Waterman
Pens and Ephemera

Sooo, we're lookin' at this pen for at least an hour, trying to identify it. The sterling silver cap and barrel in the Godron design looks just like a Waterman Gentleman. That part was easy. It comes with an age-appropriate box with a little scarring on the outside. What is wrong with it?! Then it hits us. It has a 2-tone, 18k gold Waterman Rhapsody nib and section! We don't see modern married pens all that often. We call it Waterman's Gentle Rhapsody. The cap snugs tight with friction fit to the section, which is half a turn from threading in flush with the barrel. It is tight and won't wiggle. There are 4 or 5 pinhead size dimples spread across the cap and barrel. You will write a luscious, thick, buttery smooth double broad line. Includes converter. The golden tail jewel spins but seems tightly affixed to the barrel. Click headline for close-ups. 14.3cm 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.

Many of Waterman's pens of the 1940s looked very similar to one another. We think this is the mid-sized Waterman Stalwart. It might be difficult to see in the photo, but it has a beautiful pearlescent sheening. We restored it with a new ink sac and a hand-made pressure bar to replace the missing original pressure bar under the lever. No cracks, a little brassing on the clip and a dark ring around the very top of the cap. The clip jiggles just a tiny bit but is still secure. There's a scratch on the section. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. However, you can flex it to .75mm if you are slow and gentle. 11.6cm 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.

Why give just a pen when you can give a pen and cufflinks? Our Waterman Expert set appears to come direct from the 1990s, completely unused. The green-marbled ballpoint pen has no trace of wear, arriving in its original box. After 30 years, the original refill dried out, so we replaced it with a new blue refill. Also included are a pair of gold-plated, hexagon-shaped cufflinks with a medium-to-dark blue center. These also are unused, and still in their original box. A nice gift set.

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.

Early Waterman pencils are always so neat to look at. This long, slender Waterman 0721 is in surprisingly good shape for 100 years old! Twist the nose cone to advance the 1.1mm lead. It still works well. Unscrew the tail cap to find more old spare leads! The clip and barrel band are gold plated. No cracks or deep scratches mar this black-hard-rubber (ebonite) beauty, but you can see some wear under the clip. Also, sadly, there's some corrosion between the ball and the rest of the clip. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.1cm.