Onoto, Oxford and Cambridge, the quintessentially British search for excellence!
Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest universities in the United Kingdom, according to popular lore, are bitterly pitted against each other – a rivalry, raconteurs add gleefully, that dates back centuries. Perhaps the fact that both were founded about 800 years ago and for many hundreds of years after that, were only comparable to each other, churning out some of the world’s most prominent achievers – writers, thinkers, statesmen – is one plausible explanation to the knaves perpetuating the myth. In them, they are two of the world’s most recognized brands and have had everything – from the rivers around which they are located to the composition of the population, local industrial concentration and the architecture – debated about, mirthlessly perhaps, but seldom without the accompanying bitterness.
Some say that Oxford is for Humanities, while Cambridge is for the Sciences. Both Universities deny the contention vehemently, bolstering their arguments for and against the motion with reams of supporting documents and academic logic that is as near impossible to refute as possible. But there seems to be no end to either the yarns or the acrimony with which they are spun or defended.
There is however, one thing that is common to both – a high ground of a shared passion for excellence – Onoto Pens. And there is reason for the same – Onoto fountain pens have been cherished for their reliability, their innovation and sheer British elegance from as far back as 1905 in every part of the world and is perhaps the fittest to carry the proud legacies that the two universities have come to represent.
Pen lovers, collectors and connoisseurs have all appreciated the timelessness that defines an Onoto pen and lovers are just when they claim that whether it is the Oxford motto “Dominus illuminatio mea” (The Lord is my Light) or it is that of the Cambridge “Hinc lucem et pocula scara” (From here Light and Sacred Thoughts) that one writes, they just shine better when written with an Onoto pen.
In the design of these pens, Onoto is known to utilise the University colours within the pinstripes (Cambridge Blue & Oxford Blue). Master craftsmen at Onoto also include the University crest on the cap button in either sterling silver or gold-plated sterling silver, making the pens not only prized possessions that signify one’s achievements but are also worth much more than their weights in any precious metal one would choose for comparison.
Representatives of the company are also known to have attended the graduation ceremonies of the universities to present the pens for the graduates, in furtherance of the furthest mores of British traditions – one guardian of impeccability paying tributes to those passing out from two of the finest examples of British learning.
It will not be out of place to mention here that in the history of writing instruments, Onoto stands proud as a name synonymous with innovation and quality. Since inception, Onnoto pens have been associated with three specific qualities: essential Britishness, ingenious manufacturing excellence and global acceptance due to their uncompromising, even infallible quality standards.
