Fountain Pen Review: Tibaldi N°60 Amber Yellow

In May 2006, the world watched eagerly as Robert Langdon discovered a religious mystery protected by a secret society as he tried to solve a murder in The Louvre. Pen enthusiasts, however, waited for the limited edition Tibaldi Da Vinci Code fountain pen. In an exclusive agreement with Sony Pictures, Tibaldi launched the official Da Vinci Code Collection during the film launch. Like any Da Vinci or Dan Brown fan, I waited to see the pens that were designed to achieve divine proportion and Tibaldi did not disappoint — the pens are simply divine.

The first time I saw and held a Tibaldi fountain pen was during one of our regular fountain pen meets at Amici in Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City. I was still very new to fountain pens then and all I could remember now is how beautiful the pen's material was and how elegant Italian fountain pens are. Through the years, I got more involved in using fountain pens, I began collecting them and writing reviews about them, too. My small collection has Asian, American, and European fountain pens, but it doesn't have an Italian brand yet. Now twelve years into the hobby, I came across Tibaldi again, not in a pen meet, but through my favorite social media platform — Instagram.

Receiving the N°60 fountain pen to review prompted me to read on Tibaldi's story, and I learned a lot about their history. Authentically Italian, Tibaldi has been around since 1916. It was founded in Florence by Giuseppe Tibaldi, a man with a great passion for making pens. Tibaldi was founded when the market for fountain pens in Italy was still very young, and writing was dominated by reed and metal pens. The company became one of the industry leaders until 1965. Tibaldi went through a number of management turnovers ever since and is now presided by the Aquila family, life-long Italian leaders in pen design and manufacturing, and a major proprietor of both the Tibaldi and Montegrappa trademarks. In 2004, Tibaldi's headquarters moved from Florence to Bassano del Grappa, signaling the Florentine brand's inclusion in the portfolio of Aquila Brands S.p.A..

The N°60 Amber Yellow fountain pen was sent in this big black box.

"Write from the Heart" — Tibaldi's catchphrase is moving, heartwarming, and truly unforgettable. 

The big black box contains the N°60 Yellow Amber fountain pen in its presentation box, Tibaldi's compliments card, and a carrying bag. Tibaldi's pens are packaged in boxes produced with less environmental impact. Their pen boxes are made from upcycled paper using natural fibers with less harmful chemicals.

Tibaldi's presentation box is sturdy and an elastic band secures the pen in place in its soft velvet bed.

The box also contains Tibaldi's Certificate of Warranty and two complementary ink cartridges. Tibaldi's products are guaranteed for 24 months against manufacturing defects. 

Launched just last year, the Tibaldi N°60 collection is the most recent addition to the company's pen styles which also include the Perfecta and the Infrangibile, all inspired by their iconic pieces. The N°60 looks and feels very modern, but it also reminds me of the famous Impero from the early 2000s and the Modello 60 from the 1990s.  The N°60 collection, together with the Perfecta and Infrangibile marks Tibaldi's effort to reinvent itself and appeal to a wider, younger, and trendier consumers.

Tibaldi promotes the love of writing and the power of the pen. To them, a pen is not only an object of distinction but a tool to be used for writing. A pen moves from world agreements, peace treaties, and world declarations to love letters or a simple signature. Tibaldi's starting point for their writing instruments lies in the power of the pen, how it gives voice to our thoughts and ideas, and this leads us to write from the heart.

A classic pen style since the 1950s, the Tibaldi N°60 collection is available in five lovely resin hues: Rich Black, Emerald Green, Amber Yellow, Samarkand Blue, and Ruby Red. The N°60 is also available as rollerball and ballpoint pens. These pens' caps and barrels are made from gorgeous glossy marbled resin, accented with palladium trims.

The Tibaldi N°60 fountain pens are made from high-quality glossy resin, a waterproof and durable material. This fountain pen measures 5.75 inches long and weighs 28 grams with the cap. Without the cap, it is only 5.2 inches long and weighs 15 grams. This pen's cap is postable and measures 6.7 inches when the cap is posted. Some fountain pen users prefer posting their pens' cap, and at 6.7 inches, the N°60 is still comfortable to use with its cap on. However, I do not usually use my fountain pens with their caps posted. Posting becomes a little top-heavy for me.

The Tibaldi N°60 can be filled with ink using cartridges or converters.

