Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Water World Review: A Sea-Inspired Limited Edition

Introduction

Some limited editions feel like cash grabs. This one does not. The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 2025 Dutch Pen Show Water World Rose Gold Trim Fountain Pen is a genuinely attractive pen built around a theme that clearly meant something to the people who made it.

The 2025 Dutch Pen Show took Water World as its theme, and this pen, made by Leonardo with material from resin specialist Jonathan Brooks, was created exclusively for the show. It is a Momento Zero Grande 2.0, meaning it is not an entirely new model but the updated version of a well-established one, with an ink window and a slightly revised grip section compared to the original Momento Zero.

This review covers the presentation, the pen’s details, how it writes, and what to weigh up before spending money on one.

First Impressions and Presentation

The packaging is generous for a show pen. The pen arrives in a large, heavy, thick cardboard box with an outer sleeve. Inside there is a full-color booklet, Art and Mechanics, packed with information, plus a small pen medallion that sits on the clip. A bottle of black ink is included as well.

Then there is the material itself, and it deserves the attention it gets. Jonathan Brooks pours superb acrylics, and this one is meant to evoke the North Sea: deep, dark blue with white foam on the waves, and subtle sparkles that read as sunlight reflecting on water. It is a very literal and very successful interpretation of the theme.

Design and Build Details

The Momento Zero Grande is a somewhat larger pen, as the name suggests, but not excessively huge. It should work for a lot of people, and it posts nicely if that is how you prefer to write. Next to something like a Pilot Metropolitan, it is clearly the bigger pen.

The trim details are carefully done. This rose gold version has a springy rose gold clip with Leonardo’s little wheel, a rose gold center band with a grooved pattern, a wide band flanked by rings, and additional small rings near the barrel end. The barrel tapers down to a blind engraving reading Leonardo Italiana Dutch Pen Show 2025 exclusive limited edition, marked 029 out of 100. The finials on both ends are pointed, in the classic Momento Zero style.

Under the cap sits the new-style section, which tapers down and then flares out slightly. Many users find this more comfortable than the more sharply tapered sections Leonardo used previously. The pen is a piston filler with an ebonite feed and a visible ink window, which is genuinely useful for checking how much ink remains. With the separate wrench, the pen can be disassembled for greasing the piston. The 14 karat gold nib carries the Dutch Pen Show quill engraving. Note that the cap can feel slightly sticky at certain angles when unthreading, though it comes on and off without real trouble.

Limited to 100 pieces, priced around €575, and also offered with silver and gold trim, this is a premium, exclusive pen rather than a casual purchase.

Writing Performance

Loaded here with Waterman Serenity Blue, the fine 14 karat rose gold nib is a really pleasant writer. It is smooth and lays down a genuinely fine line without being scratchy, which is exactly what you want if you prefer narrower line widths.

The ebonite feed keeps up very well with your writing, delivering nice, wet, consistent flow. There is a touch of line variation, slightly wider on the downstroke than the sidestroke. It is not a flex nib, and you should be careful if you try to add variation by hand, though Leonardo does make separate flex nibs for these pens. Reverse writing takes the line from fine down to extra fine, working reasonably well but getting a little scratchy. The nib also sings slightly while writing, which some people dislike but is quite charming to many ears.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The obvious hurdle is price. At around €575, this is not a cheap pen, and the limited edition of 100 pieces per trim is a factor that raises the cost whether you like it or not. In return you get a piston filler, a gold nib, and an exclusive design.

The other question is whether you need another Grande at all. Anyone who already owns a Momento Zero Grande may find it hard to justify the expense, since the 2.0 is an iteration rather than a new model, differing mainly in the ink window and revised section.

Should You Buy It?

If you are looking for a Momento Zero Grande and this material speaks to you, it is a fantastic candidate. The resin is beautiful, the pen is well made and comfortable, the ink window is a real practical bonus, and it is a very pleasant writer.

Because it is a limited edition, availability will vary. Show-exclusive pens like this typically surface either through the retailer that stocked them, sometimes at a discount once they have been handled, or on the secondary market later. If the North Sea material is what draws you in, it is worth being patient and shopping around rather than paying a panic premium.

Conclusion

The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Water World is a lovely, well-executed show exclusive: a gorgeous sea-inspired resin, rose gold trim, a smooth fine gold nib, an ebonite feed, and a useful ink window, all in a comfortably sized piston filler. It is expensive and limited, so it makes sense mainly for collectors who connect with the material or who want a Grande with a little extra character. For the right buyer, it is a genuinely fun one to hunt down.