Fountain Pens And Brain Science: Why Handwriting Is Making A Comeback

A revived Swiss fountain pen brand and new brain science converge on the same thesis: handwriting activates neural networks that keyboards miss.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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A Swiss fountain pen brand, Piguet Genève, went dormant for 50 years before being revived by a Turkish entrepreneur, Samet Memişoğlu. The business logic looked counterintuitive given the growth in digital writing instruments, but Memişoğlu is betting on the cognitive benefits of handwriting that recent neuroscience research has validated.

Why it matters

The revival of Piguet Genève and the growing demand for fountain pens highlights how handwriting, despite the digitalization of the world, is making a comeback. This is driven by new brain science that shows handwriting activates neural networks that typing cannot, leading to benefits like improved memory and cognition.

The details

Piguet Genève was founded in 1959 in Geneva but went dormant in the late 1970s due to the quartz crisis. In 2019, Memişoğlu, the chairman of Turkish pen manufacturer Kalemsan, bought the dormant brand and revived it. Despite the global writing instruments market being dominated by digital tools, Piguet has found success selling fountain pens priced between $250 and $3,000 and exporting to 13 countries. Memişoğlu believes the desire to write by hand has not changed, even as the techniques have evolved.

  • Piguet Genève was founded in 1959 in Geneva.
  • The brand went dormant in the late 1970s due to the quartz crisis.
  • Memişoğlu bought the dormant brand and revived it in 2019.

The players

Piguet Genève

A Swiss fountain pen brand that was founded in 1959 and went dormant in the late 1970s before being revived by a Turkish entrepreneur in 2019.

Samet Memişoğlu

The chairman of Turkish pen manufacturer Kalemsan who bought the dormant Piguet Genève brand in 2019 and revived it.

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What they’re saying

“In the luxury segment, everyone talks about watches and handbags — watches for men, bags for women. But in the smaller accessories, there's almost no market. Pens are different. Despite the digitalizing world, there is an incredible demand for fountain pens right now. People don't want to give up this pleasure. They don't want to lose it.”

— Samet Memişoğlu, Chairman, Kalemsan (Forbes)

“Neurologists today are shouting: please write by hand to prevent Alzheimer's. Take notes, write your memories. Because the act of writing keeps the brain alive. Writing is an act that develops the brain.”

— Samet Memişoğlu, Chairman, Kalemsan (Forbes)

What’s next

The growing demand for fountain pens and the cognitive benefits of handwriting highlighted in this story suggest that more schools may reintroduce mandatory handwriting instruction in the future, as some U.S. states have already done.

The takeaway

The revival of Piguet Genève and the resurgence of fountain pens is driven by new brain science showing the cognitive advantages of handwriting over typing. This trend suggests that the desire to write by hand has not diminished, even as digital tools have become more prevalent, and that there is a market for products that cater to this preference and the associated mental benefits.