Introduction

It was a brisk winter day in December 1951, as a heavy snow blanketed the winding roads outside the city proper of Heidelberg, Germany. It would have been a beautiful sight for the middle aged man to behold for a while, if it weren't for his pressing urgency to travel early that morning. Dr. C. Josef Lamy was in a hurry to get to the office, as several production issues that cropped up the night before were delaying the manufacture of the first pen that would bear his name--the Lamy 27. The start of a book on the history of Lamy? No... just a little flight of my imagination.

Lamy (pronounced "LAM-mee" [accent on 1st syllable]), the internationally known German pen company based in Heidelberg, is best known for making pens that are sleek, highly functional, minimalist in design, and innovative in functionality. Several of their designs over the years have won many awards, with the Lamy 2000 being the most recognized of all. It is that pen which has defined the modern day theme and design foundation of Lamy. It also marked the changing of leadership from C. Josef Lamy to his son Manfred. In essence, Lamy has viewed this change as the birth of the modern day company, to the point where little recognition is given to their products made before that time (the Lamy 27 is mentioned but once on their website). I find this a shame, because Lamy had made some very respectable writing instruments prior to the 2000, one of which was the Lamy 27.
  

Company Background

In 1930, C. Joseph Lamy ceased working for the Parker Pen Company and started manufacturing his own fountain pens in Heidelberg Germany, initially under the brand name "Orthos". In 1949, production of a newly designed series called "Artus" commenced. Then in 1952, the company switched its name to "Lamy", remaining as an independent family-owned enterprise. The company proved its innovative prowess in the very first year of the Lamy brand with the completely novel LAMY 27 fountain pen series. And in 1966, upon the succession of leadership by Joseph Lamy's son Dr. Manfred Lamy, the distinctive style of Lamy Design was born with the model 2000. With an annual production of over 6 million writing instruments and a turnover exceeding €50 million Lamy today is not only the market leader in Germany but also ranks among the German design brands whose products hold a special position worldwide. October 26, 2006 commemorated the 40th year milestone anniversary of Lamy's modern day design history. Dr. Manfred Lamy retired on November 10, his 70th birthday. Although he has a son and a daughter, neither is particularly interested in following in his footsteps. As a result, for the first time in its long history, Lamy will be led by a non-family member, Bernhard Rösner.

Lamy 27 Background

The Lamy 27 was introduced in 1952, largely based on the pen Lamy had previously co-created with Artus. It was an extraordinary best seller, a streamlined pen with a semi-hooded Osmium tipped nib. The 27 was produced in 12 varieties from plastic models like the 27e for 20DM (Deutschmarks) to luxury models like the 27n with a gold cap for 39DM (there were also intermediate models for 25DM and 30DM). This was not cheap for an unknown trademark at the time (source from 1955), with pricing very similar to Montblanc and Pelikan pens. The 27 was the first LAMY pen which was made under the name of the producer, whereas the previous names had been "Orthos" and post-WWII "Artus". The understated looking pen had a revolutionary and patented system of inlaid micro segments around the feed, which made the ink flow insensitive to air pressure or temperature changes (called the "Tintomatic" system, a design which is the foundation for many of Lamy's feeds today). The Lamy 27 was likely made until the late 1960's. When Dr. Manfred Lamy took over the firm from his father C. Josef Lamy in 1966, he made some fundamental changes in the product lines and in the overall design by hiring several key designers like Gerd Müller (designer of the 2000). It was Dr. Lamy's vision that defined what Lamy is today, so much so that little is spoken of pens made prior to that time. In fact, if you were to ask a Lamy representative what was the first pen that Lamy produced, you will be told it is the model 2000. Despite this, I feel the 27 is a beautifully understated example of fine pen making and deserves some recognition.  It also heavily influenced the 2000, so much so that you can really see it shares a lot of the same design elements.

First Impressions 

The Lamy 27 is a very capable pen, displaying a classic design and innovative functionality. Although the overall design was not that unusual for its time, there were some striking exceptions (such as the nib section).

    Nib and feed from a Lamy 27m (same design on the Lamy 27n, though slightly larger)

   Nib and feed from a later model Lamy 27 32, with squared off ends.  The notable improvement is the nib is now held onto the feed with tabs, so it doesn't fall off when servicing the section.  This design is the same as the Lamy 2000 nib and feed, so you could interchange them.