Platinum 3776

Overview

The Platinum 3776 Century is one of Garry's longest-held pens and, by his own admission in his most recent review, currently his favourite nib of everything he owns. He has two examples: a Bourgogne (deep burgundy/red) pen with a standard 14 karat gold medium nib that he has now owned for over three years, and a more recently acquired black model fitted with a 14 karat gold Music nib (the gold purity is stamped 585). The two share an identical body, size and shape -- only the colour and the nib differ. Despite being one of the pricier Japanese pens in his collection, it has earned a consistently high spot across every review it appears in, and his appreciation for it has clearly grown over time.

Design & Appearance

• Shape: A classic Japanese cigar-style silhouette with domed ends at both the cap and the body, tapering gently along most of its length.
• Cap: Two bands near the base of the cap (a thinner one above a wider one), engraved with 'PLATINUM,' 'MADE IN JAPAN,' and '3776 CENTURY.' Garry has noted in more than one review that the band doesn't sit perfectly centred relative to the clip -- a minor, self-described 'very, very picky' nitpick. The clip is gold-coloured, springy, and on the stiffer side to get a finger under.
• Bourgogne colourway: A deep, translucent burgundy/red material that lets him see the converter inside; he's repeatedly said he loves this colour and how the gold trim sets it off, calling it 'classic' and 'really pretty.' (Note: this colour name is very heavily mis-transcribed throughout his reviews -- see the Fuzzy Match table below.)
• Black colourway (Music nib pen): A simple, plain black body with the same gold trim and banding; Garry describes it as understated but still attractive -- 'it's a black pen, what more can you say really.'
• Cap removal: Around 1.75 turns on both pens.
• Looks scores across reviews: 9/10 (Fountain Pen Focus, Bourgogne), 9/10 (vs Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Bourgogne), 9/10 (vs Sailor ProGear Slim, Bourgogne), 8/10 (Music nib Focus review, black) -> consistently very high.

The Nib

Standard medium nib (Bourgogne pen)

• 14 karat gold, marked '3776,' 'P' for Platinum, 'M' for medium, and a numeric code Garry has read as '525' (though he wasn't fully certain of this in the Focus review).
• Feels stiff/firm -- described more than once as feeling 'like a nail,' but Garry says he genuinely enjoys this: 'I'm getting some really nice feedback... personally I think it's really enjoyable to write with.'
• Runs true to 'Japanese medium' -- noticeably finer than the equivalent medium on several of his other pens (he compares it directly against a Jinhao medium and a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 medium, both of which lay down a wider line).
• In his most recent review (vs the Sailor ProGear Slim) he calls this nib outright 'my favorite nib full stop of all the nibs I've got at the moment,' praising its tactileness and audible feedback.

Music nib (black pen)

• Also 14 karat gold, 585 purity, marked '3776,' the Platinum logo, '14K MUSIC.'
• Designed for music notation -- has two slits (three tines) rather than the usual single slit, giving a stub-like effect with a noticeably wider cross-stroke than down-stroke.
• Stiff, with a quiet 'whisper' of feedback rather than a loud scratch.
• Garry says he was a little apprehensive going in (his first ever music nib) but came away very impressed -- 'wow it is absolutely gorgeous,' 'a stunning line.'
• One minor gripe: the section's lip can occasionally dig into his hand more than he'd like with this particular pen.
• Writing Experience scores: 9/10 (Fountain Pen Focus, Bourgogne), 8/10 (vs Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Bourgogne), 8/10 (vs Sailor ProGear Slim, Bourgogne), 9/10 (Music nib Focus review, black) -> averaging around 8.5/10.

Filling Mechanism

Cartridge/converter. A genuine, repeated point of frustration for Garry: his original (Bourgogne) pen did not come with a converter included, despite the pen's price point -- he had to buy one separately, and was openly annoyed about this, comparing it unfavourably to inexpensive Chinese pens that include a converter as standard. His second pen (the black Music nib model) did come with a converter, which he was pleased about and noted may reflect a recent change in what Platinum includes in the box. All metal fittings inside rule out eyedropper conversion on either pen.

Measurements

Garry repeatedly notes the pen runs on the smaller/shorter side compared to most of his other gold-nib pens -- shorter unposted than the Pilot Metropolitan, and one of his go-to examples of a pen he needs to post for longer writing sessions, despite generally preferring to write unposted.

Writing Experience (Ink Flow & Comfort)

• Ink Flow: Very consistent across reviews -- no hard starts, no skipping. Garry has specifically said the line is thin (true Japanese medium) and that the pen performs best with more highly saturated inks; some lower-saturation inks have disappointed him in the past. In his most recent review, he candidly admits it took him 'a long time to get used to' this pen, not because of the pen itself but because of finding inks with the right viscosity -- once he found a good match, he found the writing experience gorgeous.
  • Ink Flow scores: 8/10 (Focus), 9/10 (vs Pilot Custom Heritage 92), 9/10 (vs Sailor ProGear Slim), 8/10 (Music nib Focus) -> averaging around 8.5/10.
• Comfort: Rated highly despite the section being on the narrow/short side -- Garry says the small lip at the bottom of the section actually works well for where he positions his finger. He does note the pen 'feels a little bit short' unposted and tends to post it for longer sessions.
  • Comfort scores: 8/10 (Focus), 8/10 (vs Sailor ProGear Slim), 8/10 (Music nib Focus) -> a consistent 8/10.

