BIC launched the Cristal ballpoint pen in 1950.
The pen was created by French company Société PPA, founded by Marcel Bich and Édouard Buffard. Bich adapted the inexpensive, reliable ballpoint design developed by Hungarian inventor László Bíró and began selling it in France under the BIC name. Its transparent hexagonal barrel, capped end, and tungsten-carbide ball made it practical to manufacture and easy for users to monitor.
The Cristal became a landmark of disposable writing instruments because it delivered consistent ink flow at a low price. Its hexagonal shape also reduced rolling and resembled the familiar form of a wooden pencil. The brand name “BIC” came from a shortened form of Bich’s surname, not from the word “bicycle.” Although many people call every inexpensive ballpoint a “Biro,” Biro is associated with the inventor and a separate brand tradition; the BIC Cristal became the widely distributed French design.