Waterman
Pens and Ephemera

Many consider the Waterman C/F to be the first of the modern-era pens, although it is a classic vintage pen. Why? It was, effectively, the first pen to use disposable plastic ink cartridges. Although a success, it was short lived. The biggest problem for vintage collectors is that the Waterman C/F doesn't use any modern cartridges or converters. Waterman wasn't using standard international cartridges in the 1950s, as the concept was yet to be invented. If you find a 1950s cartridge, you can refill it with a syringe to use this pen. Unfortunately, it doesn't include an original cartridge. The pen looks great, except for that big crack in the tail visible in the photo. You will write a medium line with its 14k gold nib. There is a some feedback. 13.2cm capped.

Not necessarily rare, Waterman LeMan fountain pens are highly sought luxury pens. Elegant, smooth, dependable...what's not to love. Our preowned pen is in excellent condition with only minimal wear from use. It also includes its box and converter. Especially nice is its two-tone 18k gold nib. You will write a very smooth medium line with it. One of the things we really like about these lux pens compared to other brands is that it has a brass barrel and cap under the black lacquer. It won't shatter when you drop it. 14.3cm capped.

Harkening back to 1920s black hard rubber with "chasing" designs, this Waterman LeMan Opera fountain pen is a stunningly handsome modern luxury pen. The cap and barrel are in nearly perfect condition. The gold-plated trim has just a little schmutz and wear on the tail end. Click the headline for close-ups. Its two-tone 18k gold nib writes a nice fine-medium line. It is a soft nib that responds to light pressure, but this is not a conventional semi-flex nib. The thin 18k gold is easily sprung. The pen includes a box and papers. 14.4cm capped.

Moxie the cat is helping to model this handsome Waterman Carene Deluxe rollerball pen. It has a bronze barrel and vermeil cap. In this case, vermeil is a silver plated cap that has been plated over in gold. It is one of the less common Carene models. There are no dents or long, deep scratches. There are a few very short shallow scratches and other marks of light wear. Happily enough, these preowned luxury pens take regular Waterman rollerball refills AND Pilot G2 gel refills. This one sports a blue G2! There is just enough weight in the pen to really make it write smoothly with some gentle momentum. These are among our favorite rollerball pens. Click the headline for close-ups. Meowy Christmas. 14.5cm capped.

For as handsome as this moss green-grey vintage pen is, it features some of the weaknesses of 1940s Waterman manufacturing. Our Waterman 2 has a crack in the top of the cap and in the lip of the cap. Its pocket clip spins freely. We restored this pen with a new ink sac. You'll find nice Canadian Waterman imprints. Click the headline for a close-up of the 14k gold nib. When you find the sweet spot on the nib, you will write a smooth broad line. It gets a little scratchy when you lose the sweet spot. Oh, and its inkfeed is a modern replacement feed. 12.8cm capped.

Behold the mighty Sleeve-Filler! Honestly, some days we still have to pinch ourselves to make sure the dream we are living is really not just a dream. This Waterman 12SF in its original box creates a pinch-ourselves moment. Gary Lehrer's Waterman book says these were made between 1910 and 1915. The old hard rubber is fragile. As such, we did not force the section to open to restore this pen. This pen is in far too good a condition to accidentally destroy. It remains without a working ink sac. The sleeve on the barrel has a crisp imprint and can be gently coaxed and wiggled to reveal the squeeze bar filler. It is a little stiff in moving so don't force anything. No cracks! 14k gold nib is a stiff semi-flex. Original box a little faded and ink stained but still nice to have. Additional photos available upon request.

Cartridge fillers are not a new phenomena in fountain pens. The first ones date back to around the turn of the 20th century. However, those early ones were not entirely practical and prone to their glass and clay cartridges breaking. On the American market, Waterman C/F pens introduced what we have come to know as the first cartridge pens with disposable plastic cartridges. These pens were Waterman's last hit in the 1950s and until the company was revitalized in the 1980s. This rare New Old Stock set is unused and pristine. From the "Fine Flex" chalk mark on the barrel of the pen to 4 unopened, still waxed shut original cartridges, this vintage pen belongs in a museum. Click the headline for close-ups. The steel nib doesn't feel flexi to us, but that is how it was advertised.

Here it is! One of the Granddaddies of Grail Pens: the Waterman Patrician. We've restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. What makes this pen really stand out to us is its black hard rubber (ebonite) cap and barrel. It has a little oxidation and moderate wear, but it isn't a mess of chocolate hazing, either. No cracks. Click the headline for close-ups. You'll write a nice, firm medium line with a little feedback with its original 14k gold Patrician nib. There's a little brassing on the cap band, and there's a slight bulge under the left-side of the clip (as you face it) where it attaches to the pen. The big golden Waterman's seal on the flat tail of the pen looks like a baseball with "Waterman's" written inside it. This is the big 'un. 13.9cm capped.