French brand Conté was established in 1795 when painter, chemist, physicist and hot air balloonist, Nicolar-Jacques Conté, invented a method for developing different hardness levels of graphite which any pencil-lover will know, was a huge breakthrough. These pencils are from the 1960s, preceding the company's merger with Bic in the 1970s. 

In the Criterium 550 3H pencil, it's easy to see Conté's expertise in perfecting hardness levels, it delivers a beautiful, crisp line for a pencil of this hardness.

Single unsharpened pencil