The most elegant pen  

the Mont Blanc
Meisterstuck
everytime
http://www.montblanc.com/111.php

Aurora Hastil, hands down.
International stylus!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Aurora-Hastil-Stainless-Steel-Fountain-Pen-New_W0QQi...

I agree with Robert..
The Meisterstuck range wins my vote, especially the old jade one, but to be honest for everyday work i use either my old Parker fountain or the nearest Biro!.

I have used an Aurora
since 1972 and I agree with Geo, there is nothing like it. Marco Zanuso did a great job and Hastil shaped the Stainless Steel perfectly. I can understand the charm of the architypical Mont Blanc but that has nothing to do with beauty. It is a rather conservative point of view enhanced by the search for social status that is linked to the name...it has nothing to do with the pen.

Hi Koen..
Just to say.. Im not searching for any kind of social status, at least i dont think so!,i just like my old pen, to me it is great looking and an old friend. However, as i have said i am a great fan of the Biro too, or is that me searching for an inverse social status?,im confused now.

aurora as well
my favourite is a thick black resin rollerball with little ornamentation:
http://www.fahrneyspens.com/item--i-110728--m-02_11_14.html

Its not human designed, but if you've ever used one...
an old fashion feather dipped in ink has millions of years of evolutionary design behind it and its just plain fun to use.

For me..........
The Mont Blanc, for me, IS totally about the pen, it is beautifully made of good materials, and does it job perfectly.
The 'social status' is of no consequence to me whatsoever.
But on that subject, surely some of that 'status' must have been earned ?
The title reffered to the word 'elegant'
and for me this is precisely what I feel about my Mont Blanc, I accept this word can mean different things to different people ..
I'll check out the Aurora though ;o)

The Holy Trinity of Pens
Back in the 1970s, I read a magazine piece (long since misplaced -- in The Atlantic Monthly?) celebrating the unlikely survival of the fountain pen.
Computers as writing tools were unknown, of course. But on TV you could see the disposable Bic Crystal ballpoint penetrate a one-inch plank after being fired from a rifle, and still write practically forever. How whimsical, the article suggested, to think that fountain-pen makers continued to sell those leaky little anachronisms, and even bravely introduce new models. Three photos illustrated the story: the old-school Montblanc Diplomat, and two brand-new pens: the Aurora Hastil (high-end International elegance) and the Lamy Safari (rugged functionality, in its original field-strippable form). Over the course of a few months, all three came into my possession, thanks to my sensitive and considerate wife. And all three rest on my desk this morning, each well-used and each perfect in its own way.
It occurs to me, as I type this, that that trio of pens did more to introduce me to product design than anything I've seen, read about, or used since. Happy new year!

Classy Post
Happy New Year :o)

Just about any Japanese rollerball
I tend to think Japanese fine-point rollerball pens deliver the most elegant lines, although the pens themselves might not stand out cosmetically.
I suspect the Japanese require extra precision in order to form their intricate characters. Some pens are as fine as .18mm and can form gorgeous Roman letters.

I think Robert 1960 has helped to define my question
...and in fact will prompt me to start a new thread that I think will really provoke a lot of repies. I recognize that there a a great many pens that perform beautifully - especially with respect to the cost vs. utility perspective. There are some that - regardless of price - offer stunning beauty and quality of materials and workmanship. But what I was alluding to was best addressed with the word elegance. And that will be the topic of what I hope to be a rigorously engaging question.

Geo H.
See how important the pen is with respect to design?
I guess that's why "The pen is mightier than the sword!"