Météore/en

La Météore è una delle principali marche storiche francesi, le sue origini si fanno risalire all'incirca al 1916 con la fondazione della Manifacture Parisienne de P.P.R. ed è rimasta in attività fino alla fine degli anni '50 quando, è stato uno dei primi produttori storici francesi di stilografiche a soccombere alla rivoluzione della penna a sfera.

First Météore pens are characterized by an overall good quality, certainly in par to the one of medium level American manufacturers, and its production it's distinguished in particular for the Pullman model, with reentrant body, that anticipates Pilot Capless by nearly thirty years. Subsequently, the quality has gone worse, while remaining in the middle of French production.

History

A Météore advertisement from '20s.

The origins of Météore are uncertain, the company was founded in 1916 as Manifacture Parisienne de PPR (Porte Plume Reservoir) by Demilly and Degen, then become La Plume d'Or in 1921. It is not known whether the company is descended from Franco-British Manufacturing Pen ' founded by Charcellay in Paris in 1910. La Plume d'Or was still on the market after the end of World War I, producing two brands: Météore and L. Badois, and also for third parties. The second brand is linked to the activity of Luis Badois, holder of fountain pen patents both for his own then jointly with the 'La Plume d'Or.

The Météore first models were black or marbled hard rubber eyedropper or safety pens, similar to those of other French manufacturers of the same era, to which they added laterlever filler models. The first pen clearly associated with the brand was introduced in 1922, was characterized by incision of the Météore name on the cap, decorated also with a white ring at the top, and had the lever end in the form of a shamrock. The nibs were often marked with the initials (D and D) of the founders. In this period were produced safety or lever filler ebonite fountain pens in two dimensions for both men and women. Model names of this period are Zodiac and Prompto.

The company switched to celluloid quite late, a second set of models was launched in 1932, keeping the lever filler but with a washer clip and two rings on lower edge of the hood, over the classical one at the top. The pens were black or marbled, but were also produced models in chased hard rubber with overlay in lacquered metal, gold, silver.

A 1932 Météore advertising.

In 1932 was produced the most interesting Météore model, the Pullman 35, a button filler pen built with a peculiar mechanism, in which the body could be made ​​to slide, by pressing the bottom, inside of the cap. This was equipped with a movable top hinge, which opened thus letting out the tip of the pen and nib. The same concept, even if made ​​with a different mechanism, was adopted three years later by Aurora with the Asterope, and both pens are regarded as the precursors of the Pilot Capless.

Aside from the novelty represented by the Pullman model the Météore continued to produce ordinary pens, and generally was quite conservative, maintaining for long the flat top style. Only in 1941 slightly tapered lines were adopted but, with the war going on, restrictions led to the use of steel nibs rather than gold. The models of this era were called Prior, Selection, Record and Pullman. In 1942, because of the shortage of gold supply nibs were produced in steel, using a metal alloy called Vaedium.

Advertising for new models

Nel dopoguerra le linee vennero ulteriormente modificate, e rese ancora più affusolate con il modello Météore 807, venne modificato il fermaglio che assunse una linea più sottile. Intorno agli 1950 vennero introdotti anche altri modelli, identificati da numeri a tre cifre inizianti con il 3. Venne poi introdotta la serie 800 con caricamento a levetta, come la Météore 827 con visualizzazione del livello di inchiostro, ed iniziarono a comparire i pennini marcati Stabilior.

Nel 1951 l'azienda adottò, come gli altri produttori francesi, il caricamento a fisarmonica della Stylomine, con il modello Pulseur, disponibile in vari colori. Questo sistema venne anche utilizzato per le penne della serie 900 con pennini marcati Stabilior. In questo periodo i modelli di punta sono quelli della serie 500, con tre vere sul cappuccio e il marchio inciso sul pennino. Come tutte le altre aziende la Météore subì pesantemente gli effetti del successo della penna a sfera; partecipò alla produzione della Pulsapen, ma non riuscì a reggere la crisi e fu uno dei primi grandi produttori francesi a fallire verso la fine degli anni '50.

Cronologia

Anno	Avvenimento
1916	l'azienda viene fondata da L. Demilly, V. Degen a Nanterre come Manifacture Parisienne de P.P.R.
1921	la Manifacture Parisienne de P.P.R. cambia nome in La plume d'or
1922	l'azienda introduce il primo modello con il suo marchio sul cappuccio
1932	l'azienda nuovi modelli con caricamento a levetta
1932	l'azienda introduce le Pullman
1941	l'azienda introduce le Selection
1941	l'azienda introduce le Record
1941	l'azienda introduce le Prior
1942	l'azienda introduce i pennini in acciaio, denominati Vaedium
1951	l'azienda introduce le Pulseur con caricamento a fisarmonica
1956	la Pulsapen viene prodotta da Stylomine, Météore, Paillard e Unic

Riferimenti esterni

• http://web.archive.org/web/20071012135105/http://stylos-francais.fr/meteore.php
• http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=97624
• https://web.archive.org/web/20140103121747/http://meteore.penandco.com/accueil_us.html