A working clock is not something you expect to find inside a pen. Yet that is what Yard-O-Led has concealed inside its latest writing instrument, created in collaboration with the Ian Fleming Estate as a tribute to the writer’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale.
The miniature timepiece is the centerpiece of a collection two years in the making, which launches today with just 253 fountain pens and 253 rollerballs, available for £4,750 (approx. $6,293) and £4,450 (approx. $5,895) respectively. The specific number available is a thoughtful reference to April 13, 1953, the publication date of Casino Royale.
“We wanted to create something with classical beauty, but with that fun Bond reference,” Giles English, co-owner of Yard-O-Led, tells Elite Traveler. “And the clock came to mind.” The piece is not the first from Yard-O-Led to hide a timepiece – the design was inspired by an archival Yard-O-Led piece, a Clock Pencil dating back to 1927.
“When I first saw it, I wanted to replicate it in some way,” says English. “Many brands from the ‘20s to ‘50s were so creative in their products, [with] clocks in lighters, pens, and jewelry. Some of that fun is missing now, so why not bring that back with such a lovely story?”
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The result is a tiny clock designed specifically for the proportions of the pen. The timepiece features an 11mm silver dial, paired with blued-steel hands. “It’s been very difficult because we have had to keep it so small so as not to mess up the beautiful lines of the pen,” says English. “We made the dials ourselves out of silver in the old traditional engine turning method, which threw up lots of problems but as a result has created something so special.”
Rather than adding a conventional crown, the brand developed a lateral corrector to adjust the time, keeping the silhouette of the pen intact. “We also did not want a crown, so we had to design a mono pusher to change the time, one of the smallest mono pushers ever built,” says Giles.
The horological connection is a natural one for Yard-O-Led’s owners, Giles and Nick English, who also founded British watchmaker Bremont. “Naturally, with our Bremont background and love and knowledge of clocks and watches, I felt we were best placed to build one,” says English.
Although head-turning, with its horological component, English wanted the collector’s piece to also be a tribute to what Yard-O-Led does best. “Foremost, we wanted the pen to appeal to anyone who likes pens. It had to stand on its own merits.”
The pen itself is made from sterling silver, with an 18-carat white-gold nib. The cap and barrel are engraved with 72 engine-turned pinstripes, a reference to Fleming’s own sartorial style. Around the grip, engraved playing-card suits pay tribute to the iconic book, while an 18-carat white-gold nib completes the fountain pen.
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English attributes the grip’s playing card details as one of the piece’s key details. “This is a Casino pen and needed that association, which was challenging to engrave.” At the base is perhaps the most personal detail: an inlaid gold Jamaican doctor bird, a nod to Fleming’s affection for the bird, which appears in For Your Eyes Only.
That craftsmanship is also what appealed to the Fleming Estate. “When we think of Casino Royale we think of adventure, romance, mystery, and glamor,” says Diggory Laycock of the Ian Fleming Estate. “Yard-O-Led have managed to capture the mood of James Bond’s first mission.”
The wider set extends the Casino Royale references beyond the pen itself. It includes a new collector’s edition of the 1953 novel, produced in collaboration with Ian Fleming Publications, a bespoke black leather pen case, and specially designed playing cards.
“As a collector himself, Ian would have been delighted with the incredibly rich world of 007 treasures. More than that, he would have enjoyed the imagination at the heart of such wonderful items,” says Laycock. “He was a man with endless curiosity, and seeing the care and craft that has gone into the Yard-O-Led pen would have made it all the more special.”
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The clever collection is expected to see high demand, as it crosses into a wide array of collector circles. “We believe the watch community will be interested in it, for what we have done with the clock addition. And, notwithstanding for any Bond collector, this is a very special collector’s set on its own,” says English, adding, “It can’t be ignored that this pen also comes with a limited edition Casino Royale book, something that any book collector around the world would be desperate to get their hands on.”
If the pen wasn’t full enough of surprises, enclosed is a bottle of blood-red ink scented with the smell of gun smoke. English says the idea for the ink came from an earlier experience. “I had come across a whisky ink a long time ago and the idea stuck with me. When we came to this project, a gun-smelling ink seemed like a perfect reference. We also created a unique blood-red ink colour especially for it.”
For Yard-O-Led, the collaboration is the latest expression of a distinctly British approach to making things by hand. “There are very few British names that carry the same sense of adventure, craftsmanship and enduring appeal as Ian Fleming,” says English. “For us, this collaboration feels entirely natural.”
And there may be more to come. Asked what the next collaboration in the series might be, English keeps the answer suitably Bond-like: “Every spy keeps their cards very close to their chest. Sadly, this will have to be something to wait and see.”
