Cross pens are not especially popular in the UK.  I’ve never understood quite why this is so.  Perhaps it’s because they have tended to be traditional – nay, old-fashioned.  That changed, I think, when they introduced the Verve some years ago.  This is anything but traditional pen.

It’s quite a large pen at 14.9 cm and nearly 16 cm posted.  It is said that the nibs are made by Namiki and I would be quite prepared to believe that as it’s a splendid writer.  Some people have complained about this pen being too short but that makes no sense to me.  It’s a decidedly long pen posted.  Of course there are many longer pens but I fail to see why the length of this one, which is greater than many others, should be regarded as short.

The design seems to be three elongated ovals, the pen itself being one, the clip assembly being another and the nib being the third.  Aesthetically, that works well for me and practically it seems good too.  The clip fits snugly against its surround and it is activated by pressing the very top.  The tubular nib is a very pleasing design.  This one appears to be platinum over gold – it’s silver coloured but marked 18K.  It is a medium and as I said above it’s a delightful writer.

Discontinued now, I believe that the Verve was designed to counter Cross’s reputation for conservative pens.  It certainly did that.  Now they have the Peerless, Apogy and Affinity ranges which, while not as unusual as the Verve, are not quite as conservative as their Townsend range.