Vintage and Antique OMAS Pens

The forerunner of Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni (OMAS), which was founded in Bologna, Italy, in 1925, was a shop run by Armando Simoni to repair fountain pens, mostly made in the UK and US. Before long, though, OMAS was producing its own pens. Initially, these were knockoffs of Waterman pens and the Parker Duofold, but OMAS also gained experience when it manufactured pens for the Milan retailer E.E. Ercolessi, a relationship that lasted into the 1950s. By 1927, OMAS had introduced its Doctor's Pen, which earned its name because of the small thermometer that was built into the pen's body, held in place by a screw cap. And in 1931, OMAS introduced the 12-sided Extra, which allowed writers to shift from fountain pen to ballpoint. During the 1930s, OMAS embraced colorful celluloid as the material of choice for the bodies of its pens. Collectible vintage OMAS pens from this decade include the Lucens and Extra Lucens. After World War II, OMAS released the 361, whose torpedo shape bore a striking resemblance to the Parker 51, which had been released just before the war.