Waterman vs. Parker: a silvery fight, back from the seventies

[JeanMichelF]

Waterman vs. Parker: a silvery fight, back from the seventies

[Waterman C/F Barleycorn solid silver vs. Parker 75 sterling silver ciselé]

 

 

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After having reviewed some pretty modern pens manufactured, with classic designs, by our Chinese friends, it is time, for me, to return for a while to the basics. This time, I will try to do another “one to one” between two stars of the 1970’s: the Waterman C/F and the Parker 75. Regarding the story of the Waterman C/F, I suggest you read the excellent FPN review written by Gicoteni here since he offered the full story of this extraordinary pen. Let us just remind that the C/F was the first large production cartridge fountain pen manufactured by Waterman (of course you could find some earlier Waterman pens of the forties with glass cartridges but their production was rather marginal). Introduced in 1954, the C/F was designed by GM’s Chief of style Harley Earl and it was produced until the beginning of the 1980’s. The model presented here was offered to me by my brother in law who is a MD. I guess it was a present from one of its patients. So I’m the second owner of this pen.

 

The Parker 75, born from the collaboration of Kenneth Parker and Don Doman to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Parker pen making (and to regain momentum on the market) was introduced at the end of 1963 and produced until the middle of the 1990’s where it had to make way for the newest incarnation of the Duofold that Parker was then launching. You will find here the story of this pen. Maia did an extraordinary job in reviewing for FPN a splendid lacquer version in Jasper Red Quartz. If you are interested in this pen, you should also visit the website of Lih-Tah Wong where you will find all important references. The Parker 75 is one of my favorite’s pens. When I started journalism back in the seventies, it is the first pen I bought (a Chinese Lacquer version that I still own followed, a little later, by a Lamy 2000 which was then the star of the shops which was followed by a second Lamy. I still own both....). But let’s come back to this review. Why did I choose to write a “one to one” about these two pens and especially in their silvery version? First, because these pens were competing on the dealer’s shelves, and foremost because they were, in their silver presentation targeting exactly the same events: First Communion, Bar Mitzvah, Wedding: the “substance” of the silvery version of these pens made them ideal gifts to be offered for an occasion that needed to be remembered. I would add that this is not a small market: in France: manufacturer of fountain pens Bayard capitalized quite a lot on the First Communions where it was, for many years, the present “de rigueur”. The Parker 75 I present here was made in France in the Meru factory and sent to one of my fellow journalists. Why, while unwrapping the package, did he immediately opted to offer the pen to me? I still don’t know exactly why but I felt extremely grateful to him then and I still am.

 

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Back to the pens.

 

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1. Appearance & Design (C/F 9-Parker 9) – Former stars of the seventies, these two pens definitely have substantial style.

Starting with the packages, the case of the C/F looks very much well let’s say… dated, with its deep purple velour clearly out of fashion now.

 

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The sober grey case of the Parker is definitely much classier.

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Regarding the design of both pens, I can’t help but feeling that they both look very extraordinary.

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On the cap of the Waterman is written : "Waterman C/F Argent Massif " and it includes the legal marks for solid silver.

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On the cap of the Parker is written : "Parker 925 France" with, here too, the legal markings. Maybe the Waterman is more streamlined and futuristic. You can feel that the design of the Pilot Myu is somehow derived from this aerodynamic rocket like shape. The Parker is more classic but with an everlasting elegance. Both pens score high marks on this item.

 

2. Construction & Quality (C/F 8-Parker 7) –A good enough durability

 

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The problem with the C/F like all the pens incorporating the nib in the section (like for instance, Sheaffer Imperial’s, PFM’s and Targa’s) is that if something goes wrong, your only solution is to part exchange the complete section, nib included. And C/F are known to be sometimes prone to leaks at the junction between the metal and the plastic. The Parker 75, on the contrary, uses a section where you can easily remove and exchange the nib or the feed. All in all, both pens are well manufactured with a very high level of quality, as witnessed by the great number of pens escaping the torture of time and the maltreatments of users. However, the cap of my first Parker 75 (the lacquered one) didn’t escaped the time ordeal intact and I would tend to rate the C/F a bit higher on durability.

 

3. Weight & Dimensions (C/F 8-Parker 8) – Thin, light and elegant

It is quite funny to see how we are now turning to wide and heavy Fountain Pens, while, thirty years ago, thin and lightweight was the trend of the time as witnessed by these two beauties. Both pens do not deceive on this aspect.

 

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The Parker is 128 mm capped and 138 mm posted. The Waterman is a little longer at 135mm capped and 146mm posted. The C/F weighs 21 g,

while the Parker is even lighter in the same configuration (17g without converter). Both pens, perfectly fit in your hand with good momentum and provide long times of writing without being tired. They are as nice to use with their cap than without it.

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4. Nib & Performance (C/F 8-Parker 8) – Very technical nibs

Both Pens are fitted with 18K (750) nib of medium size (my 75 being a later version made in France, whereas the first models made in the United States were equipped with a 14K nib).

 

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The nib of the C/F is incorporated in the section. The ink flow is just about perfect on both pens. Maybe the nice grip of the Parker with its triangular shape is providing a better writing performance but I wouldn’t give an edge to any one of the two pens regarding this item. Both write extremely well with a rather medium line. And this, in itself, is just an accomplishment, more than thirty years after their manufacturing.

