Happy New Year, blog readers! The hectic, messy holiday season is over, and it feels good to step back from the overstimulation and excesses of the past several months and take a look at the world from a fresh perspective. I'm finding myself drawn to the stark beauty of bare tree branches and a smooth coat of snow, the colors white and black, classical music that calms and focuses my mind, healthier food choices, and the possibilities inherent in a blank notebook waiting to be filled with ideas. The one thing in our store that most expresses the clean minimalism I'm craving right now is the LAMY dialog, a capless twist-action fountain pen series that intrigues me with its uniqueness in both form and function.
The dialog 3, released in 2009, and its little brother, dialog cc, which followed in late 2021, have always stood out to me as different. The streamlined modernist design and fascinating mechanics make these pens favorites with engineers, architects, and forward thinkers, and I still remember my early customer Erik, a young computer entrepreneur, and his obsession with the dialog cc, for whom it was a "grail." I had never experimented with the LAMY dialog pens until now, and learning about them for this article was even more interesting than I imagined!
Award-Winning Design
The LAMY dialog series was first introduced in 2003, in the form of the distinctive and architectural-looking triangular-bodied dialog 1 ballpoint pen, created by Munich-born Dr. Richard Sapper, designer of the IBM Thinkpad, in a move which LAMY described in the literature of the time as, "the start of a more formalized relationship with the design world, where the designers of LAMY pens engage in a 'dialogue' with LAMY to create a new and innovative form."
The dialog 1 won the Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award that year, and LAMY continued its collaboration with famed industrial designers in 2006, with the release of the dialog 2, a sleek, capless rollerball developed by Knud Holscher, an internationally famous Danish architect and designer known for his "crisp, clear, simple and light" designs. The dialog 2 featured a patented retractable clip that lays completely flush with the barrel of the pen when the writing tip is extended. In 2009, LAMY followed with the much anticipated dialog 3 fountain pen, designed by Franco Clivio, a Swiss product designer and teacher who studied at Germany's Ulm School of Design from 1963 to 1967. The first dialog 3 had a palladium finish like its predecessors, and this finish is still available, along with matte black, shiny black, and shiny white.
Clivio, now 83 years old, has been fascinated by the design of everyday objects since boyhood. His iconic aqua blue and orange Gardena Pruner gardening tool, and Gardena hose coupling system, both created in 1968, are beloved around the world and still the standard in Europe today. Clivio's first design for LAMY, the pico ballpoint, was a winner of the iF Product Design Award in 2020. This prestigious award, chosen by an international jury of over 130 independent design and sustainability experts, has been presented by iF International Forum Design since 1954, and is known as the "global seal of excellent design." The competition receives around 11,000 submissions from almost 70 countries each year. (The dialog 2 was also a winner, in 2007!)
[Pictured: LAMY pico ballpoints in white, laser orange, and neon pink.]
I've always thought the pico--a capsule-shaped pen which springs open at the touch of a finger, extending from a very compact 3.5-3.75 inches when closed to about 5 inches when opened--was LAMY's coolest and most fun design, so I loved learning that the dialog 3 came from the same innovative mind! There is definitely a strong resemblance between the tiny pico and much larger dialog, but I had never really thought about this connection until now! The dialog 3 followed pico as a winner of the iF Design Award in 2010, as did the dialog cc, also designed by Clivio, which won in 2023.
[Pictured: LAMY dialog 3 above, and dialog cc below, both in white.]
The dialog 3 also won the Good Design Award (founded in Chicago in 1950, by pioneers in modern design) and the Red Dot Award (established in 2005) for international design excellence! Many of LAMY's other pens have won design awards, but only dialog 3, the stainless steel LAMY 2000, the accent, the scala, and the noto ballpoint have won all three.
[Pictured: dialog 3 in matte black, along with LAMY premium pen case in black leather.]
Distinct Details
LAMY dialog's innovative design is both a matter of form and function, which is expressed slightly differently in each version of the pen, and each includes distinctive design details that I never noticed until I examined them closely for this article. The two pens are similar, but each has its own personality, features, and feel in the hand. Both are hand-assembled at the LAMY craftsman's workshop in Heidelberg.
The dialog 3 is a fairly large pen, with a length of 5.5 inches (140 mm) with the nib retracted, and almost 6.25" with the nib extended. Its diameter is a consistent 0.53 inches (13.7 mm) all over, which is thicker than the grip section of most pens, but not outrageous. It looks pretty large in my hand, but doesn't feel overly heavy or uncomfortable. I did not have the opportunity to write extensively with the pens, but enjoyed taking notes with them for this article. I mostly used the Extra Fine nib, which was very smooth, pleasantly precise, and slightly bouncy! I plan to write a follow-up article to compare LAMY nib sizes, which are interchangeable between many different models.
