Introduction

Retro51 is thrilled to share the newest license with the Imperial War Museums.

The first in the IWM Collection is the Spitfire N3200 Tornado Rollerball. Built in 1939, this Supermarine Spitfire Mark 1a was issued to No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in April 1940. During the Dunkirk emergency evacuation, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson piloted Spitfire N3200 on its first and only mission during Operation Dynamo, shooting down a Stuka before being shot down himself. He crash-landed on a beach near Calais and was captured, remaining a prisoner until the end of the war. The Spitfire sank under the sand and was recovered in 1986 after strong currents revealed it forty-five years later. Dr. Thomas Kaplan and Simon Marsh acquired it in 2000 and were dedicated to its full restoration. In 2015, it was donated to the Imperial War Museum and received by the Duke of Cambridge during a visit to Duxford, where he watched the Mark 1a fighter fly again after 75 years.

The Spitfire N3200 rollerball pen has been acid-etched with rivets and panels and then painted in the matching camouflage pattern. The planes tail numbers have been printed alongside the British Roundel and the top disc is printed with Britains tri-color fin flash. It is complete with black-nickel accents that have the IWM logo on the top ring alongside the pens serial number engraving. Each Tornado is packaged in a commemorative packaging with foil stamp graphics representing the plane. Take flight with the Spitfire N3200 and feel the history in hand. Whether you pick up this one for yourself or a WWII enthusiast, this piece of history will be cherished for years to come.

• Printed plane graphics over acid-etched barrel
• Matte Black Nickel accents
• British fin flash on Top disc
• IWM logo on top ring
• Numbered top-ring (ie. not limited edition)
• Knurl Twist-Top
• Rollerball Refill
• Packaged in a commemorative tube

About Retro 51

George Kartsotis started Retro 1951 in 1990 in Richardson, Texas. He received his first nice pen as a gift for a job promotion and recognized the potential of the special gift. “We’re a gift company.” He says. “We are selling the accoutrements of life. A pen is not a pen, it’s a vehicle to an end a way of showing who you are.” Although Retro specializes in fine writing instruments, they also offer leather accessories, games, lifestyle products and “other cool stuff!”

Retro 1951 custom designs and produces new products and packaging that provide both continuity and freshness year after year. From top selling pens to card cases and desk accessories, they consistently develop a wide range of products that have fueled their retail business. Retro 1951 has enjoyed working with companies like Tommy Bahama, Tumi, Boeing, and many others, designing and manufacturing products that enhance their brand identity. For instance, when developing a product for Harley-Davidson, Retro 1951 captures the exciting feeling of roaring down a winding road with wind rushing through your hair so you can experience it, even when chained to your desk.

Always on the lookout for the latest trend or newest thing on the market, Retro merges the fashionable colors and designs of today with the vintage and quality standards of “the good ol’ days.” Products such as the Tornado retractable roller ball pens are being produced from materials such as titanium, stainless steel, .925 sterling, leather and cork. Every Retro piece is designed with the nostalgic, early American-dream.

Retro 1951’s innovative products use the latest in design and technology to bring many years of pleasure to the end user. After all, “Life is too short to carry an ugly pen!”

Technical Specification