Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith1

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith2

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith4

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-ink-windows-nibsmith4

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith3

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith9

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith8

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith7

Visconti-Homo-Sapiens-Skylight-fountain-pen-nibsmith6

Visconti Homo Sapiens Skylight Fountain Pen

Name: Visconti Homo Sapiens Skylight Fountain Pen
SKU: KP15-99-02-FP
Price: 956 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 5.00 (3 reviews)

MSRP: $1,195.00

You save 20%

$956.00

Out of stock

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 3 customer ratings

(3 customer reviews)

Visconti is delighted to announce the launch of the highly anticipated Homo Sapiens ‘Skylight’, the latest addition to Visconti’s iconic Homo Sapiens series. The ‘Skylight’ is truly an engineering marvel, a pen that showcases all the unique benefits of the original award-winning Homo Sapiens with the addition of the new extraordinary ‘Skylight’ windows. Two transparent windows transform the Homo Sapiens into a unique demonstrator, where the user is not only able to benefit from seeing the remaining level of ink stored but is also able to view Visconti’s patented ‘double reservoir’ vacuum filling system.

The Homo Sapiens ‘Skylight’ offers all the benefits of the original Homo Sapiens Bronze Age:

Made from volcanic lava rock, the pen is virtually unbreakable, naturally hygroscopic and very comfortable to write with
All trims are made from natural solid bronze
The cap closes with Visconti’s patented ‘hook safe lock’
Features the soft, buttery smooth Visconti 18kt gold fountain pen nib in rose gold vermeil to match the color of the pen’s trims

The Visconti design and engineering teams worked hard to add the following innovations:

Sky Light Windows
Two ‘Skylight’ viewing windows enable the user a view of the flowing ink within the interior of the pen:

A large window cut into the pens barrel offering a view of stored ink in the larger ink reservoir (trimmed in natural bronze)
A smaller window behind the pen’s grip offering a view of stored ink in the pens second smaller ink reservoir

Double Reservoir Power Filler
The single reservoir power filler in the original Homo Sapiens Bronze Age is replaced with Visconti’s patented double reservoir power filler. A vacuum filling system that is easy to use and has considerable benefits.

Patented in 1998, the double reservoir power filler is undoubtedly the most advanced filling system ever developed in fountain pen history. It allows the collector to fill a fountain pen with the equivalent of up to 10 cartridges of ink, and thanks to the two reservoirs, prevents ink from leaking during air travel.

How it Works
The body of the pen is divided into two ink reservoirs, one larger in the pens barrel and one smaller behind the pens nib. When writing with the pen ink is used from the small reservoir, when ink runs out the user then transfers ink from the larger back-up reservoir to continue writing. Essentially, the larger reservoir acts as a portable ‘bottle of ink’ inside the pen. The two reservoirs are separated by a cut-off valve, when it is open ink can then move freely from one reservoir to the other:

When ink in the smaller reservoir runs out, the users opens the valve to transfer ink from the larger reservoir to the smaller. Now the small reservoir is full of ink and the user can continue writing.
Before air travel the user does the opposite and drains ink from the small reservoir back to the large reservoir and then tightens the valve. Once empty there is no ink in the small reservoir to leak out of the nib due to a change in air pressure when flying.

The Homo Sapiens Skylight is available in fountain pen only. Nib width options are:

Large Visconti 18kt gold nib: EF, F, M B, and 1.3 Stub

SKU: KP15-99-02-FP Categories: Fountain Pen, Homo Sapiens, Visconti

Description

Visconti’s history began in Florence, Italy. A cradle of art and culture, Florence also known for being home to one of the Country’s largest industrial districts for luxury and fashion.
The company is the brainchild of Luigi Poli and Dante del Vecchio, two friends who met in Florence and decided to turn a common passion into business by founding Visconti on October 20, 1988.
On that date, luxury writing instruments began to make their way in a city that was strongly linked to jewelry, leather goods and any other form of art. Over time, Visconti products became iconic pieces that helped to spread Italian values worldwide: design and creativity, craftsmanship and innovation, quality and luxury.

The first collection launched by the company was named “Classic”; the pens were made from celluloid, a noble material used for numerous collections in the following years. The success was such that the next year, in 1989, the company developed “Urushi”, the first limited edition of 100 pieces, made from ebonite and decorated with the complex Japanese Urushi lacquerwork technique. The pens were sold out quickly, confirming Visconti’s expertise and position in the pen market.
In the 1990s the brand gained roaring success in the segment they had recently entered. By providing incredibly innovative solutions, Visconti accomplished major achievements in the writing instruments industry in a short time. These include the High Vacuum Power Filler system (1993), the travel inkwell (1997), and above all the Double Reservoir Power Filling system (1998), which made refilling simpler and tidy with two reservoirs, designed to prevent leakage when necessary – e.g. during air travel.
Mention should also be made of D’Essai collections (1990), crafted from unique 60-year-old celluloid bars with a vintage flair, and Ragtime (1991), whose original glass nib revived an old feature dating back to World War II, when pen parts were made of glass to save gold.

As the new millennium approached, Visconti launched the iconic bridge-shaped clip, making an explicit reference to the ancient Ponte Vecchio, the symbol of Florence. Visited by millions of tourists every year, the bridge is a centuries-old link between two banks of a famous river, a symbol of union and a place filled with flourishing local jewelry workshops. Similarly, the brand’s signature palladium-plated clip was designed to represent a meeting point between two millennia of history, past and present, tradition and innovation, evoking the values that would build the strong, increasingly well-structured DNA of the successful Florentine business.

