There are pens that are very special. The Otto Hutt designC is definitely one of them. Not only because there are only 500 of them worldwide. Thankfully, there was the chance to take a closer look at this fountain pen and test it.
The Otto Hutt company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. They have designed a special fountain pen for it. To be more precise, they teamed up with the designer Mark Braun to create this special fountain pen.
The result is the designC. And there are only 500 of them worldwide.
The designC in detail
The designC does not come in the normal box from Otto Hutt. For such a special version it has to be a special packaging.
The Otto Hutt designC comes in a large silver cardboard box. The Otto Hutt logo and the logo of the “100 YRS EDITION” are embossed in silver.
The box is closed with a ribbon which is wrapped around a button. And we are not dealing with a simple little button here, but one silver design element made of metal, which is engraved with the “100 YRS EDITION” logo. This fastener holds very well.
When you open the box, all elements are clearly visible in front of you. Each part has its place where it is held securely.
So we have here on the one hand the warranty card. A warranty card made of heavy cardboard with silver embossed elements. A note that you should not turn the handle and a cleaning cloth, which also has the logo of the “100 YRS EDITION” on it. You can already see a trend: Everything is designed exactly for this special edition.
But you can also find an ink here. A glass of blue permanent ink is safely stored here, and it also bears the “100 YRS EDITION” logo.
Furthermore, there is a leather case for the fountain pen. This case has been specially designed and shaped for the designC. The pen is kept safe and secure in it. By the way, this case bears the Otto Hutt logo.
And, of course, there is the fountain pen itself. At first glance, this is a simple and silver writing instrument.
In the lid of the box there is a booklet to be found. In here you can find some information about Otto Hutt, the designer of the pen Mark Braun, and about the pen itself. Also some information about the new mechanism for drawing up the ink called Pull+Twist.
The designC itself is very simple on the outside. We have a continuous diameter along the entire length of the pen, and the corners at the end of the barrel and the cap head are slightly rounded. Otherwise, only two golden dots catch the eye on this large, round writing instrument. There is no clip available.
To prevent the pen from rolling away, and as a clue, there are these two dots in 18k gold. Of course these also serve as an index.
On the outside, a closer look reveals some very fine and exactly executed engravings. On the top of the cap is engraved “Germany”. This is because the production takes great importance on the “Made in Germany”. Even the paper of the packaging is made in Germany.
The serial number is engraved at the beginning of the barrel, opposite the golden dot.
The Pull+Twist mechanism is located at the end of the shaft. The end of the shaft is easy to pull off. And we also find an engraving of the Otto Hutt logo. The line in the middle serves as an index when the Pull+Twist mechanism can be closed again. This is only possible if the line on the shaft and the shaft end matches.
When you unscrew the cap, the first thing that catches your eye is the black grip. This is not plastic, but a metal grip piece that has been PVD-coated.
The second thing that comes to mind is the large nib of the pen. Here, as with the whole pen, Otto Hutt has thought of the Bauhaus style and decorated this nib made of 18k gold in BiColor very simply, and thus very fittingly.
There is a choice of F, M and B nibs for this fountain pen.
By the way, the cap can not be posted.
The Otto Hutt designC in use
This fountain pen is special. It is quite large and heavy. These are the points that clearly come to mind when you look at it and hold it in your hand.
Filling the ink with the mechanism called “Pull+Twist”, which was specially developed for this fountain pen, is really easy. You pull the end of the barrel out a little bit, then turn the end of the barrel to take up the ink, and push the end of the barrel back in. Of course, the latter is only possible if the index engraving matches. But you don't necessarily have to look for the index engraving. If it doesn't fit, you can just push the end of the barrel in a little. Then just turn it a little bit until the end of the shaft can be pushed in completely.
The mechanism is very easy to operate. And winding up the ink is really easy. The end of the shaft does not turn further out with each turn. It is a very simple and easy to use system.
Thanks to the normally missing cut-out, the mechanism can be seen very well.
