Hi E., It's only a pleasure, I enjoyed writing that!
I think it is a bit in the eye of the beholder, and what you like. All of the Waterman pens look rather different, with the exception of the Charleston, the Expert, and the Harmonie it is if I am not mistaken. And even those look entirely different to me. Well, what about the Carène, the Liaison, the Exception, the Ici et là, and all the other pens listed here in the poll? I think they all are special, in their own way. There are not that many big pen companies around these days, that make that many so different looking pens, IMO. There is something available for everybody.

Maybe they are boring because they are so reliable?

Warm regards, Wim

Hi Wim,


You're right about the weight, in fact I tried the l'Etalon once apart from the pens I mentioned, that one too has a brass body with lacker(?) around it. It feels quite heavy, but I don't know too many other Watermans from personal experience. The newest addition to the range (I forgot the name, exception?) also has a brass body underneat IIRC.

Each of my Watermans has something special, at least to me, but they are less fancy than say Stipula's with different finishes &c Perhaps Waterman is the Volkswagen or Opel of fountainpens, there are a lot of them around, but not really exciting? (not trying to start a flamewar about cars here, nor about Stips, though Omas is better

E.

PS. better IMHO of course

My first "nice" fountain pen was a Waterman Lauret set my wife got me for our anniversary (seems to be a trend). If she only knew what she was getting me into...

Phileas
Kulture
Lauret (Set)
Carene

and one not on your list - probably out of production for a few years now, a "Gentleman"

Oh, and I bought my wife a Lady Agate (sp?) when she got her Masters

I haven't bought any Waterman pens lately as I think I sort of got my fill of the laquer-over-brass feel (I own more Waterman's than any other brand save Parker). The Charleston is tempting and a cool direction for Waterman, but I have too many other wanna-buys in line. But I think they're a very good pen, especially the nibs which I find to be very consistent - from the $30 Phileas to the $300 Carene mine have all written well right out of the box.

Ryno

Currently:

3 Phileas (one was unusually smooth right of the box)
1 Gentleman RB
1 Carene BP

Bill

I have owned two Watermans, a green marbled Phileas with a fine nib and a black Laureat with GFT and M nib. I liked them both as smooth writers that started immediately and wrote with an adequately wet line. The only reason that I have them no longer is that I thinned he herd by giving pens to my kids.
I mostly have modern low- to medium-price pens that write well and I rate the Watermans very highly.

Where's the option for "none"? For those of us who've had too many bad experiences with Watermans.

I guess I need to update my list with a black Liaison

I also need to mention that with very very minor nib touchups, two of my Watermans have turned into nice smooth writers with proper flow. I should do such minor finishing of all of my nibs. I felt some grief about my Liaison at first (which I reported in a different thread), but now I love it :bunny1:

I have 3 Watermans. The first two, both Phileas Demonstrators, were purchased on ebay, one in Glitter Green and one in Glitter Orange, allegedly never sold here in the U.S.. The other is a Black Phileas. All three are medium nibs, which I now regret.

Randy

I have a few waterman pens but for the most part, they are not my favorite. I have a few Phileas, Expert and a recent buy, an orange ebonite Liaison broad nib that was stubbed. This is a nail of a nib but it is an interesting writer. I have fun writing with it and it is not a small pen either. I have been using this pen ALMOST non stop this whole week. i enjoy the way you twist the knob on the rear to unscrew the nib unit to fill it up!!


TNS

Ever since I tested an Edson I've been lusting for one... still saving up.

Have a pint-size green enamel waterman purse pen with a squeeze filler that's fun. Also a Phileas which is reliable but otherwise just an ordinary writing experience.

Am waiting, waiting,, WAITING for my new Exception with the stub nib to arrive... so I was glad to read that at least someone out there is enjoying theirs!

I'm getting more and more interested in the Waterman "vintage" 60s & 70s pens, which have striking designs & look more contemporary to me than most modern Waterman pens.

Petra

Oh boy. I have so many Watermans, but I will list the main ones here:

Sterling LeMan 100
Black LeMan 100
LeMan 100 Opera
LeMan 100 Green Patrician
LeMan 100 Coral Patrician
Green Expert; Yellow Expert (imported from France)
2 Harley Horizons (red, blue)
2 Harley Combustions (gray, black)
2 L'Etalons (green, burgundy)
Blue Liaison
Ivory Charleston
GoldPlated Exclusive
Red Laureat
Black Executive


and a few others.

OK, don't consider it "a lot"; think of it as "rescuing endangered species...".

satrap
never irrational

:bunny1:

:doh: I forgot to include my 3 Rhapsody pens (LeMan 200 style). I have 1 each: red, blue, green, AND a black/white Caviar (black/white speckled LeMan 200), and I think I still have the Robin's Egg Blue version. The black Executive was my first real pen.

Where's the option for "none"? For those of us who've had too many bad experiences with Watermans. ]]

Your best option is to contact Waterman, as they are very good about standing behind their products. 1-800-BEST PEN.

1 - Phileas
1 - Charleston
1 - Carene
3 - BCHR 52's
1 - BCHR 12 SF

and a couple more vintage pens that are parts donars.

I have a black lacquer Harmonie bought late last year. I't s a slim pen, a bit heavy because of the brass fitting, and a fantastic very fine writer, even though the nib says F, not EF. It is not my WOW pen, but writes extremely well on a variety of papers and is excellent when you need to write small.

Wow what a great thread. OK my Watermans Not many of them, but I really like whatI have:

Kultur x2. One Yellow w/ a fine italic nib done by yours truly, and an Orange with a sweet Medium cursive italic also done by me.

