Looking to the Stars with Montblanc's StarWalker

StarWalker Style

If I were to buy my first Montblanc, which one do you think I'd go for?  The classic black Meisterstück?  The stunning Blue Hour?  Maybe one of the elegant Muses pens inspired by opera singer Maria Callas, or something from the vintage-inspired Heritage Collection or Origin Collection?  Those would be good guesses, but no!  The Montblanc pen I am most tempted to buy is a StarWalker.  

I first wrote about StarWalkers back in September, 2023, when the SpaceBlue edition was released, and have been secretly intrigued by them ever since. With the very exciting new PolarGreen edition, Montblanc has reignited my interest, and I asked Pen Boutique owner Leena if I could rewrite my article to include all the StarWalker pens.  I also asked her if I could borrow a StarWalker from her personal collection in order to include my observations on the StarWalker writing experience in the article.  To my delight, she said yes to both requests!

I think what I love most about the StarWalker is that it's so sleek and futuristic. The design evokes a much more contemporary mood than the iconic Meisterstück introduced in 1951. The StarWalker collection is probably not what you picture when you hear the word "Montblanc," but it was launched in 2003, so it has had over 20 years to grow its own loyal fanbase and introduce many cool editions with distinctive design features including variations in color, texture, and materials. Many have sold out and are extremely hard to find, but we have quite a large variety represented at Pen Boutique.

The StarWalker is intended to appeal to a younger audience than the Meisterstück, or to anyone who wants something a little more daring than the classic cigar-shaped pen. It offers a very different look and feel, while still retaining the uniqueness and prestige of a Montblanc. I'm a big fan of science fiction and modernist design, so I can't help being attracted to the space age curves and lines of these pens that pay tribute to space exploration and our place in the universe.

The StarWalker collection can be a little confusing at first, because each edition can include up to nine different pens, but, once you understand the options, the hard part is choosing a favorite!

  

Fineliner, Ballpoint, and Fountain

Like many pens, StarWalkers come in three different formats, but, instead of the standard fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint, StarWalkers can be fountain pens, fineliners, or ballpoints.

If you've ever used an ultra-fine Sharpie or a Micron drawing pen, you know what a fineliner is.  Fineliners are easy to use and have very precise tips that are great for sketching or writing. I find them very enjoyable, and I especially like the Montblanc fineliner pen, which has a little bit of give to it, so it feels smooth, natural, and a little bouncy in your hand. It's extremely easy to control and to write or draw with comfortably, and has a far nicer feel on the paper than your standard disposable fineliner does. The Montblanc fineliner pen can be refilled with either fineliner refills (which come in both medium and broad, and in a number of different colors), or with rollerball refills, which also come in lots of colors and in either fine or medium line widths.

The StarWalker ballpoints are pretty straightforward, but note that, again, you can refill them with quite a few different fun and interesting colors. When choosing your StarWalker refills, be sure to get the Montblanc standard size, not mini or LeGrand size!  It can be a little confusing, so, if you aren't sure which refill to get, it doesn't hurt to ask a customer service agent to help you before you order.

StarWalker fountain pens' nibs are Au585 gold (14 karat), and extremely smooth, with a unique and beautiful shape.  I love their clean lines and streamlined curves, which echo the profile of the pens' clip.

The fountain pens are filled by a cartridge or a converter, and we have a huge selection of Montblanc fountain pen inks. Check out my blog article to read more about Montblanc inks.  It's easy to refill your StarWalker with a Montblanc ink cartridge or use the StarWalker converter to refill it from a bottle.  Note that the StarWalker uses a different converter than other Montblanc pens.  It was originally a cartridge-only pen, but Montblanc introduced a special piston converter to fit the StarWalker in 2022, with the release of the BlackCosmos edition.  I still remember how exciting that was!  All the newer StarWalkers come with a converter, but, if you buy a pen from one of the older editions, you can purchase the StarWalker converter separately if you'd like to use one.  (Please note:  the StarWalker converter is out of stock with Montblanc right now, but we have them on order.  If you are looking for one, please click the link in our product listing to be notified when they are available again.) Pictured below is the SpaceBlue Metal fountain pen disassembled to show the converter.

