If you want to see a tour de force of modÂern techÂnolÂoÂgy and design, there’s no need to visÂit a SilÂiÂcon ValÂley showÂroom. Just feel around your desk for a few moments, and soonÂer or latÂer you’ll lay a hand on it: the BIC Cristal ballÂpoint pen, which is described in the PriÂmal Space video above as “posÂsiÂbly the most sucÂcessÂful prodÂuct ever made.” Not long after its introÂducÂtion in 1950, the Cristal became ubiqÂuiÂtous around the world, so ideÂalÂly did it suit human needs at a price that would have seemed imposÂsiÂbly cheap not so very long ago — to say nothÂing of the sevÂenÂteenth cenÂtuÂry, when the art of writÂing demandÂed masÂtery of the quill and inkpot.
Of course, writÂing itself was of litÂtle use in those days to humanÂiÂty’s illitÂerÂate majorÂiÂty. That began to change with the invenÂtion of the founÂtain pen, which was cerÂtainÂly more conÂveÂnient than the quill, but still proÂhibÂiÂtiveÂly expenÂsive even to most of those who could read. It was only at the end of the nineÂteenth cenÂtuÂry, a heady age of AmerÂiÂcan ingeÂnuÂity, that an invenÂtor called John Loud came up with the first ballÂpoint pen.
Though crude and impracÂtiÂcal, Loud’s design plantÂed the techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal seed that would be culÂtiÂvatÂed thereÂafter by othÂers, like LasÂzÂlo Biro, who underÂstood the advanÂtage of using oil-based rather than traÂdiÂtionÂal water-based ink, and French manÂuÂfacÂturÂer MarÂcel Bich, who had access to the techÂnolÂoÂgy that could bring the ballÂpoint pen to its final form.
Bich (the forÂeign proÂnunÂciÂaÂtion of whose surÂname inspired the brand name BIC) figÂured out how to use Swiss watchÂmakÂing machines to mass-proÂduce tiny stainÂless steel balls to preÂcise specÂiÂfiÂcaÂtions. He chose to manÂuÂfacÂture the rest of the pen out of moldÂed plasÂtic, a then-new techÂnolÂoÂgy. The Cristal’s clear body allowed the ink levÂel to be seen at all times, and its hexagÂoÂnal shape stopped it from rolling off desks. Its polypropyÂlene lid wouldÂn’t break when dropped, and it douÂbled as a clip to boot. What did this “game changÂer” avant la letÂtre cost when it came to marÂket? The equivÂaÂlent of two dolÂlars. As an indusÂtriÂal prodÂuct, the BIC Cristal has in many respects nevÂer been surÂpassed (over 100 bilÂlion have been sold to date), even by the ultra-high-tech cellÂphones or tablets on which you may be readÂing this post. Bear that in mind the next time you’re strugÂgling with one, patchiÂly zigzagÂging back and forth on a page in an attempt to get the ink out that you’re sure must be in there someÂwhere.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
MontÂblanc Unveils a New Line of Miles Davis Pens … and (Kind of) Blue Ink
Based in Seoul, ColÂin Marshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities and the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles. FolÂlow him on the social netÂwork forÂmerÂly known as TwitÂter at @colinmarshall.
The BIC Cristal is the OG tech minÂiÂmalÂist icon — no apps, no updates, just perÂfectÂly engiÂneered ink delivÂery for less than a buck. In a world of smartÂphones and AI, this litÂtle plasÂtic stick still does one thing flawÂlessÂly: refusÂing to work when you need it most.
That’s when any smart perÂson applies a BIC lighter to it to get the ink flowÂing again. The BIC lighter also one of the most sucÂcessÂful invenÂtions in hisÂtoÂry too!