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Any other "Laureat" lovers out there?


J English Smith

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I have been cycling through all of my FPs the last couple of weeks. Buying a new one always makes me want to fire them all up.

 

One that I really enjoy using is my mid-80s Laureat (flat clip style, medium nib). Great heft, very smooth writing for a steel nib (I think this just is a gold electroplate on the nib), always starts clean, posts very smoothly and with minimal scratching, very comfortable to hold because of the ribbed grip. I have used this one on and off for twenty years but it still looks new. (I bought for $20 from an art director at my firm who did not use fountain pens, I think it always listed for around $40. I feel that it's a superior pen compared to the Phileas, at least from a standpoint of hand-feel and heft (and I do prefer the look).

 

Mine is a grey marbled finish which is very classic and yet warm. I just bought a Waterman converter so I will venture out from Waterman cartridges soon and try some other colors in it (though I do love the Waterman purple ink I have in it at present).

 

Any other Laureat-lovers out there in the Waterman world?? Stand up and cheer! For a small investment...a great and very reliable pen!

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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My parnts bought me one about 15 years ago. Didn't get on with it at the time, but have done since I discovered FPs "properly". ;)

 

Unfortuantely I can't find it since we moved house - I know it's in a box somewhere.

Mark Goody

 

I have a blog.

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Yes, we Laureat lovers are are rare bunch, I think...

 

A Laureat in black/GT with M nib was my first real fountain pen, and I blame it entirely for the current (and terminal) addiction I've developed. I liked writing with it so much, I bought a twin for backup, then proceeded to buy all the other Laureats in the set: the BP, pencil and RB.

 

After 20 or so different fountain pens, my black Laureat is still my most heavily used pen. I just can't get over the nib, the heft of the body, the slimness (and how well it fits in my day planner pen slot). I like to post my pens, and the Laureat model seems to be designed to be posted, with the slotted rib toward the back of the barrel. I've used the converter since the start, and the pen likes most inks I've tried.

 

I've considered buying other Laureats in other colors, as they are becoming more rare to find NOS, or even used.

I haven't really seen another make or model pen that approximates what I like with the Laureat, perhaps the Hemisphere would be closest.

 

Anyone have unused or unloved Laureats in their collections? Just wondering. :embarrassed_smile:

 

Regards,

Retrotech

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I have few modern Waterman pens, and I only got a Laureat just recently. Unposted, the size and balance is excellent for me. Even though the nib is steel, I'm going to get it re-ground one day, because I love the colour and finish. :)

 

post-60-1174544861.jpg

Laura / Phthalo

Fountain Pens: My Collection

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I have a Laureat from the early 90's that has some corrosion from leaving it inked and abandoned for a while (I wasn't so good with my pens when I was in college!) Anyway, the tip of the nib looks a little weird, and almost like it's every so slightly warped -- and it still writes and flows perfectly!

 

I just bought a second Laureat, NOS, on Ebay for $21.... seemed awfully cheap, so I hope it's really as advertised! Should be arriving any day now.

Anyway, I second all the feelings about it -- really is a great pen.

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I received a black w/gold Laureat today via an ebay purchase. I paid just over $13, which included shipping. The pen was advertised as unused and came in the box without converter. I inserted a black Waterman cartridge and the medium nib laid down a wet smooth line from the very start. My wife has a green marble Laureat as well. They are nice pens, especially for the price.

 

We have several other recent-vintage Waterman fountain pens and have been very pleased with their performance. They appear frequently on ebay and represent a good value. I'm glad that you and others are enjoying yours.

 

Craig

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My wife got me one for Christmas and yes, I was hoping for a Harlequin or an Opera, just kidding, and I of course filled it up. It wrote brilliantly. I have seven or eight pens and so far two have been perfect out of the box, a Deluxe Carene and the Laureat.

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I had one Laureat made of stainless steel.

The pen was well made but somehow never amazed me.Dont get me wrong it was nice but nothing more than that.I would take the Phileas any day over the Laureat.

Respect to all

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I have 2 Laureat's both as smooth as silk. A green marble and a black. Perfect weight posted - no problems - so underestimated. Dependable - nice for smaller hands. I like my two. I think I'll ink one for the office tomorrow.

 

Bill

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The Laureat was my first "upscale" fountain pen -- I treated myself to it when I got my first "real" job after college. It's given me 20+ years of extremely dependable service. It's not the first pen I reach for anymore, but it's comforting to know it's there when I want it!

 

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/damichael1/1ed222e1.jpg

 

A question: I've always assumed the nib was steel, but where it's engraved ("Waterman, France, M") a gold color shows through. Don't know if you can see it here -- my camera does not take good up-close pics. Is it a gold nib with some kind of silver-colored plating? (Stupid question, I'm sure, but I've been curious about it for some time.)

 

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/damichael1/2fda547b.jpg

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I used to own (what I think was) a Laureate in a tortoise-shell finish. (It has a converter or takes cartridges, right? If not, then I'm thinking of a different pen.) It was a medium or fine point, but I was a kid and didn't know what the heck to do with it. So all I ever managed was frustration. The ink didn't flow well, whether out of the converter or a cartridge, and I was always whacking it about trying to get it to "start" better. One of the many whacks broke off half the nib about 1/8th inch up from the tip, and I just stuck it in a drawer somewhere. I'm sure it's around, at one or another of our houses somewhere ... wish I could find it.

 

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I had forgotten that I had one of these. My SIL got this as a graduation gift from high school, and didn't see the point, so she gave it to me. I remember using it a bit, and I just found it, but the gold tip on the cap is missing. Any ideas on how I might repair this? I would like to fix it if I can since it was officially my "first".

 

Thanks

April

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I bet that Waterman might still have parts - it just went out of their active lineup a couple of years ago. Worth checking...

 

FYI, on these there is an old cap style (flat top) and new cap style (rounded top). I think the change happened early to mid 90s. My Laureat Rollerball that I bought to match has the rounded top, and I purchased it about '94.

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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Hey, this is great to hear from so many others who love this pen! Thanks for posting, everyone!

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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Thanks for the info about the flat vs round tops - I never knew that. I had heard there was a Mk I and Mk II clip design (the later was better quality movement-wise) so maybe that's the correlation.

 

I also read someone had their initials engraved on the cap top - my red Laureat pictured in this thread has a 'sun' imprinted on the cap top and you couldn't fit initials inside it - do they not all have these 'sun' motifs?

Laura / Phthalo

Fountain Pens: My Collection

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hi Laura,

 

Apparently not, all three of mine have plain gold plated/coloured flat tops, these were quite popular as mid range corporate promos in Europe much like Targas were for Cadillac and Century II's/Townsends for Lexus etc. in the US so the sun logo on yours could well be something similar.

 

Cheers, John

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello.

 

I believe I have a Laureat. It looks like all the Laureat photos I've seen except the pen has alternating bands of color. The thick bands are dark, and the thinner ones are dark reddish brown.

 

What is the purpose of the screw-off section at the very bottom of the body (just below the last gold ring)? I haven't tried a Waterman cartridge, but this pen accepts standard international cartridges. A group of us thought the screw-off section might exist so that a person could carry & access a second cartridge. However, with a second short, international cartridge in place, the end cap (? what's the correct term?) won't completely screw back on.

 

Thank you,

Ashland

 

 

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I've wondered the same thing about the end cap. No function that I can see.

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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