Like a lot of what might seem at first glance to be "simple" ideas, the Doctor's Pen from Internet Pens and Conway Stewart proved not be quite as simple as it seemed. In fact, it ended up requiring a lot of time and effort to perfect.
I think we'd all agree, the results proved to be more than worth the effort!
Based on the popular Conway Stewart 100 model, the Doctor's Pen takes a couple of important steps in new directions. Kevin Cheng, the owner of Internet Pens, wanted something that was simple, elegant, and above all, usable for his homage to doctors everywhere. As a physician himself, he understands the need for a pen that can be comfortable both through long spells of writing, as well as convenient enough to be used for short notes.
The Conway Stewart 100 fit the bill on both counts. Working with Mary Burke of Conway Stewart, Kevin began to fine tune the design that would become the Doctor's Pen.
The first change was to the material. Up until this point, the model 100 had been made only in acrylic or Casien. Kevin wanted to look into the possibilities of classic Black Hard Rubber. While the production manager was mulling that over, Kevin and Mary came up with another idea: Chasing the hard rubber in a lined pattern.
While Conway Stewart had done pens in the vintage styled chased hard rubber before this, they had all been based on the Churchill and Dandy models. Pens with nice, even, and above all straight sides. Applying the chasing pattern to the gently curved shape of the model 100 was a new challenge. Even manufacturing the 100 in hard rubber at all, never mind the chasing would prove to be a tough row to hoe. Fortunately, the folks at Conway Stewart love a good challenge, and one after another, the obstacles were eliminated, and the production of the caps and barrels commenced.
Getting them engraved, however... That proved to be impossible to do by machine. Rather than admit defeat, Conway Stewart contracted to have them hand engraved. While it stretched the production timeline somewhat, the resulting pattern proved to be well worth the extra effort. A series of straight lines at angles, which form diamond shapes along the cap and barrel.
The trim is solid sterling silver, and the cap band is inscribed with the phrase "Primum non nocere" recognizable to physicians everywhere as the motto "First do no harm".
The nib is Conway Stewart's large 18K version, plated in Rhodium to match the sterling trim, and it will be available in the full range of nib grades, from extra fine through the double broad italic. Half of the edition s being produced as piston fillers, and half as cartridge/converter fill.
The Doctor's pen is going to be a fairly limited production. Only 50 pieces are being made, so it's not going to be a pen you see in every pocket. For those 50 lucky folks who do end up with one, however, I think it's going to prove to be a great pen, and a worthy tribute to a noble calling!
Leave a comment