Ballpoints · Plate 7 / 23
Caran d'Ache·CH·ballpoint
Caran d'Ache
849
FaceMePLS, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY · commons.wikimedia.org
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The 849 has kept its essentials since launch: a hexagonal aluminium barrel, a click mechanism worked by a button at the end, and the high-capacity Goliath refill. The hexagon is not decoration — it settles the grip and keeps the pen from rolling off a sloped desk. It quotes the wooden pencil, translated into metal.
Caran d'Ache both designs and manufactures the 849 in its own Geneva workshops. The distinction matters, because in this bracket "Swiss" often describes the design while assembly happens elsewhere. It is also worth knowing what the Swiss Made marking actually asserts: it is a legal origin claim requiring the main manufacturing step to occur in Switzerland and at least 60% of production costs to arise there. It does not assert that the aluminium is Swiss too.
The knock is threaded, so changing a refill starts with unscrewing it from the back of the barrel. That thread turns out to matter more than it looks — it is what governs the barrel's tolerance for other makers' refills.
The refill, and what gets repeated about it
A claim has settled online that the Goliath is a Parker G2 refill. It is not, and the mismatch runs one way. Goliath measures 96.8 mm against the 98.4 mm typical of G2, and its rear cap differs, so it will not work in a barrel built for G2. The reverse can work: a G2 refill will enter an 849 barrel, but it is too long — either the tip protrudes when retracted or the mechanism fails to catch. Unscrewing the knock by one or two turns fixes it, verified with Jetstream SXR, Schmidt P900 and EasyFlow 9000 refills.
Put differently: the 849 accepts G2 refills, but it is not a G2 pen. The difference matters to anyone buying refills in quantity.
What we could not confirm
Several claims circulate about the 849 that do not survive a look at the sources.
Presence in design museum collections — we searched the Cooper Hewitt database and eMuseum.ch, which covers Swiss holdings including the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. The only Caran d'Ache object in the latter is a box of pencils from around 1950. Not a pen.
The postage stamp — a retailer's article credits the 849 with appearing on a Swiss stamp. The Swiss foreign ministry's own portal attributes the 2005 Swiss Post stamp to the Fixpencil pencil. Until that is settled, we treat the claim as unconfirmed.
Production scale — the figure in circulation is over 15 million units since launch. The manufacturer publishes none of its own. Fifteen million across fifty-seven years is artisanal rather than mass scale, and nowhere near the threshold at which we speak of sales in the hundreds of millions.
The dimensions in the specification come from specialist retailers, not from the manufacturer. The Caran d'Ache product page lists packaging dimensions only.
Specification
- Introduced
- 1969
- Status
- in production
- Category
- ballpoint
- Designed in
- CH
- Made in
- CH
- Mechanism
- click
- Cross-section
- hexagonal
- Materials
- aluminium, nickel-plated steel (button)
- Finishes
- electrostatic powder coating, electrochemical treatment, microbead blasting
- Length
- 128 mm
- Diameter
- 8 mm
- Weight
- 16 g
- Market tier
- mid
Refill
- Standard
- Caran d'Ache Goliath
- Factory code
- 8428.000
The knock is threaded, so changing a refill means unscrewing it from the back of the barrel. That same thread is why the barrel tolerates refills of slightly different lengths.
Refills that fit
- Parker G2confirmedIt fits, but it is not a drop-in replacement: a G2 refill is about 1.6 mm longer than a Goliath, so either the tip protrudes when retracted or the mechanism fails to catch. The fix is to unscrew the knock by one or two turns. Verified with Uni-ball Jetstream SXR, Schmidt P900 and Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 refills. The widespread claim that Goliath is a G2 refill is false.
Legend rubric
Criteria met 3 of 7
A model qualifies on at least two criteria. Every criterion marked as met must cite a source.
Longevity
metprimary sourceUninterrupted production since 1969, stated by the manufacturer on the product page. The hexagonal aluminium barrel, end button and sprung clip are unchanged; what varies is finish and colour editions.
Caran d'Ache — 849 Classic Line Ballpoint Pen (Ref. 849.009) · The Pen Addict — Caran d'Ache 849 Claim Your Style review (2019)
Design recognition
not metNo confirmation found. Searched the Cooper Hewitt collection database (no results for the brand) and eMuseum.ch, which covers Swiss holdings including the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich — the only Caran d'Ache object is a box of pencils from around 1950, not a pen. The MoMA collection could not be queried directly. Until an accession record surfaces, the criterion stands unmet.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum — wyszukiwanie kolekcji: Caran d'Ache · eMuseum.ch — wyszukiwanie zbiorów szwajcarskich: Caran d'Ache
Technical first
not metNo solution introduced by the 849 was found to have become an industry standard. The hexagonal aluminium barrel quotes the wooden pencil rather than solving anything new. The Goliath refill is a proprietary format that no other maker adopted — the opposite of an industry standard.
Cultural footprint
not metLeads checked: space mission, act of state, film role, postage stamp. The only concrete one — a retailer's claim that the 849 appeared on a Swiss stamp — is contradicted by an institutional source: the Swiss foreign ministry's portal attributes the 2005 Swiss Post stamp to the Fixpencil, not to the 849.
Hamilton Pens — Icons: Caran d'Ache 849 · About Switzerland (MSZ Szwajcarii) — Caran d'Ache
Scale
not metThe figures found are two orders of magnitude below the threshold. A French review site reports over 15 million units since launch; the manufacturer publishes no figures of its own. The rubric's threshold is hundreds of millions.
Enthusiast canon
metsecondary sourcePresent in the recommendations of two independent outlets across several years: The Gentleman Stationer (2018) and The Pen Addict (2019, 2020). Not a single review, and not a passing fashion.
