Waterman L'etalon

[MikeF]

 

First impressions/appearance and design 9/10

 

I did not need another pen... but I was just sneaking at a shop nearby and I saw this one on a display and my eyes went wide open... It looked like silver, in a beautiful guilloché. I asked to see it and removed the cap. The cap came out with a very firm click, as is usual in Waterman. And out came a beautiful golden nib, with very large shoulders, and no breathing hole. It has marks, but they look like laser made - not deep at all, so the nib looks like a shiny leaf of gold.

Unscrewing the barrel was smooth but not loose: there is an o-ring.

The pen has gold rings that go very well with the golden nib, and at the top is immaculately filled in black lacquer. Another curious detail: instead of the waterman logo at the cap ring we have an hexagon in black lacquer that gives it a kind of exquisite look.

Of course I could not forget it... a couple of days later I bought it.

The pen was sold in a typical waterman box, not the smallest one but the one above. But obviously, it had been lying around in the shop for years, and they were not sure about which was the correct box for this model.

 

 

Construction and Quality 10/10

 

The pen feels very solid and well finished. As said before, the cap snaps with a loud and firm click, the finishing details are very good, the barrel seals with an o-ring, and the silver guilloche is very nice. Both cap and barrel are hallmarked, and the cap has an area without guilloché for engraving.

 

Weight & Dimensions

 

This is a solid pen and the weight feels accordingly, though not overweight. To me it feels quite comfortable and balanced.

I don't usually post pens - and in this case I would not reccomend it at all to avoid scratching the guilloché, but in fact the pen seems to have been made to endure it, as the cap feels smooth on the inside, and holds quite well. The pen is quite balanced when posted, and feels quite big. It is indeed when you feel it makes justice to its name - étalon means stallion, and the pen posted feels indeed like one.

Lenght:

capped - 140mm

uncapped - 125mm

diameter - 12.9mm at the section/barrel transition

 

 

Nib and performance 9/10

 

The nib in marked 18k. Mine is a fine (which is what I use most of the times).

It is quite smooth for a fine, but has a bit of tooth or feedback... The sensation is quite different when I change the paper, and it is quite clear which papers are soft and which are not.

It was not so smooth out of the box, but it became smooth easily, in just a coupe of days, and it is now a very pleasant writer.

Despite being so long it is not springy.

The feed is plastic but performs very well. The nib is always on the wet side, but dry enough to avoid smear. It can cope with amazingly fast underlines... I usually have to underline some things I write and cross the rest of the paper so that nothing is added under it, and this nib can do that without skipping at a very fast speed.

There is a slight tendency for the point of the nib to get dirty with small spots of ink. It's not jut nib creep, I believe it has to do with the springs that lock the cap - the cap locks in place so firmly that probably the vibration is enough to cause this... but I may be wrong. Anyway, this just happens at the tip of the nib.

 

 

Filling system and maintenance 8/10

 

It came with a cartrigde converter - not the cheapest ones, but those that screw in the section; I am using Waterman cartrigdes of high capacity which I like a lot - they take a lot of ink and feed the pen quite well. I am also used to reuse them... wash them and fill them with other inks to use in other pens, so I'm not allergic to c/cs. But I do prefer pistons and vaccum fillers, hence the 8.

 

Cost and value 10/10

 

I paid 220€ for this pen; it was marked 350, I believe, but I managed to persuade the manager that this was not a new pen - it has been out of production for a few years, I belive. And indeed it must have been lying there neglected for years... Until I came in.

Considering the quality of construction and the fact that it is in silver, I believe it was quite worth it!

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

I am quite happy with it. The pen is a delight to the eyes. It is also quite comfortable to write with, though I have a few other Watermans that can be more comfortable, because they have a smoother section/barrel transition (both my Edson and Liaison are better in that).

So, maybe it will be more of a stallion than a workhorse. But it is a classy and quite capable one!

 

Sorry for my english, but it's not my native nor usual language, and it just might show...

Edited February 13, 2011 by MikeF

[CRB]

Thank you for an interesting review of a great pen. I'm always glad to hear about someone discovering a beautiful pen which has gone out of production. I agree with all your positive comments. I have the gold-plated basketweave model. My review is probably still there, if you're interested.

 

Your English is terrific! Enjoy your new pen.

 

Cheers,

Joe

[MikeF]

Thanks! This is also the first review I post here (though I had already posted some comments on the writing instruments section), so some encouragement is quite welcome.

Yes, I've read your review - very interesting and nice photos! Some time ago the search engine was not finding etalon in this subforum. Maybe I did something wrong...

