I stumbled upon these guys recently. Have no idea what they are, except that they are nicer than I expected
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Nice! The old vintage metal pens & pencils with etching and embossing are truly wonderful and will likely not be made again. Incidentally, what you called “Arabesque” is actually “Karakusa.”
Regarding refills… I thought that Platinum still makes compatible refills. I’ll have to check mine.
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How tiny these “Tiny” pencils are, exactly? What is the overall length, rubber eraser included? I am curious to compare the main dimensions (length & diameter) to the ones of my smallest pieces.
They sure look intriguing. 
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Lovely! What model is it?
It’s the China Blue version of the Caran d’Ache Varius.
China Blue and China Gold are my favorites in the lineup.
@2nd_astronaut mentioned long ago that he felt Fixpencils were out of character for Caran d’Ache because they don’t carry the luxury ethos of the brand. I think Varius is the piece that defines Caran d’Ache luxury.
How does it feel in hand? Is the mechanism nice to use?
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After reading Ralph Brühwiler’s book “Die Caran d’Ache Saga – Von Genf in die Welt“ (The Caran d’Ache Saga – From Geneva to the World, 2020) I would say that this is correct. I think the shift took place around 1967 when the Madison fountain pen was introduced which was part of the first collection of luxury writing instruments. In 1978, Caran d’Ache even launched a lighter that was available in silver-plated and gold-plated versions, and in 1979, the luxury line was expanded to include small leather goods such as wallets, briefcases, and more.
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If I had to compare it to a well-known product, its hexagonal barrel makes its overall form factor similar to Kaweco. However, since it’s made of metal, the feel in hand is quite different, and it’s lighter than it looks.
I am surprised to hear it is lighter than it looks. Is it the same size as Ecridor? Varius always looks bigger to me in photos.
Great job matching the gold text markings to the gold grip and clip
I dub thee: The Rolex Smash
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Wow. That is awesome now that I can see it lol