  

Nine Distinct Looks and Feels

In addition to the three types of pens (fountain, fineliner, and ballpoint), StarWalkers come in Resin, Doué, and Metal variations, so there are actually nine possibilities in a typical edition, with a fountain pen, fineliner, and ballpoint available in each style.

The Resin pens' caps and barrels are both made from what Montblanc calls "precious resin."  People sometimes make fun of this term because it sounds like Montblanc is claiming their resin is a rare material like precious metals or gemstones. The word they use in German is "Edelharz," which translates crudely into "precious resin" but actually means something more like high grade resin. "Edel" means "noble, superior." It's not cheap plastic, but is an incredibly strong high quality plexiglas type material that is scratch resistant and feels nice to the touch.[Pictured:  StarWalker PolarGreen fountain pen in Resin.]

In French, "doué" means "gifted."  Montblanc's Doué pens are the next level of luxury, and are "gifted" with something a little extra:  a metal cap to complement the resin barrel. For many of the editions, including Blue Planet and PolarGreen, the metal is shiny silver platinum-coated.  In the SpaceBlue edition, it's coated in dark ruthenium, and, for BlackCosmos, the metal is coated with strikingly textured deep black PVD.

[Pictured:  BlackCosmos Resin and Doué fountain pens.]

The Metal pens, which are the most visually striking, have a metal cap and barrel. In some editions, this means the entire pen has a uniform appearance, such as SpaceBlue's platinum-coated metal with an extremely cool Widmanstätten pattern texture.  The photo below shows the Metal fountain pen on the left, Doué fineliner in the center, and Resin ballpoint on the right.

For other editions, the metal may be guilloché under a lacquer finish on the barrel, with a platinum coated metal cap, for example.  The new PolarGreen edition is a stunning example. Below, the Metal fountain pen is in the foreground, followed by the Doué and Resin models.

The Precious Resin version is much lighter than the other two, the Doué is an intermediate weight, and the all Metal is quite weighty, but all three styles are well-balanced and comfortable in the hand.  The weights of each pen differ slightly by edition, but, for example, the new PolarGreen fountain pen is 28.3 g in Resin, 37.25 g in Doué, and 47.3 g in Metal.

If you love heavy pens, you'll really enjoy the all-Metal style, and, if you prefer a lighter feel, then I'd go for the precious Resin model. The Doué is a nice in-between weight.  All three styles have metal end finials, and the front sections are metal in the fineliner and fountain models, so even the Resin pens have metal accents that give them a satisfying weight.

Pictured above are the SpaceBlue ballpoint, fineliner, and fountain pen side by side, all in the Resin style. The Resin StarWalker is slightly heavier than a 146 (LeGrande) size Meisterstück, although the StarWalker falls in between a 145 (Classique) and 146 (LeGrande) Meisterstück, size-wise. The additional metal in the StarWalker design gives it more weight than a traditional Montblanc Meisterstück.

[Pictured:  Montblanc 145 Meisterstück, StarWalker, and 146 Meisterstück side by side.] 

The StarWalker fineliner and fountain pen are designed to be used with the cap posted on the back of the pen, and they feature a threaded area right above the end finial, so your cap can securely screw onto the back of the pen. I really like this thoughtful detail.

Of course, if you prefer the weight or balance with the cap set to the side, that's fine, too.  Either way, the intermediate size of a StarWalker works well in both a man's or a woman's hand. Usually these pens are marketed toward men, but they feel like a good size to me, and I have a medium-sized woman's hand. The StarWalker's size is similar to my Sailor 1911L and Pelikan M600 pens, although it's heavier than both.

[Pictured:  the Resin ballpoint in my hand.]

[Pictured:  the Doué fineliner in my hand.]

[Pictured:  the metal fountain pen in my hand. For me, the Metal pen is too heavy with the cap posted, so I set it aside.]

I like the ribbed grip section on the fineliner and fountain!  Older editions have a smooth metal grip section, which is also nice.

As I've briefly mentioned, some of the StarWalker editions over the years have featured unique and surprising materials or design elements.  Variants have included textured resin, guilloché under a lacquer finish, rubber, carbon fiber, ceramic, black ruthenium-plated metal, all-over smooth shiny Platinum-plating, and more!

[Pictured:  the core all-metal platinum-plated StarWalker, with Doué and Resin Blue Planet StarWalkers.]