Between 2004 and 2005, the Opera and the Wall Street collections revealed the idea of squaring the circle to achieve perfect ergonomics, created by a square stem enclosed within a circle, topping off the instrument’s cap.
Still featured on the brand’s most prestigious pens, Visconti’s patented bayonet locking system was a key innovation alongside the Divina Proporzione pen, launched in 2006, which became an all-time icon for Visconti. As an official sponsor of the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, during the world premiere of The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks, Visconti showed international collectors a writing instrument inspired by archaic symbolic references, designed according to the golden ratio and enhanced by an exoteric 5-sided spiral shape with silver detailing.
It was not until 2010 that Visconti created Homo Sapiens, its second iconic pen, whose simple but well-proportioned appearance was made unique by an innovative finish with Etna volcanic lava powder, with a fascinating texture and an unprecedented feel to the touch.

In 2013, the Visconti family was joined by a team of experts from strong local businesses in the watchmaking industry. What many people may not know is that Florence has also been home to prolific watchmakers since the early 19th century; some major international companies – which have now moved to Switzerland following acquisitions by luxury corporate groups – have left a significant body of knowledge and skills in the hands of local craftsmen who decided to remain and stay true to their Tuscan roots. In this context, Visconti hired professional watchmakers who were able to design and work with complex mechanisms, developing a collection of timepieces that measured up to the standards of big competitors. High performance, a carefully controlled manufacturing process and high-quality Swiss and Italian components are the key features of Visconti’s recently launched range of watches.

Visconti was and still is synonymous with elegant products, the result of advanced technology research combined with heritage and traditional craftmanship, sometimes partnering with leading companies in the respective industries such as Pininfarina, Girard-Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, Pelikan and Stefano Ricci, among others.
During the company’s history, international owners took over the business and acquired all shares, investing heavily to ensure continued development and improvement in the production of unique writing instruments and luxury watches with a Florentine soul.

Additional information

Weight	0.9 lbs
Dimensions	6 × 4 × 3 in
Material	Lava Resin
Nib Size	Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Factory Stub
Nib Material	18k Gold
Nib Color	Rose Gold
Filling System	Plunger
Compatible Refills	Bottle-fill Only
Ink Capacity	TBD
Body Color	Black
Trim	Bronze
Cap Type	Hook Safe Lock
Postable	Yes
Retractable Nib	No
Weight - Capped	TBD
Weight - Uncapped	TBD
Length - Capped	TBD
Length - Uncapped	TBD
Length - Posted	TBD
Diameter - Cap (w/o clip)	TBD
Diameter - Cap (w/ clip)	TBD
Diameter - Body	TBD
Diameter - Grip	TBD

3 reviews for Visconti Homo Sapiens Skylight Fountain Pen

Rated 5 out of 5

Steven Zukerman (verified owner) – November 13, 2019

I have always liked the Homo Sapiens, but didn’t like the fact that there was no visible ink window. I received the HS Skylight yesterday, and love everything about this pen. The nib is 18ct gold, and the 2 ink windows are perfect! More important to me is the way the pen writes. I am always disappointed when I pay a lot for a new pen and have to lateer send it to a nibmeister for adjustment. I had requested that Dan tune and adjust the nib to my preferences, and boy did he get it right. It writes perfectly, with absolutely no flaws whatsoever. The nib is smooth, with a wet fine line (as I had asked for!). I can’t imagine ever buying a pen without having Dan adjust the nib first!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Doug Cranmer (verified owner) – September 11, 2020

BEAUTIFUL PEN, WRITES FLAWLESSLY, GREAT SERVICE FROM NIBSMITH:

I’ve admired the Visconti Homo Sapiens line for many years. I finally pulled the trigger on purchasing the Visconti Homo Sapiens Skylight pen from The Nibsmith, Dan Smith. The pen arrived today via FedEx Home Delivery, even a bit faster than I was expecting. The packaging by Dan was very nice for transport, everything well padded, for minimal movement in shipping box. The pen itself is a sight to behold: not only is the look of the pen really nice, it’s cool to hold, literally cool feeling, maybe from the resin with lava being slightly hygroscopic. The small reservoir has a secondary ink window that is a clear band on this pen, just above the grip, which is really a nice touch for this Skylight model which is a touch pricier than the standard Visconti HS with brass accents. The fit and finish of the Skylight windows is very nice. There were some reports of the windows not sitting completely flush with the body, but I think that quality issue has been resolved by Visconti.

I filled the pen with my favorite blue ink (Kon-pecki, Azure Blue from Pilot’s Iroshizuku line) and tried the pen out on my notebook. The result, WOWSA! Just as smooth as melted butter across a non-stick pan… Dan, the Nibsmith smoothed and tuned the 1.3mm Stub before sending the pen… it’s literally the smoothest fountain pen that I’ve ever written with. I do like a very wet line and this does not disappoint. I perhaps could have gone with a bold instead of stub, but it’s very subjective. If you have any doubt about buying from Nibsmith, you shouldn’t: my pre-purchase questions were answered very quickly, my items shipped quickly with tracking number info via email and the pen arrived with a nib that is a total joy. I know this won’t be my last purchase from The Nibsmith. Happy writing!
Rated 5 out of 5

Lee – April 5, 2021

This pen is absolutely stunning. I previously had ordered a different Visconti that was not performing as expected, and Dan promptly was able to offer solutions and ultimately I ended up choosing to exchange for this pen. This pen absolutely shattered expectations, and the work done on the nib is PHENOMENAL. I cannot say enough good things about how smooth and wet and broad he was able to make the nib, exactly to my specifications and desires. He took the time to really make sure that the pen was exactly as I had wanted it to be, and I could not be more pleased. His flexibility in finding solutions and willingness to make sure I was getting what I wanted guarantees that there will be many more future purchases from the Nibsmith.