ITOYA ROMEO No.3 Hazé Review: A Gorgeous Relaunch With One Big Caveat

Introduction

ITOYA’s ROMEO brand is one of Japan’s most recognizable names in premium writing instruments, and October 2024 marked a full relaunch of the line, complete with refreshed packaging, a new logo treatment, and bolder colorways. The ROMEO No.3 Hazé is the headline example of that refresh, and it is hard to overstate how striking it looks in person. That said, this is not a flawless release, and there are a couple of things you should know before adding it to your collection. This review walks through what makes the Hazé special, how it writes, and where it falls short.

What Is the ROMEO No.3 Hazé?

The ROMEO brand dates back to 1914 and was relaunched in October 2024. The No.3 Hazé is a twist-action ballpoint pen priced at 22,000 yen including tax, a price band previously reserved only for special-edition models but now part of the standard relaunch lineup. The box itself is a nice step forward in some ways: it now has a fabric-wrapped exterior, a bright camel-colored interior, and a removable bottom tray that can double as a small-parts organizer. A pen sleeve is also included, which is a welcome addition.

The relaunch also changed the refill story in an important way. Early ROMEO No.3 units shipped with an oil-based low-viscosity refill, but from September 2019 the initial refill was changed to gel ink in pursuit of a better writing feel and more consistent quality. So if you bought a No.3 at launch or picked one up secondhand with an oil-based refill, it is worth knowing that the current standard is a ROMEO gel 0.7mm refill in G2 format, which also means you can swap in a Jetstream refill if you prefer.

Design and Color: Why Hazé Stands Out

The Hazé colorway is the reason most people will gravitate to this pen, and it is genuinely beautiful. The color takes its inspiration from the golden brilliance of the sun historically reserved for imperial regalia, a shade once restricted to a select few. Regulation changes eventually opened it up, and ROMEO’s interpretation is a warm golden haze with fine gold glitter scattered through the Italian resin. The resin’s shimmer ripples like wood grain, and because the pattern can never be reproduced exactly, every single pen is effectively one of a kind.

The color lineup in this relaunch series includes Hazé along with Komurasaki and Hakusekiseki, and matching colors are offered across the fountain pen, ballpoint, and ballpoint slim variants. If you are comparing, the popular Italian Amber looks somewhat similar in photos, but in person the two are completely different. The Hazé reviewed here pairs the resin with apricot-gold fittings, a central metal band engraved with the ROMEO mark, and a ball-style clip that is gentle on whatever it is clipped to, with average clip stiffness. The design motif is the flow of a clock, a message about spending precious time alongside the pen, and the twist mechanism reveals knurling on the side that has also been subtly revised compared to earlier versions.

Writing Performance

On paper, the No.3 Hazé is a genuinely pleasant writer. The gel 0.7mm refill glides smoothly, the high center of gravity and balanced feel make for a stable, non-slippery stroke, and the overall ownership satisfaction is very high. With a total length of 140mm, a weight of 26.6g, and an 11mm barrel diameter, it has the presence you would expect at this price without feeling unwieldy.

One persistent quirk, however, is a slight wobble in the tip. This is not new to the relaunch, and it is noticeable when writing. It does not ruin the experience for most, but if you are highly sensitive to tip stability, it is worth factoring in.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The bigger concern is packaging. The new white box no longer secures the pen in place: it simply sits in a bag inside the box and can move around freely, knocking against the cardboard walls during shipping. In practice, that means a brand-new premium pen can arrive with fine surface scratches before you have even touched it, and the pen can even slide halfway out of its bag in transit.

This issue was reported to ITOYA, which committed to improving it and also offered a pen replacement. So buyers going forward should receive better treatment, but it is worth checking your pen’s condition on arrival and speaking up if the packaging problem persists. Beyond packaging, the two caveats to weigh are the unfixed tip wobble and the fact that the new fabric box, while stylish, does feel a bit less premium overall than the previous design, a change attributed to the shift toward eco-friendly materials.

Buying Advice

The ROMEO No.3 Hazé is for anyone who wants a genuinely special everyday pen: the color, the one-of-a-kind resin pattern, and the balanced writing feel deliver a strong sense of occasion. It suits writers who prefer a gel ink and a twist mechanism, and collectors who appreciate Japanese craftsmanship in a refined colorway. If tip wobble or packaging concerns are dealbreakers for you, it may be worth waiting to confirm the promised improvements, or inspecting the pen carefully on arrival. For everyone else, the special feeling this pen delivers at 22,000 yen is hard to match.

Conclusion

The relaunched ROMEO No.3 Hazé is a beautiful, satisfying premium ballpoint pen with a striking one-of-a-kind colorway, a smooth gel refill, and excellent balance. Its main flaws, an unfixed tip wobble and careless packaging, are real but addressable, and the packaging issue has already been flagged for improvement. If the Hazé color has caught your eye, it is absolutely worth a closer look.