The Gentleman Stationer — Pen Review: Caran d'Ache 849 (2018) · The Pen Addict — Caran d'Ache 849 Claim Your Style review (2019) · The Pen Addict — Cult Pens x Caran d'Ache 849 review (2020)
Practice influence
metprimary sourceMet, and not on the strength of reviews. There is a repeatable, step-by-step documented practice of modifying the 849 to take third-party refills. A Fountain Pen Network thread gives concrete procedures: Parker/G2-style refills fit but sit about 1 mm too long and need trimming; a Pilot G2 refill requires removing the black plug, cutting roughly 10 mm off, refitting the plug, and shortening the return spring by about half; a Fisher Space Pen refill needs a home-made spacer. An older FPN thread describes a complete Zebra F-refill mod: the cut-off top of a spent G2 refill glued on as an extension, plus sanding down the refill cone (the author reports 50 out of 50 successful clicks). Two independent user blogs corroborate the practice, describing trimming refills with a craft knife and tuning length by backing the knock off a turn or two. The Parker/G2 conversion functions as a named practice: 'refill hack' in English, 'ジェットストリーム化' (Jetstream-ification) in Japanese. On top of that a parts market exists: Japan's UNUS Product Service manufactures the CD-01 adapter, which converts cheap 4C refills into the shape of the proprietary Goliath refill — a part made specifically for this pen's refill format, not a universal refill that happens to fit.
Caran D'ache 849 Refill Hacks? — The Fountain Pen Network · Caran d'Ache ballpoint refills - hacks? — The Fountain Pen Network · Refill Hacks: Alternatives for the Caran d'Ache 849 Ballpoint — The Gentleman Stationer · Gel Refills for My Caran d'Ache 849 Goldbar — Three Staples · カランダッシュでジェットストリームなどの4C替え芯が使えるアダプタが最高だった
Where to buy
We do not list prices. We list a market tier and the date each link was last checked.
- Caran d'Acheglobalmanufacturerverified 08/11/2026
Model confirmed in the manufacturer's catalogue (Ref. 849.009). At the time of checking every variant verified was flagged as temporarily unavailable, with a notify-me option.
- WysockiPLspecialistverified 08/11/2026
Polish retailer, domestic shipping.
- Sklep FCPLspecialistverified 08/11/2026
Polish retailer with a broad range of 849 colour variants.
- The Pen CompanyUKspecialistverified 08/11/2026
Related models
Sources
- 01Caran d'Ache — 849 Classic Line Ballpoint Pen (Ref. 849.009)
manufacturer · accessed 08/11/2026
Since 1969, the 849™ ballpoint pen has been the ideal day-to-day companion.
- 02Caran d'Ache — Swiss Made
manufacturer · accessed 08/11/2026
Since 1915, Caran d'Ache has conceived and manufactured products exclusively in its Geneva workshops.
- 03The Gentleman Stationer — Pen Review: Caran d'Ache 849 (2018)
community · accessed 08/11/2026
- 04The Pen Addict — Caran d'Ache 849 Claim Your Style review (2019)
community · accessed 08/11/2026
- 05The Pen Addict — Cult Pens x Caran d'Ache 849 review (2020)
community · accessed 08/11/2026
- 06The Gentleman Stationer — Hacking refills: alternatives for the Caran d'Ache 849 ballpoint
community · accessed 08/11/2026
I typically unscrew the knock one or two turns, which pulls the tip of the refill back into the barrel
- 07The Refill Guide — Caran d'Ache Goliath ballpoint refill
other · accessed 08/11/2026
it is too short and doesn't have the correct rear cap to work in pens that take those refills
- 08
- 09Pen Venture — Caran d'Ache 849 Classic Line
retailer · accessed 08/11/2026
- weight (overall): 16 grams
- 10Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum — wyszukiwanie kolekcji: Caran d'Ache
museum · accessed 08/11/2026
- 11eMuseum.ch — wyszukiwanie zbiorów szwajcarskich: Caran d'Ache
museum · accessed 08/11/2026
- 12Hamilton Pens — Icons: Caran d'Ache 849
retailer · accessed 08/11/2026
- 13About Switzerland (MSZ Szwajcarii) — Caran d'Ache
press · accessed 08/11/2026
- 14Choisir son stylo — Test et avis: Caran d'Ache 849
press · accessed 08/11/2026
Vendu à plus de 15 millions d'exemplaires depuis sa création
- 15Caran D'ache 849 Refill Hacks? — The Fountain Pen Network
community · accessed 08/12/2026
The Pilot G2 refill fits the 849 barrel, no sanding needed, but the refill would need to have the black 'plug' at the top removed, then about 10mm cut off the refill, then the plug put back on.
- 16Caran d'Ache ballpoint refills - hacks? — The Fountain Pen Network
community · accessed 08/12/2026
cut the top off an old G2 refill, a little longer than the difference in length btw the Zebra and Goliath refills
- 17Refill Hacks: Alternatives for the Caran d'Ache 849 Ballpoint — The Gentleman Stationer
press · accessed 08/12/2026
Step One: Unscrew the knock at the back of the Caran d'Ache 849 and remove the Goliath refill.
- 18Gel Refills for My Caran d'Ache 849 Goldbar — Three Staples
community · accessed 08/12/2026
While searching, I came across an adapter by a Japanese company UNUS Product Service that allows many other ballpoint refills to be used with the 849.
- 19カランダッシュでジェットストリームなどの4C替え芯が使えるアダプタが最高だった
community · accessed 08/12/2026
4C規格の替え芯を、このアダプタに差し込みます。するとこんな感じに——。この形。ゴリアットリフィルのそれと同じ形になるのです。