Caran d'Ache and MB&F launch a rocket-inspired pen that's out of this world

Thanks to visionaries like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, private space travel seems like a not-too-distant possibility. In the meantime, would-be space travellers can feed their fascination with what lies beyond our planet with the new collaboration between avant-garde independent watch brand MB&F and premium penmaker Caran d’Ache.

Comprising 99 parts and requiring more than 500 manual operations to build, the Astrograph is a rhodium-plated fountain pen designed to resemble a space rocket. Flicking a lever on the pen lowers three metal legs that form its “landing gear”. The nib is made from 18-carat gold and plated with rhodium, although a roller-pen version is available as well.

(RELATED: Fans of MB&F would probably recognise Maximilian Busser's inventive streak in this pen.)

A brilliant bonus: The pen comes with a tiny magnetic astronaut that can be tacked anywhere on it. And because it’s better displayed rather than kept in a shirt pocket, the US$19,900 (S$27,600) satin-finished instrument comes with a nifty launch pad.

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They made only 99 of these, so if you're looking for a functional objet d'art or a gift for someone who has everything, start enquiring.