Pen Has Write Stuff for Holiday Success : Merchandising: A computer-age backlash? The Rolex of Christmas 1989? Whatever the reason, sales of high-priced pens have skyrocketed.

NEW YORK — It doesn’t need batteries or microchips--just the push of a few fingers and the fuel of inspiration. But it’s one of the hottest-selling items of the season.

Behold, the pen.

Not just any pen, however. These pens are heavy with tradition, lacquer and snob appeal--the new must-have accessory for the Rolex watch set. Sales of fine writing instruments are skyrocketing this Christmas, with some retailers reporting increases of up to 70%.

“It’s incredible,” said Bill Wendell, marketing manager for Waterman pens. “We can sell every pen we make, and we’ll double sales this year.”

Unlike fad gifts of Christmases past--the pet rock, the Walkman, Giorgio perfume--the pen is a time-honored piece. Puccini used a Parker to write “La Boheme.” A Waterman scripted the end of World War I when it was used to sign the Treaty of Versailles.

Updated to the ‘90s, the pen with a three- to four-digit price tag is an affirmation of success.

“Some people say it’s a rebellion against computers,” said Lisa Sawyers, manager of Pen & Paper in Nashville, Tenn. “People are tired of everything being faxed and computerized. The art of letter writing is coming back again.”

Nostalgia aside, the pen is unquestionably a status symbol, said Jeannette Brewster, a pen buyer for Cole National Corp., which sells fine pens through its Things Remembered and HQ Gifts stores nationwide.

“Maybe the president (of a company) has one, and when he goes to a business meeting, everybody wants to have it,” she said.

To name a few pens with panache, Cartier’s Pasha fountain pen, with 40 coats of lacquer and an 18-karat gold nib, or point, goes for $775. Parker Pen’s Duofold, a $300 pen drilled from a solid block of acrylic, is trimmed in 22-karat gold and guaranteed not to explode under pressure in an airplane.