[Pictured: LAMY dialog 3 in my medium-sized woman's hand.]
The dialog cc has the exact same girth, but has a shorter length of 4.8 inches (125 mm) with the nib retracted, and about 5.55" with the nib out. It was designed for dialog lovers who want a pen that's a little more compact and portable, with a new elegantly curved rose gold plated terminal segment, and simple rose gold plated roll stop (similar to the tiny one on the pico ballpoint), in place of the clip.
[Pictured: LAMY dialog cc in my medium-sized woman's hand. The nib I used in the writing sample is Extra Fine, paired with LAMY T52 petrol ink.]
I asked LAMY Marketing Manager Tiffany Felix about the significance of the "cc," noting that I had read it stands for "capless compact." She brought my question to LAMY Germany, who responded,
‚cc‘ is an associative abbreviation leaving space for interpretation. It has been inspired by the ‚cc‘ of Peugeot and VW using it for special type of cars.
We used [it to give the] model name a kind of twist by expecting ‚cc‘ to evoke associations of something compact, comfortable, cute, capless and so on.
We have never defined it officially.
I absolutely love this! In its cultural context, "cc" doesn't need to have a specific meaning because of the associations it calls to mind. Thank you for answering my question!
The LAMY logo etched on the roll stop is the dialog cc's only branding. Its body is also unadorned, forgoing the curved accent lines that extend from dialog 3's clip and trace the length of its elongated capsule shape. Rather than just looking like a stubbier version of the dialog 3, the dialog cc has an elegance and grace that is a nice counterpoint to the dialog 3's strong, balanced boldness.
[Foreground: dialog cc in white. Background: dialog 3 in palladium.]
Like the dialog 3's clip, the dialog cc's roll stop doubles as a placement guide for your fingers to help you orient the nib correctly for good contact with your writing surface, the same ergonomic principle used by Pilot's Vanishing Point, which also has its clip on the nib end of the pen. The clip position on these capless pens also helps ensure that they are positioned with the nib up when placed in a pocket, an additional assurance against leaks.
[Pictured: Pilot Vanishing Point LS in burgundy, LAMY dialog cc in white, LAMY dialog 3 in matte black, and standard Vanishing Point in matte black.]
Capless Technology
Unlike the Pilot Vanishing Point pens, whose retractable nibs are extended with a click of the push button at the back of the pen, the dialog 3 and dialog cc both activate with a twist. Although the name "dialog" was chosen because it was planned as a series of models developed in dialog with special designers/architects, it also feels like a play on words to me, because you "dial" the pen to extend the nib, and writing with the pen is like a "dialog" between you and the page.
Both dialogs share the exact same internal workings. As LAMY succinctly describes it, "The 14K gold nib elegantly slides out of the inside of the case by means of a worldwide unique turning mechanism. When the mechanism is closed, a ball valve automatically slides in front of the opening and protects the nib from drying out."
In my photo above, you can see the ball valve in its closed position on the shiny black pen, and part way open on the palladium pen. On the matte black pen, it is completely open with the nib beginning to emerge. When the nib is fully extended, you will feel it lock into position, and the lines on the lower half of the dialog 3's barrel will be directly opposite their closed placement. It takes exactly one half turn to unsheathe or re-sheathe the nib. It's a little hard to see in the photo above, but, when the ball valve is fully closed, the lines that extend the length of the pen will line up, and you can also feel the position lock into place again. In the photos below, the misaligned lines alert me that I have not fully closed the ball value, and my nib will dry out.
Here's one more nice detail you might not notice, because it's so subtle: the black rubber frame around the nib opening has the word "Germany" stamped on it!
Sheathing and unsheathing the nib is a very cool feeling, and makes a satisfying sound. When I showed the pen to my brother, he compared it to a switchblade! Although this cleverly engineered mechanism works pretty well, you do need to be careful to operate it slowly and deliberately when retracting the nib. If you don't go far enough, the ball value will remain slightly open, and, if you go too far, you will begin to unscrew the pen for disassembly. This takes some finesse and may be too finicky for some users.
The dialog can be filled by either the LAMY Z27 piston converter (already installed) or standard LAMY T10 ink cartridges (one is provided in the box). Only the rear section needs to be removed to change a cartridge. To fill from the converter, simply unscrew the nib assembly and dip the nib into an ink bottle, then suction the ink into the converter's reservoir by twisting the converter's end. The pen is not hard to take apart and put back together, although you must take care to screw the nib assembly fully back into the pen before reassembling the body, or the nib won't be oriented correctly. The pens come with a very thorough booklet explaining the features, including how to fill and clean. The booklet also includes a guarantee that the pen will be repaired at no charge for two years if there is any flaw in the material or workmanship.