Tibaldi fountain pens include converters upon purchase. The Tibaldi logo printed on the converter is very classy.

The N°60 can be filled with ink using a standard international cartridge or a converter, and both are included in the box. The threaded Tibaldi converter screws onto the section for a secure fit, preventing ink spills if the converter is accidentally pulled out. The metal section adds to the durability and stability of this pen.

The N°60 has a threaded metal section which adds to its durability and stability.

The N°60's clip is a classic Tibaldi design, similar to the clip of the Impero. The cap bears Tibaldi's logo between the clip and the iconic three cap rings. 

Proudly Italian made. Tibaldi etched this at the other side of the cap.

The Amber Yellow's barrel is truly captivating. The colors and translucence reflect light beautifully. The resin also shows exceptional gloss and shine.

The N°60's cap finial and barrel end are from the same resin as the pen's body.

Tibaldi offers the N°60 fountain pen series with a size 6 stainless steel nib in extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, and double broad (BB) widths, fitted to an ebonite feed to ensure continuous ink flow and smooth writing. The markings on the N°60's nib include Tibaldi's logo and the nib size.

The Tibaldi N°60 is a standard full-length fountain pen, sharing almost the same length as a Bexley Intrepid or Edison Collier. Its middle section is as thick as the Intrepid. It's well-balanced and comfortable to use.

The Tibaldi N°60 Amber Yellow fountain pen shares the same length as a Bexley Intrepid or Edison Collier.

Uncapped, the N°60 is longer than the Collier and share almost the same length as the Intrepid.

To test how the Tibaldi N°60 fountain pen writes, I filled it with Robert Oster Signature African Gold, a matching golden yellow ink. The pen wrote instantly out of the box, and I did not experience any hard starts. The number 6 broad steel nib wrote smoothly, it wrote very well, and there were no writing skips, no inky blobs, I had no trouble at all. The Tibaldi N°60 is such an enjoyable pen and one that can be used for long periods of writing without any discomfort.

The steel Broad nib in Tibaldi's N°60 Amber Yellow fountain pen is a joy to write with, especially in Tomoe River paper. The nib just glides effortlessly on this special paper.

This pen does more than write, it can do ink art, too! This is my first ink art using a regular broad nib. All of my previous ink art pieces were done using italic nibs.

Aside from the limited edition pens in the Da Vinci Collection, Tibaldi has also produced pens in partnership with Bentley Motors in 2006, to celebrate Bentley Motors' 60th anniversary and Tibaldi's 90th. The Tibaldi for Bentley Collection highlights the history of the two famous luxury brands. In 2007, the Tibaldi Brooklands limited edition collection was introduced during the launch of the Bentley Coupé. The writing instruments celebrate the centenary of the circuit where Bentley Motors won some of their important races.

Did you know Tibaldi also offers a bespoke pen service? The idea originated from the thought that, just like a handmade suit, a pen can be personalized to best reflect the character or the taste of the person for whom it was intended. The first Tibaldi bespoke series is the Fulgor Nocturnus (Night Glow), a black diamond- and ruby-studded pen.

Tibaldi also created an exclusive jewel Tibaldi for Pelé, to honor the Brazilian football player. The pen's barrel is in 18k gold, studded with 274 emeralds surrounded by 718 diamonds. The cap is covered with 744 yellow sapphires and 187 green emeralds inspired by the Brazilian flag. It was said to be auctioned with the proceeds going to a charity of Pelé's choice.

Evelina Hristozova, Head of Operations at Tibaldi, kindly sent this book with the pen. It has an illustrated complete history of Tibaldi from its creation in 1916 to its present story. It's a good read and an excellent material for many fountain pen enthusiasts!

I am very pleased with the Tibaldi N°60 Amber Yellow fountain pen, and I will definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to explore and know this iconic brand. It's a lovely pen and well built for long-term use. Tibaldi and the Aquila family are long time experts in pen design and manufacturing and use only the best materials for their pens. Get one for your collection.

Explore Tibaldi's other two pen styles, the Perfecta and the Infrangibile.

The N°60 Amber Yellow fountain pen in this review was sent by Tibaldi where it retails for €185. To learn more about Tibaldi, where to buy their pens, and for other details on purchasing their pens, visit their website at https://www.tibaldi.com/en/home or follow them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/tibaldi.official/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tibaldi.official/), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.it/tibaldiofficial/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1McBgCu4wB40ttTzVPvkQ).