 

Guess I was luckier to find it in a nib size I usually like. Regrinding would not be an option here, I'd have to ship the pen to England or to USA.

[akrishna59]

a classy formal looking pen, suits an executive well. the section - barrel transition is one thing which spoils many beautiful pens sadly, but in this case it is not so bad. i dont know why pen companies dont give more attention to it.

 

on the whole, it is a stallion. your review matches the pen in quality.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

[RMN]

The l'Etalon is, in my opinion, one of Waterman's best.

 

I wonder what made them stop producing it.

 

I got one NOS and I like it very much. Great value for money. (I have just one of the plain plastic ones)

 

 

D.ick

[junliang86]

Absolutely stunning pen.

I believe such NOS would be hard to find in my part of the world

Congrats on ur new find!

[tonybelding]

I should have done a review on this pen, but there's always something else in the works. So let me just add a few brief observations instead. . .

 

Mine is black with a factory STUB nib. It's super-smooth, the smoothest stub that I've ever seen. Great signature pen!

 

It's on the hefty side and extremely solid-feeling. Its fit-and-finish is superb. The clip is articulated with an internal spring: a nice feature that I'd like to see more widely used. Strangely, it has an O-ring seal where the barrel and section go together. It's probably just intended to create a nice, secure-feeling fit (which it does), but could also make this pen well suited for use as an eyedropper-filler if anyone cared to try it.

 

The 18K gold nib is big and attractive and pretty similar similar (though not identical) in profile to the steel nib on my Phileas. The feed appears to be the same part that is used on the Phileas! That's not a knock on the L'Etalon. The Phileas's feed is well designed and robust, and there's no reason not to put it on an expensive pen.

[MikeF]

Tony:

 

thanks for adding the clip spring detail!

Regarding the o-ring, let me add that the Edson also has one at the same place.

 

Can you give ne an idea if the waterman stub is 0.9, 1.1 or 1.5? I'd love one but it can't be too broad for my handwriting...

[L84AD8]

I passed these by many years ago. I didn't care for the lacquer finish, which was all I ever saw or heard about. The smooth finish somehow just didn't go with the curves and angles of this pen.

 

But upon seeing your example, I wish I had inquired about other finishes! Somehow I feel I missed a golden opportunity. That's a very striking pen, indeed! It's probably more elegant in life than it is in photos.

 

Thanks for sharing,

 

Richard

Edited February 14, 2011 by L84AD8

[tonybelding]

Can you give ne an idea if the waterman stub is 0.9, 1.1 or 1.5? I'd love one but it can't be too broad for my handwriting...

 

I estimate that it's about a 0.9mm stub -- which is actually about the largest that works with my regular handwriting too.

[MikeF]

Oh, that would suit mine as well... thanks for the info! Now I have to start thinking about one... maybe for my Edson...

I have an italic fine from CS and I love it...

[carlmaloschneider]

I was thinking, 'What a well written review' when I came across your comment about English not being your first language; that surprised me! A nice looking pen too...

[Sidestreaker]

This is one of the few classy, great looking Waterman FPs that I like. Well done and what a great review!

 

I agree with the rest, your English is fine (better than mine )

[peyotemusic]

I'm looking for one of these with a fine nib, to match my ballpoint. I believe you paid a fair price for this. If the ballpoint is any thing to measure it by, it's a fairly weighty pen. If anyone comes across one of these comparably priced, could you let me know? There's one on E-bay right now, but it's a broad nib, and it has some other issues, as well.

[prosimon]

This is a beautiful pen, the siver version is particularly difficult to get. I am waiting for one.

[mgm1988]

Until I became familiar with the more critical world of fountain pen lovers/ collectors/ obsessives, etc., it had not occurred to me that anyone would or could find fault with my magnificent and much admired silver L'Etalon. It still has the fine nib it came with and it still writes beautifully, laying down a lovely, consistent wet line even when it hasn't been used for some days. In over sixteen years of use it has never failed me and it feels utterly familiar and comfortable in my hand. I have obviously been more fortunate than some in my experience but I must speak as I find: L'Etalon and prosper!

[breaker]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

[georges zaslavsky]

it used to be one of waterman flagship pens in the past good review

[chad234]

Thanks for the great review. I have the same pen in gold and really like it.

[laureat]

Mine is a laquered blue one with gold details. I agree with everyone: it is knocker of a pen. It is a heavy pen and writing lots of notes makes my hand tired because af the weight 'dragging'. I have a B-nib on one and a M on the other. They both write buttery smooth and quite wet. The B-nib is so broad one needs a large handwriting to keep it readible.

Good review and very nice pictures.