A few of the most prominent editions include Midnight Black (2005) which features a matte black precious resin body with ruthenium-plated accents, Extreme (2013) with textured black precious resin, Blue Planet (2019) inspired by the view of Earth from space, BlackCosmos (2022) showcasing the depths of space with a black resin or metal finish and a grey translucent dome, SpaceBlue (2023) inspired by the Widmanstätten pattern formed on meteorites in space, and the new PolarGreen (2025), which evokes the Northern Lights with its textured green precious resin or luminous guilloché and translucent dark green lacquer over metal.

Another customer favorite at Pen Boutique is the UltraBlack (2018), with matte black precious resin and black ruthenium-coated fittings.  I was recently talking with several regulars in the store who agreed that it is their dream StarWalker.  It definitely has a very cool and sophisticated look. 

And, we even have a few of the older Urban Spirit fountain pens from 2016, with a flat dome top and racing stripe on the clip, for a sporty look!

The Dome, and Anti-Counterfeiting Clip

StarWalker's defining feature is its dome, a fascinating resin apex that allows the Montblanc snowcap emblem to appear to float above the cap, which simultaneously resembles both an astronaut's helmet and a rocket. The snowcap emblem is elusive within the dome. From above, it is clearly visible, just as with any other Montblanc.  But, with each change of angle, it changes form, and can almost disappear at times, appearing as only a sliver of light on the horizon.

The dome consists of two layers of resin with the emblem suspended in between.  The top layer is transparent, while the lower dome may be transparent as well, or a translucent blue to evoke our blue planet from space, a mysterious translucent deep grey, or even a phosphorescent milky material that absorbs light and glows bluish green in the dark.

In the photo above, you can see this pen's unique serial number on the side of the clip, below its dome.  As I discussed in my Meisterstück article, Montblancs are often counterfeited, so it's very important to get your pen from a trusted source. StarWalkers in particular are one of the most commonly counterfeited luxury pen models. Just like other Montblancs, each StarWalker has its own nine-digit serial number laser-printed on the pen.  It's quite hard to see, so you'll probably need a magnifying glass, loupe, or your phone.  The number can be in the position shown above, or on the cap band to the right of the clip and alongside the three horizontal lines, as in the Blue Planet model shown at the top of this section.

 

 

Another way to check the authenticity of a StarWalker is to shine a flashlight through the dome.  A genuine Montblanc StarWalker will allow light to pass through, while fakes may be opaque.  Fake StarWalkers can also have misshapen Montblanc emblems. Montblanc's famous white star (introduced in 1913) represents the six snow-covered glaciers at Mont Blanc's summit, and thus equates Montblanc with the pinnacle of the highest mountain in the Alps and also the highest mountain in Western Europe.

You can also find the words "MADE IN GERMANY" and "METAL" on the underside of the clip, an additional anti-counterfeiting security feature.

 

 

Pictured below are Resin StarWalker fountain pens in PolarGreen, SpaceBlue, UltraBlack, Blue Planet, and BlackCosmos.  Note the different colors in the resin of the lower domes.

With each new series, the dome takes on a different mood, a different meaning.  In the pens with blue domes, Montblanc describes it as evoking "the Earth rising above the lunar horizon as seen from space."

 

 

With PolarGreen, its phosphorescent dome recalls "the enchanting dancing auroras of the night sky."

 

 

I was impressed by how easily the PolarGreen pens' domes glow, even in a room that isn't completely dark.  It's quite cool, and is a delightful expression of this edition's aurora borealis theme.

 

 

At certain angles, the dome can even appear to project a miniature Montblanc emblem, as the pen does clever things with light and shadow. The dome also catches the light and reflects back colors and images from its surroundings.  It's always changing, and was both challenging and captivating to photograph.

[Pictured:  SpaceBlue Metal fountain pen, Resin ballpoint, and Doué fineliner.]

 

Writing with StarWalker

Sure, the StarWalker is stylish, but how does it write?  We aren't allowed to dip test our Montblancs in the store, but I was able to try both fine and medium nib StarWalkers for this article, thanks to Pen Boutique owner Leena, who entrusted me with pens from her personal collection.  I tried the medium nib first, and was a little surprised by how much I immediately loved it.

 

 

I had a fun time sketching in a coffee shop with the extremely smooth, velvety nib, then kept reaching for it again at home when I did my nightly drawings to clear my mind and relax at the end of a long day.

