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Monday, May 10, 2021

Fountain Pen Review: Otto Hutt design 04 Wave White and Rose Gold


When I was new to fountain pens and fountain pen use, I liked and collected white pens. I liked white pens because they look neat, elegant, and stylish. Back then, I had a couple of white pens and they are adorable. I have changed color preferences for my fountain pens through the years, but I have happy memories with my white pens and they will always have a special place in my collection.

When I revived my blog at the height of the pandemic last year, I received the kind support of several pen companies from Europe, including one that was new to me—Otto Hutt, from Germany's "Golden City" of Pforzheim. I fell in love with the company's Bauhaus style and its workmanship is amazing. They also have beautiful, appealing, and elegant white fountain pens. One such pen is the Wave White and Rose Gold from their design 04 series. I reviewed the Black Square Guilloche design 04 and design 06 Seashell Pink earlier, and they are both lovely, beautiful pens. But the Wave White and Rose Gold is different. It's stunning!

In my years of reviewing pens and related products, I noticed that brands present their products differently. Though presentation boxes and accessories are usually unused and kept in storage — or discarded — after purchase, I enjoy seeing them and their branding. These packaging details reveal how a company values its products. I like Otto Hutt's presentation boxes for their pens. They're elegant, compact, and sturdy. It's worthwhile to know that these boxes are also 100% Made in Germany.

Otto Hutt's packaging for their pens is elegant in black and silver or white. 
Presentation boxes for Otto Hutt pens are elegant, compact, and sturdy. These boxes are carefully designed to ensure the safety of their contents, and like Otto Hutt pens, these boxes are also 100% Made in Germany.

After my first review of the design 04 pen in October last year, Otto Hutt has reached more pen users, and the company has launched new pens since. I'm glad to know that the new Otto Hutt pens still speak precision, quality, and functionality. 

Otto Hutt design 04 fountain pen pays homage to aesthetic straightforwardness. Based on an original design by Otto Hutt, this pen combines classic with traditional craftsmanship. It is 100% made in Germany, produced in their own factory with a 70-man workforce. This slim and compact medium-sized pen is made of solid brass. The barrel has a three-dimensional guilloché pattern with waves that vary in depth. These are coated with rose gold and then supplemented with several layers of lacquer, which are sanded and polished after each application. 

The cap and clip of this pen are both made from brass with a highly polished rose gold coating. For its size, this pen is well balanced. It's not too heavy from the materials it's been made from, but it's not light, either. Design 04 Wave White and Rose Gold is available as a fountain pen, rollerball, twist ballpoint pen, and twist pencil. 

Otto Hutt design 04 Wave White and Rose Gold fountain pen.

The Otto Hutt design 04 Wave White and Rose Gold fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:
  • Length, capped: 5.2 in | 13.2 cm
  • Length, uncapped: 4.8 in | 12.2 cm
  • Length, cap posted: 6.7 in | 17 cm
  • Full pen weight: 38.7 g
  • Color: White
  • Trim: Rose Gold
  • Body material: Brass 
  • Clip material: Brass
  • Nib material: Stainless steel, but also available in 18ct gold
  • Filling mechanism: Converter or cartridges (standard international long or short) 

The barrel of this design 04 pen has a three-dimensional guilloché pattern with waves in varying depths coated with rose gold and several layers of lacquer which are sanded and polished after each application.

Design04 fountain pens can be inked using standard international short or long cartridges. It can also be filled with ink using the converter that is included in each Otto Hutt fountain pen purchase. The converter that came with the design 04 fountain pen is branded with the Otto Hutt logo and I prefer this because it helps me prevent mix-ups and use the correct converter each time. A wrong converter could result not only in ink spills but also in breakage. 


The clip of the design 04 pen is Otto Hutt's unique mechanical spring clip handcrafted from solid brass with a high-quality rose gold coating and checked by hand several times to ensure quality. This clip is a special feature of Otto Hutt writing instruments. It is highly polished but well constructed. There are no sharp corners or uneven parts that could snag a shirt pocket or pen case slot. It feels solid, very sturdy, and the spring works perfectly.

The design 04's cap also bears three engravings including the full Otto Hutt logo, the pen's identification, and an abbreviated logo. The cap's rose gold coating is super shiny and I did not use a pen rest in these photos as I'm avoiding scratching it.

The full Otto Hutt logo is engraved on the top part of the cap above the clip.

Otto Hutt pens are unique pieces and have individual identification. A 6-digit numerical code is engraved on the opposite side of the cap, which also bears the word GERMANY. This code is also noted on the pen's warranty card, and it ensures that every writing device is one of a kind.

Each Otto Hutt pen is given a 6-digit code as its identification.
The cap's finial is engraved with a variation of the Otto Hutt logo.
The lacquered guilloche on the barrel of design 04 is very elegant and classy. I love seeing the rose gold filling peeking from the waves and the gloss of highly polished lacquer that is smooth to the touch.

Otto Hutt offers both steel and 18ct gold nibs in EF, F, M, and B for their fountain pens. A stylized image of half a nib is engraved into the nib. The design04 fountain pen sent to me has a steel bicolor medium nib that is platinum- and rose gold-plated. The plating is neatly done and it's also very pretty.

For their fountain pens with rose gold trims, Otto Hutt uses bicolor nibs with platinum- and rose gold-plating.
Otto Hutt design 04 fountain pens. 

Otto Hutt design 04 is a slim and compact fountain pen. While capped, it is shorter than the design 06, TWSBI ECO, Laban 325, and Lamy Safari.


Uncapped, it's the same length as the design 06 and not too short compared with the Laban 325 and Lamy Safari. This comparison shows that the design 04 fountain pen is not so compact at all. In my previous design 04 review, I showed the pen in comparison with a Lamy 2000 and Faber Castell e-Motion where the three pens were almost the same length when they were uncapped. 


To test the medium nib in the Wave White and Rose Gold fountain pen, I filled it with Otto Hutt Gold Dust, a beautiful fire red ink with gold shimmer. Out of the box, the medium nib wrote smoothly and consistently with excellent flow and visible ink shimmer. I tested the nib for a couple of days, and despite being filled with a shimmer ink, I did not experience any hard starts or skipping, it wrote well every time I used it. This pen's medium steel nib is so good. The design 04 is an excellent pen, it's well-made, sturdy, and very comfortable to use for long periods of writing. Get one for your collection! 

Otto Hutt Gold Dust ink reminds me of summer sunsets when the sky is filled with warm hues of red and orange. 
I love this warm, fiery red ink even without the gold dust shimmer.
But look at that shimmer! This ink is so red-hot!


Otto Hutt design 04 fountain pen is an excellent pen. The Wave White and Rose Gold is classy and elegant, sturdy and well-made. Get one from Otto Hutt where it retails for €225.00 (steel nib) to €335.00 (18 carat gold nib), or from authorized sellers worldwide. Find the one nearest you!


Rants of The Archer thanks Otto Hutt for providing the design 04 Wave White and Rose Gold fountain pen for review purposes. Visit the Otto Hutt website or click the links below to learn more about their series 01 to 07:

Follow Otto Hutt in their new adventures!

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