring and the metal disc on the cap top, giving the fountain pen a well-balanced design and a sense of luxury.​ Furthermore, when viewed through the transparent cap tube, you can see that when the cap is posted, the portion of the barrel closest to its rear end comes directly beneath the cap rings (Fig.7-3 arrow). This ensures that the barrel and cap tube make face-to-face contact, securely fastening the cap to the barrel. Since the cap is not held in place by the turning knob or the corner of the barrel, it is less likely to wobble, and both the barrel and the inside of the cap tube are less prone to scratches. Needless to say, since force is applied to the rim of the cap tube, the cap rings serve to prevent the rim from cracking. Disassembling the filling mechanism provides a clear understanding of its evolution. In inhalation mechanisms prior to the Souverän series, the spindle was fixed to the turning knob (Fig.13-3), and a mechanism in which the piston rod moved up and down along the spindle when the turning knob was turned was used for over 50 years from the model 100 to the model new M/MK series. With this design, forcing the turning knob to turn could cause the spindle to snap, and repairs were likely difficult. In the new inhalation mechanism, the spindle is not fixed to the turning knob (Fig.12, 13-1, 13-2). Combined with improvements to the seals, this is likely why failures in the filling mechanism have become less frequent. Even if a failure did occur, repairs (or replacements) would likely be easier⁽³⁾. Like the M800, the M800 Green Transparent also uses metal for the piston guide (Fig.14-1). Since it has a transparent barrel, metal looks better than the plastic parts found in the M600 and lower-end models, so I think it was a good choice to use metal. Appearance aside, I had assumed that metal was used for the piston guide in the M800 and higher models (M900, M1000 etc.) because they are higher-end models and metal offers superior durability compared to plastics. However, after reading a recent blog posts (万年筆評価の部屋, スティロ プリュム) stating that the early model of the Pilot Custom 67 had a metal balancer inserted at the rear end of the barrel, I began to wonder if Pelikan uses metal in this area not only for durability but also because it serves as a balancer. Opinions on the weight and balance of the M800 series vary from person to person; I personally like it. When I hold the M800 Green Transparent with the cap posted, the center of gravity falls right at the base of the finger between my thumb and index finger. Of course, the idea that it functions as a balancer is solely my own opinion. However, if Pelikan were to switch this part to plastic in the future as a cost-cutting measure, I believe it would mark the real beginning of the end for Pelikan. Upon closely examining this fountain pen, I realized that the M800 is a fountain pen whose design and functionality are highly integrated, free of unnecessary elements.

This fountain pen was manufactured from 1991 to 1993 (Fountain Pen Network), and appears to have been sold from early 1992 through 1994 (万年筆評価の部屋). I looked up when my fountain pen was manufactured. As there is no certificate, my pen appears to be from a batch supplied to Italy and France.

• According to Pelikan’s Perch, some pens are engraved “W.-Germany” (in fact, there was a post from an owner of a “W.-Germany” pen)(Pelikan’s Perch). Therefore, it is believed that the “W.-Germany” engraving was used during the very early stages of production. The cap band on my fountain pen is engraved with PELIKAN SOUVERÄN GERMANY (Fig.7-2).

• The nib of my pen is engraved with the letters “EN” and a hallmark (Fig.10). Since nibs with the “EN” engraving and hallmark appear to have been used from 1988 until 1994 (The evolution of the Souverän M800 nibs (1987~2026)), there is no contradiction to the release time of this pen. however, based on the information about the nib alone, it is impossible to determine when this pen was made.

• Upon further inspection, I noticed that the piston rod was engraved with “011” which indicates a manufacturing date of November 1990 (Fig.14-2). This was immediately after German reunification. I don’t believe there were any plans to develop the M800 Green Transparent at that point.

As you can see above, from the cap rings, nib, and piston guide which could provide clues about the production period, I am unable to narrow down the exact date of production. The fact that this fountain pen uses a part manufactured before its release date likely stems from Pelikan being forced to urgently produce 3,000 fountain pens; since they couldn’t meet the launch deadline using only newly manufactured parts, they probably scraped together deadstock parts to assemble the 3,000 pens.
 
This fountain pen is absolutely stunning when it’s brand-new or filled with just water. However, when you actually use it, you’ll find a few minor drawbacks. No matter how carefully you use it, ink seeps into the inside of the inner cap and between the inner cap and the cap tube, creating an unsightly mess. Ink also tends to accumulate on the screw threads. Furthermore, In the past, perhaps because the original piston seal had deteriorated, ink seeped past the seal into the rear space, further marring its appearance. The fact that these normally hidden parts are now visible serves as a reminder that this has both positive and negative aspects. It’s often said that one of the advantages of these transparent (or “demonstrator”) fountain pens is that you can see the ink level at a glance. However, in my case (I use Pilot Blue-Black ink), the ink tends to coat the entire inside of the ink reservoir during regular use, so whether the pen is nearly full or almost empty, it looks almost the same (Fig.11-3). Consequently, I can’t really tell the ink level at a glance (though if filled with yellow highlighter ink, it would be obvious). Even so, this fountain pen does make it far easier to gauge the ink level than other fountain pens. For these reasons, it’s only natural that some people choose not to use their transparent fountain pens, but instead display them as decorative items (万年筆評価の部屋). Since demonstrator fountain pens (although the M800 Green Transparent isn’t strictly speaking a demonstrator fountain pen) were originally intended for display as well (Vintage Pelikan Pens, Modern Pelikan Pens), enjoying them in this way is certainly one of the legitimate ways to use them.

 

In 2023, Pelikan re-released the green transparent fountain pen in the M800 size. Once again, it was released not as a “Limited Edition” but as a “Special Edition.” However, it was named the M800 “Green Demonstrator” rather than “Green Transparent”⁽⁴⁾. Although the two look almost identical, there appear to be some subtle differences. A detailed comparison with the original M800 Green Transparent is available on Pelikan’s Perch. One noticeable difference is that the rings on the cap and the turning knob have been changed to a single ring that gives the appearance of being two rings. Personally, I’d love to see the M800 Transparent model released in another color.
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Note;⁽¹⁾At the time, “transparency” was all the rage in the US. Back then, they even sold clear Coca-Cola (Tab Clear) (Pelikan Schreibgeräte).
⁽²⁾ The M800 Green Transparent is more commonly referred to as the “Green Demonstrator” in Japan.
⁽³⁾Additionally, on the M800 and higher-end models, the filling mechanism can be removed using the special wrench. While there’s no need to remove the filling mechanism during normal use of the standard M800, if ink seeps behind the seal, it becomes quite noticeable on the M800 Green Transparent. Consequently, some Japanese fountain pen enthusiasts have considered removing the filling mechanism to clean the inside of the barrel (or replace the piston seal). It was widely known that the M800’s filling mechanism could be removed using a special wrench, but that wrench was not easy to come by. Some people even bent the tines of an old fork to make their own wrench. Eventually, someone discovered that the wrench included with the TWSBI Diamond 530 worked perfectly as a replacement. Turning the turning knob counterclockwise creates a gap between the knob and the barrel. Insert the TWISBI wrench into this gap, and carefully turn it clockwise to remove the filling mechanism. To reinstall the filling mechanism, simply reverse the process by turning the wrench counterclockwise. At that time, be careful not to tighten it too much. This may be common knowledge outside of Japan as well, but in any case, I do not recommend this method unless you are very experienced in disassembling the M800. By the way, this wrench can also be used to remove the filling mechanism of the M1000.
⁽⁴⁾In today's market, it seems that “Demonstrator” is considered more appealing to consumers than “Transparent.”