When writing with the pen, you notice a very soft nib. The nib glides over the paper very comfortably. But not only that, we have a very nice flex.
Already with a light pressure a nice line variance can be achieved.
The fact that the designC has no clip should not disturb only a lot of people. Most people probably don't use the clip on the fountain pen. Except that it is a help to prevent the pen or cap from rolling off the table.
The two gold dots on the pen, which are attached instead of the clip, do this job successfully. You can also use it to put the pen open on the table without the cap or the pen itself rolling off the table. Because each one has a gold dot.
But the dots are also a good indicator that the pen is closed when it is screwed on. The gold dots are exactly opposite each other.
The gold dot is also a help when screwing the pen on. This is because the gold dot on the shaft is aligned exactly so that it coincides with the top of the nib.
In the end, the two dots made of 18-carat gold have more functions than a classic clip.
My conclusion about the Otto Hutt designC
First of all: I am in love. Unhappily. Because this fountain pen is unfortunately not cheap. And outside my budget. But I like it.
As always, design and weight are of course very subjective points.
I like heavier pens. And this fountain pen is not only a bit bigger, but also heavier. But it is made of 925 silver. With gold. No plastic is visible. And I don't know how far it will be used inside the pen. A fountain pen made of these materials must be a little heavier.
But it lies well in the hand. The weight distribution is very even.
The design is simple. Clearly. Otto Hutt himself takes the Bauhaus style very seriously in all his writing instruments. Here perhaps even more so than usual. The saying “form follows function”, which is often used in the Bauhaus, has been consistently thought through to the end here. Every “decoration” has its meaning. And the pen is concentrated on the essential. But it is precisely because of this that it has a very certain appearance.
The workmanship is really first-class. The materials are superbly crafted. The engravings are fine and precise, and the details fit exactly where they should. The index engraving on the Pull+Twist mechanism as well as both gold dots.
This test model, which was available to me for a short time, has already passed through the hands of some dealers and certainly interested customers. There are only 500 copies, so you cannot send countless test models.
But nevertheless the processing and the condition was first-class.
Only a few micro-scratches were in the silver, which can only be captured photographically, but not haptically. These are normal traces of use. Unfortunately, they are a bit more noticeable in the photos than they can be seen with the normal eye.
If I had the money for it, I would buy this test sample immediately without any problems.
Not only do I like the look and the processing. Also the feather. It is really very nice to write with. The flex, which is often said to be a characteristic of gold nibs, is clearly present here. Already with little pressure a nice line variance can be achieved. And the fountain pen also glides very pleasantly over the paper.
It is really fun to write with this nib.
I “only” used the included ink, but this is a permanent ink. By the way, this ink is also available separately. But the ink flow is very good, I assume that the designC will have problems with almost no ink.
All in all, the Otto Hutt designC is a really great writing instrument.
It looks very elegant and noble, and it writes really well.
It is very well suited as a symbol of skill for the 100th anniversary of the Otto Hutt company. By the way, the “C” in the name stands for “Century”. Very fitting.
If you have bought such a fountain pen, or are still lucky enough to be able to do so, I can only congratulate you.
I am glad that I could test this great writing instrument extensively for some time.
Many thanks once again to the Otto Hutt company, who provided me with the test sample.
The video
For a long time I planned to show you the pens with moving pictures. So I used the test of this very special pen to start this. From now on there is a Youtube channel where new movies will appear regularly.
The first one: the review of the Otto Hutt designC.
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Learn more
Have a look at it.
Technical data
Weight (empty)
- complete: 71 g
- without cap: 55 g
- cap: 16 g
Length
- closed: 139 mm
- without cap: 135 mm
- cap posted: –
Diameter
- cap: 14 mm
- barrel: 14 mm
- section: 11,6 mm
More
Closure: screw
Type: piston
RRP: 2.500€
Test Samples The product described here was provided to me by the manufacturer free of charge for this review. This was done without specifications and without influence on the article by the manufacturer. The opinion written here, whether positive or negative, reflects my own assessment.
