Industrial designer Marc Newson has applied his talent to many objects, and not for the first time to a fountain pen. The Montblanc M is sleek, smooth and rounded, but with enough detail to make it interesting.

Now a designer at Apple, Newson’s relationship with Montblanc originates with his collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre that resulted in the striking Newson Atmos clocks. The current chief executive Montblanc, Jerome Lambert, used to hold the same position at Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Characterised by smooth lines, rounded edges and geometric shapes (think of the Apple Watch and Ikepod), Newson’s signature aesthetic is evident in the Montblanc M, which is reminiscent of fellow German pen maker Lamy’s products.

Like the typical Montblanc pen the M is made from glossy black resin. A magnetic closure keeps the cap aligned with the logo on the barrel, which has a flat end milled out inlaid with the Montblanc logo. The cap does not post, meaning it cannot be mounted on the end of the barre while writing.

The attachment for the platinum-plated, wire clip is hidden in the cap to keep its lines clean. And the section is ruthenium plated, giving it a dark grey colour. The nib is 14k gold, with “MN” engraved on it only for the first year of production.

The Montblanc M is available as a fountain pen for US$565, or as a rollerball or ballpoint for US$400. The fountain pen is a cartridge or converter filler. It’s also available as a touchscreen stylus or technical pen.

Meisterbund means alliance of masters, referring to the specialists that teamed up to create the Sinn Model 6200 Meisterbund I. Sinn designed the watch and made the dial, while the case was made by Sächsische Uhrentechnologie GmbH Glashütte (SUG). And Uhren-Werke-Dresden (UWD) was responsible for the movement. Consequently, all the key components of the Meisterbund I wristwatch – namely the case, dial, movement and hairspring – are made in Germany.

Frankfurt-based Sinn is best known for its tool watches created for pilots and divers, with many of its watchcases already made by SUG. Sinn’s owner, Lothar Schmidt, is a shareholder in SUG, which supplies submarine steel cases to Sinn, and also precious metal cases to Lange. In fact, SUG is located in Glashütte, just a stone’s throw away from the main Lange building.

Case production at SUG

The Meisterbund I has a 40mm rose gold case, with a hand-wound calibre from UWD inside. A maker of movements and components, UWD is the sister company of Lang & Heyne, with both part of Tempus Arte Group, a small German agglomeration of watchmaking firms. Like Lang & Heyne, UWD is based in Dresden.

Seemingly based on the hand-wound Unitas 6498, the UWD movement is hand-wound with a 55 hour power reserve. It has an adjustable mass balance and partially open-worked bridges. The same movement is used in the Elysium, made by Leinfelder, a Munich-based brand that is also part of Tempus Arte.

The Leinfelder calibre L-H01

The Meisterbund I is a limited edition of 55 pieces, available in spring 2016. Pricing will be announced then, but with the similar Leinfelder Elysium priced at approximately €16,000, expect this to be in the same range.