The PILOT Grandee series had many fountain pen, ballpoint, rollerball, and mechanical pencil colorways. Some horribly gaudy, like total gold plating over everything. But some a little more austere and refined looking.
I picked this one up about 5 years ago and tried to sell it on eBay, but didn’t get any bites at the price I thought was very reasonable. So I kept it. The original hang-tag price was ¥5000. I think this model came out around the time PILOT had enacted a rather sweeping series of price increases on their upper range. Some that had been priced at ¥3000 had very similar newer models, but priced at ¥5000.
It has a rather slender body, helping to make it understated. And while it has gold plated accents, they’re kept at a minimum. My favorite touch is the center portion, where the two halves of the pencil don’t quite meet, leaving a gap that exposes a finished portion of the internal mechanism, flanked by two thin gold plated rings. The mechanism is supremely smooth. At this price I would’ve expected urushi lacquer for the glossy navy color, but there’s no labeling for it. And the finish does look beautifully polished.
Overall, a stunning, beautifully crafted executive mechanical pencil by PILOT
