Armando Simoni (1891-1958)

  If a reference point were needed for the start of the Simoni legend, it would be the First World War (1915-1918). There was a pressing need to repair the first fountain pens brought back from the front by Italian soldiers, though incidentally it had been American servicemen who were the first users and ambassadors of such instruments. With his rational business sense, Cav. Armando Simoni, founder of OMAS, recognized a need to fill this void. Simoni’s abilities in the field of precision and mechanical engineering enabled him to begin provid-ing a repair and reconditioning service for fountain pens that extended to the remaking of certain components which could not be easily obtained as replacements. In a time when there was no such thing as an international service network, Simoni was truly a pioneer. With his success, in June 1925, Cav. Simoni was able to register his own trademark: OMAS (Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni), an easy name to pronounce and remember in any language. This new company progressed from a modest workshop to a state-of-the-art factory. Simoni’s creativity, technical knowledge, and design acumen enabled him to create original machinery to manufacture Simoni products. He developed machines for knurling (distinctive graphic engraving), machines for generating facets on pen blanks, and equipment designed and constructed especially for cutting, shaping, and polishing nibs. From 1925 to the outbreak of the Second World War, Cav. Simoni purchased large quantities of ebonite and celluloid, then indispensable for manufacturing pens. With his foresight Simoni was able to gain a strong position in many markets without production problems. In addition to the precision engineering equipment Armando developed during this period, he created a unique assortment of products, using his remarkable sense of design. Collectibles, such as the "Doctor’s pen", had the capacity to hold a clinical thermometer, two reservoirs for different colors of ink and offered a choice of two nibs to select the best color and ink flow for the user. The height of the company’s success was around 1930, when Simoni introduced the dodecagonal faceted profile. This pen created worldwide recognition for Simoni  that continues to this day. With the development of this award-winning project, Armando Simoni’s entrepreneurial activity was given public recognition. Simoni was nominated Cavaliere della Corona d’Italia, an honor that gave great pride and satisfaction to its recipient. With the outbreak of the Second World War there was a shortage of gold. This did not stop Simoni from continuing production. They used "permanium" as a substitute, which was an alloy of steel and potassium permanganate (a strong oxidizing agent) often used in specialized metallurgy. This metal possessed certain properties very similar to gold and was a perfect substitute for all nibs. When the war ended in 1948, Simoni introduced the fabled "361", a fountain pen which was streamlined and aerodynamic. This unusual pen had a special nib that gave its user a choice of rigid and flexible writing tensions, perfect for writing as well as drawing illustrations.

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