Caran d'Ache and MB&F blast off with a rocket-inspired pen

Bring together two Swiss brands – one a creator of fine writing instruments with a rich heritage, the other a trailblazing maker of high-end "horological machines", both with an unbridled creativity. The result? Something that is as much a piece of art as it is a purposeful item.

The Astrograph, a new collaboration between Caran d'Ache and MB&F, is a rather wonderful feat of over-engineering – after all, you don't need your pen to look like a rocket, complete with its very own mini astronaut. It represents the culmination of the duo's engineering knowledge and has been four years in the making, with each piece comprising 99 specially developed components and taking more than 500 manual operations to put together.

Its structure takes inspiration from the mechanism of a penknife – pull the miniature lever concealed in in the ring of the pen and it lowers three legs, enabling the Astrograph to stand up vertically. Each comes ready for take-off with a cleverly designed presentation box that doubles as a launch pad. The fountain pen is available in three finishes – a choice of high-gloss rhodium, sandblasted matt rhodium or anthracite ruthenium – each made in a limited edition of 99 pieces.

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It's the latest in a line of collaborative kinetic art from watchmaker MB&F, each as head-turning as the next, from table clocks concealed in the body of a robot to futuristic music machines that play the theme tunes from Star Wars, Mission Impossible and James Bond. Now the brand has gone to space and back, the only question left is where it's headed next.

mbandf.com; carandache.com