Great Characters Homage to Bruce Lee Limited Edition 1940 Rollerball

A lean figure flies through the air, the soles of his feet pointing forwards like a drawn arrow. It’s an image inextricably linked with the name Bruce Lee. The actor, director, philosopher and martial arts legend set the standard which is still aspired to today. Born in San Francisco in 1940, he grew up in Hong Kong and was from the very start the embodiment of two worlds: East and West. Films such as The Big Boss (1971) or Fist of Fury (1972) and a legendary fight scene in The Way of the Dragon (1972) made him famous all over the world. It was the fusion of exemplary physique, philosophical depth and screen presence which made him so distinctive and prompted Montblanc to dedicate the Great Characters Homage to Bruce Lee Limited Edition 1940 to this pioneer of the martial arts genre and in particular to Bruce Lee the director. Bruce Lee’s birth on 27 November 1940 coincided not only with the hour but also the year of the dragon. A dragon also plays a defining role in the design of the Limited Edition 1940: a drawing of this scaly mythological creature, made by Bruce Lee, was the inspiration behind the yellow lacquered dragon motif on the gold-coated cap and barrel. In acknowledgement of Lee’s merits as a director and actor, the matt gold-coated cone features a pattern reminiscent of the adjustment ring on a film camera. The legendary outfit worn by Bruce Lee in the film “Game of Death”, inspired the choice of colour for the edition. Yellow lacquer inlays on cap and barrel present a contrast to the two stripes of black lacquer. The gold-coated clip of the Great Characters Homage to Bruce Lee Limited Edition 1940 is modelled on a stick of a nunchaku, while the cap ring is reminiscent of a bamboo cane. The delicate rendering of the Chinese sign for ‘dragon’ on the Montblanc emblem made of mother-of-pearl is a further tribute to Bruce Lee, the ‘Little Dragon’.