Pelikan M600 Art Collection Glauco Cambon Special Edition: A Review

Introduction

The Pelikan M600 Art Collection Glauco Cambon Special Edition is one of the more unusual pens Pelikan has produced. Part of the Art Collection series, it takes its finish from avant-garde poster art by Glauco Cambon, an artist who lived from 1875 to 1930. The result is a barrel that looks almost solid black until it catches the light, then shifts into a subtle, almost holographic pattern that is genuinely striking in person.

Priced at €516.53 without VAT, this is not an inexpensive pen. But between the layered barrel construction, 24k gold details, and a 14k nib that writes beautifully out of the box, there is a lot to like here. This review covers what makes the finish special, how it writes, and a few practical trade-offs worth knowing before buying.

Packaging and Presentation

The pen arrives with a real sense of occasion. There is an outer sleeve, and inside that a very nice box with a magnetic clasp that opens to reveal the pen in its tray. Alongside it you get an art print on thicker stock plus a booklet explaining the Art Collection and the Glauco Cambon design. The artwork on the print matches the finish on the barrel, which ties the whole package together nicely.

It is a presentation that fits the special edition positioning. Nothing here feels like filler, and the printed material actually adds context to what is otherwise a fairly abstract-looking finish.

The Holographic Barrel Finish

This is the part that sets the pen apart, and it is worth understanding how it is made. The barrel starts as a brass tube, then grooves are cut into it to create a hologram-like effect. Ten layers of clear lacquer are applied, and a printed colored image sits on top of that stack. The result has real depth: up close you can see the pattern detail, and from a distance the barrel shifts in character depending on the light.

When the light hits it the right way, the finish comes alive in a way that, personally, makes it one of the most spectacular Pelikan finishes out there. When the light does not cooperate, it reads as an almost solid black pen. That two-sided personality is part of the charm, though it does mean the look changes constantly throughout the day.

Beyond the barrel, the 24k gold details add polish. The clip is the stylized Pelikan with the bill, eyes, and head, and it is both cute and functional with good spring flex. The center band carries gold highlights and reads “Pelikan Souverän Germany”.

Build and Comfort

The M600 is a decently sized pen, not a large one. Posted, it becomes a nicely sized pen and posts securely. The brass liner gives it a solid feel; it is by no means heavy, but it feels more substantial than a resin-only pen would. The section tapers down and flares slightly, and the threads are a little sharp, though during normal writing they were not bothersome.

The nib is the usual Pelikan beauty: deep grooves, the Pelikan logo, 14C 585 gold marking, and an F for fine. The feed is plastic, likely ABS, not ebonite. If you have larger hands, the section may feel short and the threads more noticeable, so trying an M600 first is sensible advice.

Writing Performance

Out of the box, the fine nib was a very pleasant writer. Tested on textured paper from India with Waterman Serenity Blue, it wrote smoothly with only a hint of sound from the paper texture, not actual scratchiness. The nib is a round writer with no meaningful line variation, and reverse writing is smooth but noticeably drier.

The feed keeps up nicely even during fast writing. Wetness is well-tuned: not a super wet writer, but by no means dry. Pelikan’s gold nibs have a reputation for some softness, but these are not marketed as flex nibs, so while you might coax a touch of variation out of one, they are not meant for that kind of pressure.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The price is the obvious hurdle. At just over 500 euros, this is not a cheap pen, and whether it is justified depends on your budget. That said, the reasoning is easier to see than with a standard resin Pelikan: the grooved, layered barrel construction and special edition artwork are genuinely different from the regular machine-made lineup.

The bigger practical issue is the brass liner. It eliminates all translucency, so there is no ink window and no way to see how much ink remains, even held up against a bright window. That means pen roulette: you write until it stops. If you travel or use the pen away from easy access to ink, this could be a genuine annoyance. It is not a dealbreaker for desk use, but it is worth weighing.

Buying Advice

This pen makes the most sense for someone who values the finish above almost everything else, because that is where the money goes. If you want an ink window or an everyday travel pen with visible ink levels, the regular striped Pelikan models serve that better. If the Glauco Cambon design speaks to you, the writing experience will not let you down: the fine 14k nib writes beautifully and the pen feels solid in the hand. Handle size is the other checkpoint, since the section is on the shorter side for larger hands.

Conclusion

The Pelikan M600 Art Collection Glauco Cambon is a very attractive pen with a genuinely interesting material and a well-tuned, pleasant-writing fine nib. The brass-lined barrel costs you any ink visibility, and the price is firmly in premium territory, but the finish is unlike anything in the regular lineup. For collectors and design-focused buyers, it is an easy pen to fall for.