Name: Michael Gutberlet
Location: Nürnberg, Germany
Product: Kaweco Sport Classic Pen

It’s always sad to see a beloved product go out of production. So when Michael Gutberlet of H & M Gutberlet could no longer get the Sport Classic Pen, a pen style that was created by Kaweco in 1910, he did something about it: He bought the name and started making it himself.

What inspired you to re-create the Kaweco Sport Classic pen?
Our company, H & M Gutberlet Gmbh, was founded in 1960 as a pen part supplier for the pen industry in Europe. In 1985, I started collecting antique pens. I came across many Kaweco Sport pens, but nobody really knew about the brand or this classic pen design anymore, so I came up with the idea to produce the Kaweco Classic Sport again.

How is the pen made?
From 1910 to 1980 Kaweco produced several Sport designs. When we looked at all the designs, it was the Sport design of the 1930s we loved the most. It was unique, very special and difficult to make. It was a challenge to make the eight facets of the pen. First we did 3D computer graphics and several prototypes and finally we had injection molds made.

What was the big aha! you had while creating these products?
The big aha! to me is always the fact that in former times Kaweco products were made by hand. I always wonder how they could do such designs, techniques and work. They must have been masters and artists.

Can you describe your creative process?
Our creative process is to take an old Kaweco pen and think about how to produce it today—what material to use, what mechanism would be best for the interior, what design improvements should we make? The first step is to make sketches of the design, then of the inside mechanism. The next step is 3D drawings and prototypes. Sometimes we go through three or five prototypes before we can finalize it, because it not only the design that is important but also the feeling of material, weight and balance of the pen.

What do you love about what you do?
It’s great to see a product that you designed and made become a success in the market. The best results are compliments about our work from consumers.

How would you sum up your aesthetic/design philosophy?
To find the best way of combining retro design and function in our pens.