Khimji’s Watches showcases Astrograph

THE Maison Caran d’Ache and the renowned horological laboratory MB&F have combined their expertise to create a unique creative odyssey — the Astrograph writing instrument. An exceptional masterpiece featuring complex architecture while ensuring perfect writing comfort, this ‘rocket pen’ is now available at Khimji’s Watches, the sole representative of Caran d’Ache in Oman.

Inspired by science fiction, the Astrograph to a certain extent is all about taking an act of imagination to its logical conclusion in a physical object. The Astrograph gives the impression of an elongated teardrop, with window-like depressions picked out in black lacquer at the narrow end. The wider end has three curved metal elements ending in sharp points, and there’s a miniature ladder going up on one side of the barrel that ends in a tiny door.

The door is actually a hidden lever that, when pulled, deploys those curved elements, which are the landing gear — and suddenly the pen is a miniature space vessel. This spaceship illusion is underscored by touches like a red “thruster” at the pen’s base. The landing gear has actual working shockabsorbing struts, and with the gear down, the bottom half of the pen acts as a pen-holder. The pen itself is housed in the upper half of the Astrograph, which you release simply by unscrewing it.

Nailesh Khimji, Director, Khimji Ramdas believes that, “the unique design of the Caran d’Ache Astrograph eloquently unites the world of our youthful imagination with the class and grace of successful individuals of today’s society”.