The best Q gadget in GoldenEye is a pen that is a pen. The Parker Jotter is a standard production ballpoint, made since 1954, and the film’s class-4 grenade is a prop disguised as one. That is why the Parker Jotter works as a gift: it is a real tool that happens to carry a good story, and Parker still makes it in stainless steel with the arrow clip.
In the film
Q gives Pierce Brosnan’s Bond the pen as a class-4 grenade: three clicks arm the fuse. Bond carries it during the Arecibo raid, and it later explodes, letting him escape. Creative Bloq notes that the exploding pen in GoldenEye is a Parker Jotter adapted by Q Branch. A Jotter also appears earlier in the series, in Thunderball, where Largo seems to use a black and steel one at the SPECTRE meeting. Our GoldenEye page has the rest of the film’s objects.
The details
The Jotter is a retractable ballpoint introduced in 1954; Wikipedia records more than 750 million sold. The arrow clip replaced the earlier ball clip in 1958. Today Parker describes a stainless steel barrel and cap, an arrowhead clip, a click action and a Quinkflow ballpoint refill that can be swapped for a Quinkflow gel refill. Choose the stainless steel with chrome trim, because that is the one that looks like the pen in the film.
Using it now
A Jotter belongs in a jacket pocket or a bag, not on a desk set. It is cheap enough to lose and good enough not to mind. We would keep one for signing receipts and taking notes in a meeting, and keep a better pen for letters.
Pen Heaven lists the Jotter family between roughly US$0 and US$74, with ballpoint, pencil and fountain pen versions; the ballpoint is the one in the film.
In the same spirit
An alternative from our catalogue, also from Parker. It is not the pen from this film.
- Parker Vector Matte Black CT Rollerball Pen (Skyfall): a plain, well-made Parker for the same everyday use.
Specifications
| Maker | Parker |
|---|---|
| Model | Jotter, stainless steel |
| Type | Retractable ballpoint, click action |
| Refill | Quinkflow ballpoint, medium nib, blue ink |
| Introduced | 1954 |
| Price | Under US$37 for most Jotter ballpoints at Pen Heaven, October 2026 |
Questions
What pen does Q give Bond in GoldenEye?
A Parker Jotter, adapted as a class-4 grenade. Three clicks arm it.
Is the Parker Jotter still made?
Yes. Parker lists the Jotter in stainless steel and in other finishes.
Does the pen really explode?
No. The grenade is a film prop. The real Jotter is an ordinary ballpoint.
For more of the Brosnan years, see the Pierce Brosnan page or browse gadgets and electronics. Parker’s Jotter collection shows the current range.
