When Marcel Bich first brought the Cristal pen to market in 1950, it had a simple design: hexagonal, see-through plastic, a stainless steel tip, and a blue plastic cap you could attach on the back as well as the front.
Thanks to its improved ink flow and reliability, the pen became a smash hit and largely replaced fountain pens over the next 20 years.
In its 1990 iteration, four decades after its launch, the Bic Cristal had a simple design: hexagonal, see-through plastic, stainless steel, blue plastic cap.
In 2005, Bic sold its 100 billionth pen. That’s one for every person who’s ever been alive.
In 2020, 70 years after it came to market, the Bic Cristal had a simple design: hexagonal, see-through plastic, stainless steel, blue plastic cap.
Today, it is still selling 14 million units every day.
Things of quality have no fear of time. They get better the more of it passes—despite not changing at all.
Choose quality, make art. Chances are, you’ll use a Bic Cristal pen while you do it.