 

 

After using both pens to take notes and draw for about a week, I sat down to do a writing comparison between the two nibs.  Their line width is consistent with other Western brands such as Pelikan, and there is an appropriate difference between the fine and medium. Both nibs were fairly rigid, but very smooth and pleasurable to write with.  They aren't overly smooth and glassy feeling, though.  The fine nib allows a nice degree of precision, and you can feel the tip as it moves across the page, which I appreciated.  It definitely doesn't have Sailor-style feedback, but I did feel in control and in touch with the paper as I wrote. 

 

 

I used Montblanc Mystery Black cartridges for my writing samples, but, I have to admit, I did also try the medium nib pen with a Kaweco Royal Blue cartridge!  Montblanc recommends using Montblanc brand ink, but, because Montblanc's cartridges set the standard that became "standard international," many other standard international cartridge brands also will fit in a StarWalker.  Montblanc ink will probably be the most compatible and give you the best performance, however!

 

Look to the Stars

I love that StarWalkers are inspired by space exploration, the unfathomable expanses of our universe, and awe-inspiring natural phenomena like the auroras that occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere.  Although people sometimes mix up the name "StarWalker" and "Skywalker," the themes they encompass are more Star Trek than Star Wars, and remind me strongly of the wonder and hopefulness Carl Sagan's Cosmos.

[Pictured:  the new PolarGreen edition inspired by the Aurora Borealis.]

There are so many different cool StarWalkers, but when I look over the ones we have in the store, the one that ignites my imagination the most is still the SpaceBlue edition. I really like the navy blue color, which can appear grey or even black in photos, unless you see it next to an actual black object like a black Girologio writing mat.  In person, it's definitely blue, but a very sophisticated and stylish shade that shows off the pattern well, with plenty of contrast.  The colors and texture of these pens is very tasteful and subtly dramatic at the same time.  Although the metal pens are mostly silver, they have space blue rings, and you can see the blue color even when the cap is posted.

 

[Pictured:  SpaceBlue StarWalkers with Sartorial 2-Pen Pouch and 1-Pen Pouch, and the #146 Vintage Logo Yellow Notebook.)

My favorite thing about these pens, though, is the texture, which was inspired by Widmanstätten patterns, also known as Thomson structures. These extremely intriguing patterns "are figures of long nickel–iron crystals, found in the octahedrite iron meteorites and some pallasites."  (Pallasites are another type of meteorite.) Check out the Wikipedia article about Widmanstätten patterns, because they are fascinating and, in my opinion, very beautiful.  I'm crazy about patterns like this that occur in crystals, and I love looking at Widmanstätten pattern photos!  

This particular pattern only forms deep inside planetary bodies that take millions of years to cool. Iron never crystallizes this way on Earth's surface, so any metal that naturally shows this pattern on Earth came from a meteorite. Iron from meteorites with this pattern was used to forge tools and weapons such as swords and daggers in prehistoric times. Very, very cool.

This spring, a customer came into the store to buy a SpaceBlue Metal StarWalker, and I started telling him about how cool the Widmanstätten patterns are, but he already knew all about them because he actually owns meteorite specimens with this pattern on it!  Later, he even brought one into the store to show me, and sent me this great photo that he took.  It does look just like the pattern on the pens! I love this. Thank you so much, Dan S.!

 

 

Knowing that the SpaceBlue StarWalkers are inspired by meteorites really excites my love of space and the natural world, and touching the Widmanstätten pattern texture that is expressed on these pens feels amazing.  I love the feel, both on the resin material and the metal.

 

 

I don't really have a favorite between the resin, doué, and metal versions of the pens. They are all elegant expressions of the design, and the story of the Widmanstätten patterns makes this particular StarWalker collection especially compelling to me. 

Which StarWalker edition inspires you the most?  Our precious Blue Planet? The sophisticated matte UltraBlack? The mystery of BlackCosmos?  Maybe one of the rare older pens?  Or, are you like my co-worker Joy, who glows with excitement when she talks about how much she loves Montblanc's use of color in the relaxing fluid waves of the Northern Lights depicted in the new PolarGreen edition?  Reach for your favorite, and allow your imagination to soar into the stars.

 -Laura P.

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