Pilot Pens
No other pen manufacturer is as world renowned as Pilot and Pilot pens. The history of Pilot began with a Japanese professor, Ryosuki Namiki. Namiki left his career as a professor and opened up a tiny factory around Tokyo to sell pen nibs in 1915. Ebay currently has these available.
![]() PILOT 28801 Rollerball Penx fine point 12 PENS $22.49 |
![]() Pilot Lacquer Band 14k Gold Original Nib Fountain Pen Japan $1,500.00 |
![]() PILOT WHITE LINE CORRECTION TAPE FOR FOUNTAIN PEN JAPAN $10.00 |
![]() FREE SHIP 24pcs Pilot G 2 05mm Roller gel pen RED $36.90 |
![]() Pilot Hi Tec C Gel Ink Pen 025 mm Red $0.99 |
![]() PILOT NAMIKI GREEN SILVER VANISHING POINT FOUNTAIN PEN NO NIB $50.00 |
![]() Pilot NAMIKI Japanese FP F nib 14k L 60V 1964 NOS $19.99 |
![]() 12pcs PILOT G 3 038mm ultra fine ROLLER gel pen BLUE $14.90 |
![]() Pilot NAMIKI Japanese Fountain Pen 14K F nib 1970s Pink Primrose $32.80 |
With the success of nib manufacturing, Namiki sought the opportunity to expand his company and to begin producing various kinds of writing instruments. Namiki joined forces with Masao Wada and together they chose Pilot as their trade name.
Pilot pens began to flood the market and the company patented the technique of lacquer application on the pens in order to protect them from scratches and any wear and tear. Soon, Pilot became highly successful and factories began to open up in various parts of the world including New York, Shanghai, London and Singapore. The signature pen of the late 1920s was the maki-e and even Alfred Dunhill began to distribute maki-e decorated pens in countries all over the world. Over the next forty years, the company continued to grow. It was officially named Pilot Fountain Pen Co., Ltd and Dunhill got rights to distribute all sorts of Pilot pens across the globe.
The Pilot ballpoint pen emerged in the early 1960s and Pilot became an innovator in the manufacturing of pens. The traditional fountain pen was reinvented to function without a cap. It was called the Vanishing Point and the nib of the Pilot fountain pen would actually retract in order to keep it protected. There was truly a revolution in the world of pens and Pilot did not stop at the fountain pen. In the 1980s, Pilot introduced a roller pen that featured advanced liquid ink technology as well as the Gel Pen nearly 10 years later. Aside from practical yet technologically advanced pens, Pilot also created the first luxury Namiki Limited Edition pen in the United States in the 1990s. Pilot pens have been invented and re-invented over and over again in order to achieve perfection. Pilot has created an international name for itself through its dedication to innovation.















