Montblanc MB H1 headphones: Can Montblanc do audio?

There’s nothing wrong with luxury brands having broad appeal.

The best manage to pull off the trick of attracting a hip new customer base without frightening off established clients. The hyper-beasts queue for the latest trainer launch; elder statesmen await the delivery of monogrammed luggage in well-heeled quietude. In this way, our most storied brands evolve and survive.

Still, there may be few luxury brands producing high-end products that appeal to as wide a sector of the luxury market as Montblanc.

It is, and will continue to be, best known for pens. Its stylized, snowcapped writing instruments with rounded edges speak of history, of taste and of success. They’re also really nice to write with.

Not long ago, Montblanc expanded its focus from selling pens to selling elegance. It started producing watches, leather goods and jewellery, working closely with expert craftspeople and supplier in those fields.

In 2014, it introduced a digital screen writer. In 2016 came Augmented Paper, an ingenious gadget that allowed you to swap notes and sketches from your Montblanc notebook onto your phone.

For 2020, it unveils its MB H1 headphones: wireless, noise-cancelling, lightweight, foldable leather cans that cry out to be stroked, folded up and carried.

Designed in collaboration with Niklas Galler, co-founder of Berlin-based agency nr21 Design, Alex Rosson, co-founder of fancy audiophile brand Audeze, and Google, they are a serious piece of kit.

As a symbol of elegance and fine craftsmanship, they are completely new – and unambiguously Montblanc.

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