 

5. Filling System & Maintenance (C/F 6-Parker 8) – The birth of the c/c filler

 

 

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Imagine: today, we are complaining about the c/c system and about its poor capacity but in 1954, at the time of the introduction of the C/F, it was seen as a modern and definitive advantage over the bottle of ink, as you can read in the article of the New York Times of Sept 15th 1954, xeroxed in Gicoteni’s review : “The Waterman C/F was said to combine the flexibility and expressiveness of the nib point with the convenience of the cartridge refill. To fill it, a sealed ink cartridge is slipped into the barrel with neither hands nor pen tip touching the ink. The change takes ten seconds, Mr. Waterman said and the method has the virtue of eliminating the ink bottle with its danger of upsetting.” As reported earlier, the Parker 75 modular assembly of the nib, feed and section gives it a definitive edge, regarding maintenance, over the Waterman. Especially now that spare Waterman complete sections are in ultra scarce supplies.

Edit : As mentioned by Tsugiri, C/F cartridges are no longer in production, this is why you have to find one vintage cartridge and refill it with a syringe, while you can use any Parker cartridge or even any modern Parker converter with the 75.

 

6. Cost & Value (C/F 9-Parker 9) – Prices on the market are high but so is value

With a little luck, you could find the C/F, which is quite scarce today in the $300-500 bracket. For the Parker 75, you’d be hard pressed to find one under $200. The problem is that even if many were manufactured and sold, everybody loves the 75 and collectors are so many.. Prices have shown a trend to sky rock in the past five years. Without doubt, those two pens are well made, write extremely well and are witnesses of an important moment where the Pen industry was struggling, trying to recover and to fight back in style the invasion of the ball pens. On the technological side, they do not miss the point: Waterman with its revolutionary (at the time) filling system and Parker with the inclusion of all its knowledge into the making of the 75, as witnessed by the rotating regulation of the nib. Question: do these pens are worth such high prices? Answer: for much less, you could find very interesting pens to collect from both manufacturers. But if those are the ones you really want, the sky only is the limit…

 

 

7. Conclusion (C/F 8-Parker 8.16) – A small edge for the Parker

So, here we are. Who’s winning the contest? IMHO, I would rate the Parker a little higher as witnessed by the score here. And if I had to part with one of them, it would probably be the Waterman.

 

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But as you can see with some others 75 from my collection exposed here, I am, to say the least, not totally impartial on this matter…

Edited August 19, 2009 by JeanMichelF

[Yuki Onitsura]

They both look like lovely pens and I'd be happy to live with either of them =)

 

Yuki

[horolographer]

Absolutely wonderful report and photographs! I enjoyed reading it very much - and most of all relieved that there are others who like the 75 Sterling Silver. I thought I was the odd one out. I inherited mine from my late father and its such a great writing pen. Its one of the pens that really marked the transition of the vintage to the modern pens. The rubber filler worn away was replaced with a converter that works perfectly.

 

I have not seen this in the market anywhere but if I do see one and like the nib, I would buy it just to keep my first one company! :-)

[Tsujigiri]

Great pictures and interesting review! Were you able to find a converter for the C/F, or do you have te refill vintage cartridges?

[JeanMichelF]

Excellent question : I'm refilling cartridges...

JM

[lowks]

Ah because of you Mr. Jean I am taking my 75 out of storage again . The pen is just a little small for my hands but it writes smoothly and have been my faithful sidekick all this time.

[Tsujigiri]

Excellent question : I'm refilling cartridges...

JM

 

If it wasn't for that it would be on my must-have list. It's such a beautiful pen! But at least that gives me a much-needed excuse not to buy the pen; I've been trying to avoid buying new pens.

[rogerb]

My Waterman writes much more nicely than my Cisele ....one reason why the Cisele is FS!

[Arkanabar]

I much prefer Waterman's barleycorn to Parker's cisle. Many people will rave, but I have always thought cisle is just plain ugly.

[laplume]

Amazing review!. The pictures and pens are magnificent. Thank you.

[Brian]

This is a really good comparative review highlighting two warriors from their day. Its also evident reviewing these two pens together is much more informative and rewarding than if each of the two pens were reviewed separately.

 

Thanks for this informative tour.

[MYU]

I would have given a higher nib score for the Parker, as nib interchange is extremely simple, in addition to the fact that the nib can be rotated to accommodate your writing style and it is super easy to clean.

 

But I have to say this is a great comparative review. Nicely done!

 

~Gary

[MOVIESTAR]

parker all the way

[breaker]

nice comparison but I still prefer the parker

[goldenkrishna]

Hello JeanMichelF,

 

Thank you for this very nice review with lovely photos. Enjoy your pens.

 

With love,

goldenkrishna

[Runnin_Ute]

I have a Waterman FP (Phieas) and RB (Hemisphere) but have had a long time love affair with Parker BP's, but do not yet own a Parker FP. This would certainly be on a "grail" FP list for me. I have always found it gorgeous. (My favorite Parker of all time is a 45 flat top BP made in UK. It is also the only "nice" pen I have ever lost. Couldn't locate another at the time, ended up with I think it is a Latitude)

 

I think you have done a fabulous job with this comparitive review. Both would be welcome additions.

[da vinci]

I like them both but the Parker edges it for me too.

[goldenkrishna]

Hello JeanMichelF,

 

I reread your lovely review and I enjoyed it! Both are stunning FPs.

 

Now, as I own a Waterman C/F-moiré and since yesterday again the Parker 75 ciselé, could you tell me how you refill the cartridges. Then I can use them both again and compare their writing qualities with my new FPs.

 

With love,

goldenkrishna

[lovemy51]

what i great "mano a mano" -or "nib a nib"! i had missed this back when, so i'm glad goldenkrishna revived it -thanx!

 

they are both so nice, i simply can't pick one over the other... but if i was forced to.........

 

:hmm1: