Onoto Heritage

The new Onoto Heriatge dates back to the early days of the ‘new’ Onoto company when pen collectors, writing connoisseurs and Onoto aficionados from all around the world requested, above all else, that the plunger-filling system should become a priority. After all, when De La Rue introduced the new Onoto brand in 1905, they did so with the innovative and unique plunger-filling system that had been co-designed by George Sweetser and Evelyn De La Rue. The plunger-filler was unique and gave the fledgling company an immediate edge over their contemporaries who were still offering messy eye-dropper fillers to their customers.

A firm favourite
The plunger-filling system was eventually superseded in the 1950s by the lever-filling mechanism, but remained a firm favourite with Onoto collectors. It’s no surprise then that the recreation of a plunger-filling pen became a priority challenge for the new Onoto company. After working on prototypes for some time we are now proud to announce the release of:

Virtually maintenance-free
This is truly a pen which shouts ‘Heritage’ at every turn! It has an impeccable lineage and has been developed using original Onoto drawings: the same slim lines; the same push-fit cap; the same plunger-filler vacuum system. Of course, we’ve taken the opportunity to upgrade the components wherever better materials are now available compared to those more than 100 years ago. For example, the plunger rod is now made of carbon fibre; the cup valves are made from a special rubber and there’s an ingenious 3 washer seal that we believe gives a much longer life and is virtually maintenance free. Our aim was to improve on the original design and we believe we have achieved our goal.

Cut-off valve seals the ink reservoir
And there’s more! The ink capacity is nearly 2½ times the capacity of a standard K5 converter so you have much longer writing time. And, just like the original plunger-filler, The Heritage also features a cut-off valve which seals the ink reservoir when the pen isn’t in use. Simply turn the valve by half a turn and it’s ready to write! You’ll see the similarities between the original plunger-filler and the new ‘Heritage’ in the poster below, reproduced from a 1920s edition of ‘Punch’.

Beautiful silver overlay cap by Henry Simpole
Like many early Onotos, the Heritage has a filigree sterling silver overlay. This beautiful art nouveau styled cap was designed by Henry Simpole and includes the word “Onoto” hidden in the elaborate pattern. The silver is hallmarked with the London Assay mark and carries the edition number of the pen.

For information on Onoto Custom nibs, please click here.