Along with the booklet and spare cartridge, a small tool to assist with cleaning is provided in the tray at the bottom of the box. This "cleaning shell" can screw onto the front barrel of the pen and will allow you to twist open the valve cap if you wish to run water through the front part of the pen body to rinse it out without the nib assembly installed.
[Pictured: cleaning shell tool, cartridge, and converter, with disassembled pen. The nib assembly is still inside the pen in this photo. Below: cleaning shell tool screwed into pen.]
The pens come in beautiful hinged gift boxes with velvety interiors and a small satin ribbon pull tab to help you access the lower section below the tray.
Dialog cc's box also holds one additional accessory: a very nice leather pen sleeve to help protect your compact, comfortable, cute, capless cc and carry it anywhere!
Subtle Surprises
Unlike Pilot's Vanishing Point, which uses a special smaller retractable and semi-hooded 18k gold nib, the dialog features a full-sized 14k two-tone gold Lamy nib, so having the nib extended significantly adds to its length. Both LAMY dialogs are also fairly heavy, but very well balanced. The dialog cc is 44 grams, 4 grams lighter than the 48 gram dialog 3. (A standard Vanishing Point weighs 32 grams, and the slightly larger Vanishing Point LS, which has a "luxurious and silent" click and twist mechanism, is 40 grams.)
[Pictured: Pilot Vanishing Point LS in burgundy, LAMY dialog 3 in matte black, LAMY dialog cc in white, and standard Vanishing Point in matte black, all with nibs fully extended.]
Fascinatingly--and I love this detail!--each dialog's nib is the same size and shape, but has a different design. The dialog 3 uses a platinum-plated 14k gold nib (the LAMY Z 55 nib) with a breather hole and two-tone curved detail like the one found on higher-end models of the LAMY studio, while the dialog cc uses a platinum-plated 14k gold nib (the Z56) with no breather hole and bicolor squared detail, like the nibs used in the LAMY imporium. (The dialog 3's has yellow gold accents, while dialog cc's has rose gold.) Why, you may wonder? Well, look closer: the curved accent piece on the classic Z55 nib matches the clip shape and curved lines on the body of the dialog 3, while the squared off accent piece on the Z56 matches the rectangular roll-stop on the dialog cc! Very cool.
The two nibs write the same, but each helps give its pen a unique look. Both of these nibs are compatible with a wide variety of other LAMY fountain pens, from safari on up, with exception of the LAMY 2000. The dialog 3 is available with Extra Fine (EF), Fine (F), Medium (M), Broad (B), Oblique Medium (OM), and Oblique Broad (OB) nib options, while dialog cc comes in EF, F, M, or B. (Due to time constraints, I could not sample all the nib sizes for this article, but I hope to try them in a follow up article in the future.) Check out the two shape variations in the photo below. I love both!
As with the design details on each pen's nib, the original dialog 3's clip echoes the elongated capsule shape of its pen. It also holds some subtle surprises. Like its forerunner, the dialog 2 rollerball, the dialog 3 fountain pen's clip is retractable, although not in the same way.
When the dialog 3's spring-loaded clip is in its extended position, you can open it by pushing against the attached end, making it easier to clip onto a pocket or pen case.
However, as you rotate the rear section of the dialog 3 to the extend the nib, the attachment point of the clip lowers into the pen, so that the clip ends up lying flat against the body of the pen (rather than sinking into it and becoming flush like dialog 2's clip does). This low-profile clip position enhances the comfort of your fingers' grip and resists opening, reminding you by touch to withdraw the nib before putting the pen away.
The usefulness of this feature may sound marginal, but I can't tell you how many times I have tried to put my Pilot Décimo away without remembering to click the nib back into the pen's body! I love my Décimo, but this is just something that happens when you write a lot with a quick-draw retractable-nib fountain pen. If you use your Dialog 3 often, and squeeze the clip to activate it, the tactile feedback may become second nature.
I think the subtle difference in clip position when the nib is extended is one of several examples of this pen design's attention to small details that some users may appreciate a lot, but many people wouldn't even notice. Some of these details, such as the positioning of the lines on the body of the pen cueing you to make sure the ball valve is fully closed, are important to the pen's functioning, while others are just there to delight the meticulous--and I think that's cool!
Have you tried the dialog 3 or cc? What do you think? These fascinating pens definitely aren't for everyone, but their uniqueness and innovative details feel delightful and refreshing and may be just the "something new" you are looking for to shake up your pen collection. I loved writing with them, and now I want to try more of LAMY's interesting gold nib pens!
-Laura P.
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