Platinum 3776 Century

            When it comes to Japanese fountain pens there are three main manufacturers. Today’s pen is made by one of those companies. We will be looking at the Platinum 3776 Century.

            Stats:

            Diameter – Body 13mm

            Diameter – Grip 11.5mm

Length – Body 120mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 140mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 159mm

Weight – 20g

Nib Sizes – Ultra Extra Fine, Extra Fine, Fine, Soft Fine, Medium, Broad (Reviewed),                  Double Broad, Music.

Street Price – ~$90 to $175

Looks:

The 3776 Century is Platinum’s flagship model. Coming in many colors and patterns, the 3776 Century is most commonly found in either Black, Bourgogne, Chartres Blue, or in a clear Demonstrator. Much like other company’s flagship models, the 3776 means something. In this case 3776 represents the height, in meters, of Mount Fuji.

Until purchasing this pen I had yet to own a staple in all fountain pen collections; a black-cigar-pen with gold trim. The allure of such a “boring” pen, to most people, is that such a pen is exactly what almost every person thinks of when they think about fountain pens. It is a very classic design.

The finial of the cap is a plain black dome, which is immediately followed by a tight and flat gold clip. The cap concludes with a gold band that reads “Platinum #3776 Japan”. The cap is made with Platinum’s “Slip and Seal” claims if this pen were to be left inked and capped for a maximum of two years that it would not dry out. I would not recommend testing this claim, leaving any pen inked without writing is very bad for the pen as it leads to staining of the nib, feed, converter, and interior section. The body continues in a taper until it rounds off, giving this pen the classic cigar shaped look.

Unscrewing the cap reveals a grip section that is almost the same girth as the body. The grip barely tapers to the nib, and is smooth to the touch. The large 14k gold nib is flat and held tightly to the feed. Although the nib and feed are friction fit, they do not come out easily, do not attempt to remove these parts unless you are well versed in pen maintenance. Unscrewing the section from the body to reveal a proprietary Platinum converter; which sadly doesn't hold much ink.

The 3776 is a light pen, as it is made of a resin. Even the added cap mechanics don't add too much weight. I prefer to use this pen posted, although it is a decent sized pen unposted.

            Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

            Writing with this pen is amazing. This is a perfect sized pen for me, especially when posted. Japanese nibs run finer that European nibs, as their writing tends to be very thin and intricate which is something that broader nibs cannot easily reproduce. Typically each nib will run one European size smaller (Japanese Medium = European Fine). However this is a true broad nib, which is able to produce thick lines, lay down a wet line, and offer shading with almost any ink. Japanese nibs also tend to write wetter than what we are used to with other pens. Having a very wet pen, a very flow-y ink, and a converter with a small capacity makes for a pen that needs to be inked every couple days. Here is a writing sample with this pen:

            Final Thoughts:

            The Platinum 3776 Century is a great pen. Writing with this pen is a joy, it glides effortlessly across the page under nothing but its own weight. My only minor complaint is the very small ink reservoir of the converter. If you are looking for a high end pen but aren’t wanting to break the bank, then the Platinum 3776 Century is definitely one to consider. I highly recommend this pen.