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews and photo logs)

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Pilot Custom Heritage 92 (Fountain Pen Showdown, Bourgogne medium nib, Van Dieman Azure Kingfisher vs Colorverse Hubble Zoom)

Garry loved the look of both pens but gave a slight edge to the Platinum's classic styling. The Pilot was the wetter, softer, juicier writer of the two and edged it on writing experience (9/10 vs 8/10), but Garry found the Platinum's drier ink performance practical for longer writing sessions, and rated ink flow for both equally highly (9/10). He was openly critical that neither pen includes a converter at this price point. Both pens tied on value for money and overall total score.
Platinum 3776 = 8.5/10, Pilot Custom Heritage 92 = 8.75/10

vs Sailor ProGear Slim (Fountain Pen Showdown, Bourgogne medium nib, Diamine Chaos vs Colorverse Red Aurora) -- most recent review

Garry's most glowing review of the pen to date. He called its nib his favourite of any pen he currently owns, praising the tactileness and audible feedback. He rated it equally to the Sailor on looks (9/10 each) and gave it a slightly better ink-flow score than the Sailor (9 vs 8). His one consistent criticism remains size -- 'a bit on the short side and the narrow side' -- but this didn't stop both pens tying on overall score.
Platinum 3776 = 8.33/10, Sailor ProGear Slim = 8.33/10

Music nib vs standard medium nib (introduced and directly contrasted in the Music nib Fountain Pen Focus review)

Garry directly compares his two 3776 pens in this video. The Music nib model came with a converter (unlike his original Bourgogne pen), and he praises the wider, more expressive line the Music nib produces, while still finding it works well as an everyday writer rather than purely for music notation.

Overall Scores Summary

By category (averaged across all reviews where explicitly scored)

Build Quality

Solid and consistently scored 8/10 on every review where rated, for both pens. No threading issues, no cap problems, no nib defects in over three years of ownership of the Bourgogne pen. Garry's only critique throughout is the slightly off-centre alignment between the cap band and the clip -- something he's explicitly called 'very, very picky.'

Value for Money

A genuinely two-sided picture. On one hand, Garry consistently rates value for money at 8/10 across every review, citing the quality of the 14 karat gold nib, the writing experience, and the overall Japanese-pen build quality. On the other hand, he has repeatedly and specifically criticised Platinum for not including a converter with the Bourgogne pen at this price point, calling it 'an insult' given how much the pen costs, especially compared to far cheaper Chinese pens that include one as standard. He notes Platinum appears to have since started including converters with at least some models, as his later black Music nib pen came with one.

Key Recurring Themes

1. Genuinely his favourite nib -- in his most recent review, Garry states outright that the Bourgogne 3776's medium nib is his favourite of any pen he currently owns, for its tactileness and audible feedback.
2. A heavily mis-transcribed colour name -- 'Bourgogne' comes through as a different garbled phrase in almost every video that mentions it; see the Fuzzy Match table below.
3. Missing converter on the original pen -- a specific, repeated criticism, contrasted with the later Music nib pen which did include one.
4. Runs small -- consistently described as shorter and narrower than most of his other gold-nib pens, and one he tends to post for longer writing sessions despite generally preferring pens unposted.
5. Needs the right ink -- best paired with more saturated inks; less-saturated inks have disappointed him in the past, and he says it took him a while to find ink pairings he was happy with.
6. Stiff, tactile nib feel across both grinds -- both the medium and the Music nib are described as stiff/firm with good tactile and audible feedback, which Garry consistently says he enjoys.
7. Two pens, one shared design -- identical body, size, and shape between his Bourgogne (medium) and black (Music nib) pens; only the colour and the nib grind differ.
8. Consistently high scores despite the price -- repeatedly described as expensive but worth it, with total scores clustering between 8.17 and 8.5 out of 10 across four separate reviews.

Source Files

• Pens/Pen Details/Platinum 3776
• Pens/Pages/Platinum 3776 Century - Fountain Pen Focus
• Pens/Pages/Platinum 3776 Century Bourgogne - Unboxing and First Impressions
• Pens/Pages/Pilot Custom Heritage 92 vs Platinum 3776 Century - Fountain Pen Showdown
• Pens/Pages/Platinum 3776 Century Fountain Pen - A Music Nib Revealed!
• Pens/Pages/Is the Platinum 3776 Music Nib the Boldest Fountain Pen Ever?
• Pens/Pages/Sailor vs Platinum: Which Japanese Pen Wins?
• Pens/Pages/Page 181
• Pens/Pages/Page 271
• Pens/Pages/Page 69
• Pens/Pages/Page 4
• Pens/Pages/Page 372
• Pens/Pages/Page 213
• Photos/Page 367

#summary