Why it belongs in ORBIS
OMAS — the name is short for Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni — was founded in Bologna in 1925 by Armando Simoni and became one of Italy's defining fountain-pen houses on the strength of its celluloid barrels and faceted Bologna and Paragon silhouettes.
OMAS — the name is short for Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni — was founded in Bologna in 1925 by Armando Simoni and became one of Italy's defining fountain-pen houses on the strength of its celluloid barrels and faceted Bologna and Paragon silhouettes. Ownership changed hands repeatedly in its later decades: LVMH acquired the company from Simoni's heirs in 2000, Hong Kong's Hengdeli Holdings took a 90% stake in 2007, and Chinese firm O-Luxe bought it in 2011. None of those owners kept it profitable. O-Luxe closed OMAS in November 2015, and the company entered voluntary liquidation in January 2016, ceasing all trading — a genuine closure, not a slowdown.
The brand was revived in 2023, working with the Armando Simoni Club collector group and securing exclusive access to some of the original celluloid stock alongside newer materials, and now operates a boutique at Via del Fonditore 10 in Bologna. Its current Bologna collection reproduces the pre-war faceted silhouette in Diamoncast resin colors designed to echo 1930s celluloid, while running a separate service line for restoring vintage OMAS pens from before the 2016 closure.
The current Bologna workshop continues the revived name; the historical business had an eight-year production gap before this incarnation began.