Products Cross - these are, first of all, elite writing instruments, stylish, functional and not infrequently expensive. The main range includes fountain pens, rollerball pens, ballpoint pens and pencils. In addition, various stationery items are produced, also belonging to the elite category: organizers, cases for business and credit cards, cases for documents, key rings, cufflinks, etc. Moreover, wristwatches can also be found under the Cross trademark. When creating all this diversity, materials such as genuine leather, precious stones, gold and silver are often used.
The history of the company began in 1846, when an emigrant Alonzo Cross, a jeweler by profession and an inventor by vocation, started his own business, settling in the American city of Rhode Island. Initially, he was engaged in the creation of elegant gold and silver cases for ordinary pencils. The rich imagination of the jeweler allowed him to create many unusual and attractive products that quickly won the hearts of buyers.
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| Набор шариковых ручек Century II Classic Black — 23 карата золота (image from the official website) |
Somewhat later, Alonso invents a mechanical pencil, the lead of which could be extended and hidden at will. The principle of operation developed by him is still used in similar products. In 1879, he patents a stylographic pen that writes with liquid ink. On the basis of such pens, ballpoint pens, so familiar today, will later be created. To date, A. T. Cross Company owns more than 20 patents in the field of writing instruments.
The company entered the world market in 1962.
Head Office A. T. Cross Company located in Rhode Island, USA (Rhode Island, USA). Products are distributed almost everywhere - in more than 150 countries around the world.
Interesting fact:
Talking about products Cross, it is impossible not to mention crosspad. It was the first attempt of the company to join the world of high technologies. In 1997 Cross, together with IBM представили устройство распознавания рукописного текста — специальный планшет, на котором крепились листы бумаги, с ручкой, внешне не отличимой от обычной, способной писать. Все написанное на бумаге переводилось в электронный формат, который затем распознавался на компьютере. Встроенной памяти crosspad хватало для хранения написанного на 50 листах бумаги. В 1998 году появилась уменьшенная версия устройства — CrossPad XP.
The novelty did not have commercial success and in 2001 its production was discontinued.
