Autumn 2011 | p2p Magaz i ne |
31
www.binfo.co.uk
BIC Cristal is 60
OFFICE ICON
BIC was founded in 1950 by Marcel Bich,
who introduced the frst high quality
ballpoint pen – the BIC Cristal, at an
affordable price. Its now iconic design
remains almost unchanged since its frst
conception and today, the pen, with its
distinguished transparent hexagonal
barrel, has become the world’s preferred
choice of ballpoint pen with 14 million
sold per day.
The names bic or biro have become a
generic term for ballpoint pens and there
isn’t a home, offce, shop, airport or café, in
the world that doesn’t have one. The classic
BIC Cristal pen may be turning 60, but it’s
still as fresh and relevant as the day it frst
arrived on the market.
Marcel Bich bought the patent for the
pen developed by Hungarian, Laszlo Biro
and set out to fnd the ideal ink formula
as well as the perfect ft between the
ball and the ink tube, for which he used
Swiss watchmakers’ skills. He designed the
future ballpoint pen to be both attractive
and functional. After several years of
working relentlessly and putting all of the
company’s capital on the line, the fnished
product was ready to leave the factory in
Clichy in December 1950.
Touting his product as a reliable pen at
an affordable price, he called it BIC –
a shortened, easy to remember version of
his own name and the iconic BIC Cristal
ballpoint pen was born.
Simple design?
From the beginning, BIC has always been
focused on simplicity, functionality and the
best price/quality trade off. A key feature
of BIC stationery is light and long lasting
products and so pens that are refllable or
ink that seems continuous to the user, have
become associated with the brand.
At frst glance, the BIC Cristal has an
extremely simple design, yet it is in fact,
quite technically complex. 100 per cent
of the tip’s 1mm in diameter, tungsten
carbide balls, are checked for roundness
and resistance and inserted [into the brass
tip] to the nearest micron.
The transparent polystyrene body
is sturdy and has a visible ink level. The
hexagonal barrel offers a comfortable grip,
doesn’t roll on the desk and the tiny hole in
the barrel balances the pressure inside and
outside the pen, pushes the ink towards the
tip and prevents leakage.
To celebrate its 60th birthday, BIC
Cristal is dressing up in gold and silver.
This limited series is available in stationery
stores and supermarkets while supplies last.
www.bicworld.com
during frst year
10,000
sold every day
today
14,000,000
sold every day
1
pen can...
1
pen...
BIC Cristal...
BY NUMBERS...
...do 986 Sudukos
...write 506 postcards
...or create a 37 x 42cm
reproduction of the
famous Johannes
Vermeer painting,
‘Girl with a Pearl
Earring’
...weighs just 5.8 grams
...is 14.7cm long
... is 8.3mm in diameter
...can write for at least 2km or
1.25 miles
...contains 0.4 grams of water
resistant ink which dries In
less than 2 seconds