Pilot Vanishing Point 2023 Limited Edition - 60th Anniversary - Kanreki

2023 marks the 60th anniversary of Pilot's Vanishing Point ("Capless" in Japan), world's first retractable fountain pen that was unveiled on October 21st, 1963. The 2023 Limited Edition of Vanishing Point, Kanreki, celebrates the precision and elegance of this revolutionary fountain pen. Kanreki (還暦), the celebration of 60 years of life, comes from the traditional Japanese calendar, where 60 years is also the mark of a completed calendar cycle and symbolizes rebirth. This Vanishing Point features a striking red color to represent protection, in high gloss finish, with matte black accents and a 18-karat gold rhodium plated, black nib. Celebrate 60 years of Vanishing Point with this beautiful pen on October 21st, 2023!

Pilot Capless/Vanishing Point. In 1963, Pilot released the first ever retractable fountain pen. After clicking the push button, the nib slides forward and pushes the lid down. By clicking the push button again, the nib retracts and the lid springs up, shutting the gap air-tight to prevent the ink from drying out. The nib is slim to fit inside the pen, and it folds down to grab the feed tightly to handle the constant movements. 
The very first version of Capless was actually a much more complicated mechanism to twist and expose the nib — and it was a result of 6 years research. It’s also worth noting that after the war in Japan, the businesses were booming, and many brands were willing to invest in product developments. Many brands we mentioned before such as Midori (Dimond Memo), Radar (SEED eraser) and Sailor (first ballpoint, first ink cartridge and first 21K gold nib) all had some notable products around this time. Pilot, too, was busy. Aside from Capless, Elite and Custom Series were introduced, and the first 0.5mm ballpoint with stainless steel tip was introduced by Pilot as well. For the past 50 years, there has been 11 different generations of Capless.