This year has seen some rather conservative releases as far as color and styling go. When you look at the Spirit of 1838, the M815 Metal Striped, and the M805 Raden Royal Platinum you see pens with a very monochromatic or two toned styling (usually black & silver). I don’t say that to take anything away from those models but many of us out there yearn for a splash of color. The M205 Olivine and the upcoming M800 Stone Garden help scratch that itch somewhat but even their colors are more subdued. To the casual observer, it would seem that Pelikan has been using their M600 line over the last few years to provide an outlet for more colorful releases. We saw this with the Pink and the Turquoise-White for example. Well, today we have a new addition to that line, the M600 Vibrant Orange. Rumored since earlier this year, the Vibrant Orange is due out by mid-November and is sure to be a welcome addition to many who find the M600 line of pens to be the sweet spot in terms of size and weight.





This new M600 will have an orange marbled barrel made of a brilliant acrylic that harkens back to the Orange M320 from 2004. Pelikan’s sales literature notes that the “tones reflect the beautiful transition of colors that autumn brings us.” While the barrel and cap are done in a marbled orange acrylic, the section and piston knob are made from a high quality black resin. The furniture will be 24 carat gold-plated and includes Pelikan’s standard dual cap bands, dual trim rings on the piston knob, and a single trim ring on the section. The clip is the classic pelican’s beak style and the nib will be two-toned 14C-585 gold. Available widths will include the standard sizes of EF, F, M, and B with the EF nib carrying a premium when purchased from the European Union. In addition to the fountain pen, there will be a matching ballpoint available.

“Pelikan presents this new and colourful special edition of the Souverän 600 series, which tones reflect the beautiful transition of colours that autumn brings us. The brilliant acrylic material used to create this piece, went through a long production process to capture and recreate, in the most precise way, the range of bright colour of the foliage: interesting shades of color, from transparent to intense orange, make this piece close to flash.”

There is no word on pricing in the USA as of now. The MSRP in Germany, including VAT is €390 for the fountain pen and €285 for the ballpoint. I would therefore expect overseas vendors to sell the fountain pen for anywhere from $350-380 to US customers when you deduct for the VAT. There will be some variability of course between retailers depending on the region and any coupon codes that may exist. That seems to be similar to recent past releases. Of course, only you can decide if the pen at that price is a good value. You can likely expect to pay more if purchasing from a domestic vendor though you would also then be covered by the warranty, something you forego when purchasing overseas.

Personally, I have been waiting for the splash of color that this one has promised to bring to the flock. I think that it will go quite well with the M600 Vibrant Green that Pelikan released back in 2014. I just wish the company would be more aggressive with colors like this on a larger scale rather than a release here and there. To me, this is where the excitement is. What are your thoughts on the Vibrant Orange and will one be findings its way into your flock?