Pelikan Souverän M800 Fountain Pen

The Souverän line traces back to 1950, when Pelikan introduced the pinstriped Model 400 — a design still nicknamed "Stresemann," after the pinstriped suits worn by a 1920s German Foreign Minister. The M800 carries that heritage forward at the line's "L" size: a piston-filler with an 18-karat/750 two-tone gold nib and rhodium trim, finished in individually striped, diamond-cut cellulose acetate that takes months to produce and is polished to a final luster by hand.

Specifications

• Maker: Pelikan, Hannover, Germany
• Model: Souverän M800 fountain pen, "L" size
• Size: 14.2 cm capped; 28.2 g
• Filling: Piston, ≈ 1.35 ml capacity
• Nib: 18K/750 two-tone gold with rhodium trim; Fine (Black only) or Medium
• Body: Individually striped, diamond-cut cellulose acetate
• Finishes: Black (Fine or Medium); Black/Blue and Black/Green (Medium)
• Warranty: Three years from Pelikan, plus our Thirty-Day Assurance

We stock three of the Souverän finishes rather than the full range, and the Fine nib in Black alone — the striped finishes are bought as writing pens, and Medium is the width they are written with.

Questions we are asked

M800 or M1000? Size and softness. The M800 is the "L" body, 14.2 cm capped and 28.2 grams, and it is the daily pen; the M1000 is the "XL", larger in the hand and softer in the nib, and it is a desk pen. Both hold about 1.35 ml.

Fine or Medium? We stock Fine in Black alone; the striped finishes come in Medium, the width they are written with. Fine for the redline and the margin; Medium for the signature and the letter. The Field Guide below is the five-minute answer.

Which ink, and how is it cleaned? Any bottled fountain-pen ink; a piston filler does not take cartridges. To clean it, draw and expel water through the piston until it runs clear.

Is there a ballpoint or rollerball to match? Both. The Souverän K800 is the twist-action ballpoint in the same black and gold; the Souverän R800 is the rollerball.

Is the Pelikan warranty valid in the United States? Yes. Pelikan's three-year warranty against material and manufacturing defects has no geographical restrictions, and it covers the Souverän and Classic series. A defect is repaired, or the pen replaced, at Pelikan's choice. Claims go through us as the retailer, or to Pelikan directly with proof of purchase, and the details are in our Warranty Policy.

Deciding on nib width? Read Fine Nib, or Medium?

Built to be written with daily, not kept for signatures. For the same nib and filling system in the larger "XL" body, see the Souverän M1000 — a bigger pen in the hand, though not a bigger reservoir; the two hold much the same ink. The pen the Stresemann story is about — the same body in anthracite stripes, with palladium trim and a rhodium-plated nib — is the Souverän M805 Stresemann. The twist-action ballpoint that sits beside the M800 in Black is the Souverän K800. For a steel nib at a lower entry point, see the M200.

See the rest of our fountain pens for lawyers, or the full Writing Instruments collection.

Barrister & Bespoke Curated Collection — hand-selected from Pelikan, the Hannover house that has built piston-fill fountain pens since 1929, for its craftsmanship and fit within our world. Curated pieces carry their maker's own identity rather than ours; our house collection, designed and branded exclusively for Barrister & Bespoke, is marked separately throughout the shop.

Warranty. This Product carries Pelikan's three-year warranty against manufacturing defects, and Barrister & Bespoke's own Thirty-Day Assurance for the first thirty days after delivery. Full terms, including how to make a claim, are stated in our Warranty Policy.

Returns. A fountain pen may be returned within thirty days if it is unused and in its original packaging. Once a pen has been inked it is Final Sale and cannot be returned or exchanged, except where it arrives damaged, defective, or materially different from its description. Fill it after you have decided to keep it. Full terms are in our Returns & Exchanges Policy.