Black Carene with a basic medium nib

Blue 100 Yr pen now sporting a brand new barrel end thanks to Binde master Chris Burton. (cant wait until it comes home)

Ripple 52 w/ a great flexi #2 nib

Sterling 412 1/2 'nother great flexi lil #2 nib. (darn things just too small for me so it doesn't see much action these days)


On the Waterman wish list:

Boucheron..(LOL yeah right!)
Blue Edson w/ a broad or medium stub
Liaison cobra & also the orange woodgrain
Le'talon in the sterling basket weave. (just love the look of this one)

Dennis

Two Hémisphères,
Carène (the best writer of the group),
Charleston (nice style),
L'étalon (also a good writer),
Two Harley Davidson,
Expert II and
Lauréat.

All my first pens were Watermans, so this is it.

I have an Exception.

Two Experts II and a Phileas. Being seduced by a Charleston with B nib... <_<

I have four Lady Charlotte pens in different colours - one I have had since 1990 (ish), the others are recent additions. They are very small, no clip, I've seen them described as cartridge only, but they do come with converters. I've just found out that the J Herbin international cartridges I bought a couple of weeks ago will not ft - the diameter of the barrel is too small. I love these pens though, they come with their own leather case, fit in a pocket and don't dry up. I love 'em

1 Hemisphere, M nib (Green Marble w/gold trim)
1 Expert, M nib (Black w/gold trim)
1 L'Etalon, M nib (Navy w/gold trim)
1 Preface, EF nib (Romance Blue w/gold trim)

I like all my Watermans, although my husband uses the L'Etalon more than I do, it's too heavy a pen for my liking.

Why there's no harmony series??? I've just got a pair from UK, they are so cheap because they are now under the special offers, only 55 pounds for a fountain pen and a ball pen.
(originally, 125 pounds)

4 Charlestons
1 Baskeket Weave L'Etetalon,
1 Gray Carene,
1 Liaison,
1 Phileas

I L'Etalon, Black, Fine
1 Charleston, Ivory, Gold, M

The L'Etalon weighs a ton, but is very classy and seems aimed at competing with the DuPont Orpheo. Also writes very nicely.

I have a Phileas and Laureat. I like the Phileas more -- it is a better fit to my hand. Both write quite well.

The Waterman Laureat with F nib has been a great pen for me. A very reliable writer. And it looks really nice too, it looks a lot more expensive than it's price.

My only complaints are that the ink dries out too fast if you don't use it, and it's too thin.

On the other hand my Waterman Hemisphere is unusable because it skips. I should have sent it to Waterman for repair back when I bought it, but I presume it's not under warranty any more.

I'm very fond of a Rhapsody I acquired in mint condition recently, the rare reddish rippled body, with a gold EF nib. To my surprise, this EF is the right size (I'm accustomed to M), and the pen is so great to look at, very luminous (I tend to prefer blue). It's quickly become my favorite. Also, a full converter can last forever.

I had a black Laureat in the 90's, that I bought at a reduced price from a grumpy Paris shopkeeper. It gave many years of faithful and consistent service, although possibly with cartridges, I don't remember exactly. Until I dropped it on the floor, and the nib never quite recovered, even after I sent it to Waterman.

I also have a Phileas and a Kultur, both blue, that I'm rediscovering. The Phileas is so smooth and elegant in spite of its low price. In a blind test, I would equate it with a Pelikan 600 (which is six times costlier), in terms of writing experience. (Although I can't really figure out how to design a blind test for writing. Duct tape?)

I have a Waterman Exception Night & Day in black, with silver trim - which wasn't listed - and an Etalon in gold plate. Both great pens.

Only an ignorant or a fool would ignore modern Watermans; they are some of the best pens you can find.

YES, YES AND AGAIN YES!!

I own a Waterman FP that I received as a free gift from a hotel I stayed at in the mid 1980s, but I have no idea about it's model number or name, or details about the nib.

Is there a source of information here or on the web that can help me? perhaps later today I will try photographing the pen and nib and post them here.

thank you!

-dan

I strongly disagree. You should try the Exception - it really has an excellent nib. The Edson is a very nice pen, but very pricey and the inlaid nib is not everybody's cup of tea - I actually prefer the Exception. As for the Serenite, it's just too exotic looking for me. The Liaison look a nice pen, and the now discontinued Etalon was very good.

I actually find modern Parkers boring. Only the Duofold Centennial grabs my attention - all the others seem distinctly mediocre.

My Exception with stub nib is my all-time favorite pen. And I'm getting ready to order an Edson, now that I have finally managed to save up enough $ - and I'll try it with the factory stub. It's bound to be different than the Exception of course since it's a different nib style. But the Exception is so terrific, I have confidence that the Edson nib will also be great.

Petra

I have a number of modern waterman pens in my collection - but the poll would only allow me to select one.

In fact, my interest in fountain pens began when I received a Waterman Hemisphere as a gift. After that, I bought an Expert II, which I didn't care for because it was too heavy for extended writing sessions and it suffered from horrible skipping (actually, it skipped quite well. The writing, however, was horrible!). Still not turned off to Waterman's I gradually worked my way up the food chain, acquiring a Charleston (or two or three), a L'Etalon, and a Liason. Somewhere in there, I also bought a Harley-Davidson FP and a bunch of Waterman Kulturs.

I never did get the bug for an Edson or a Serenite, although I think they're beautiful pens. I eventually came to the realization that most Waterman pens are simply too heavy for me to do a lot of writing, so I started accumulating lighter and smaller pens. But the Waterman pens definitely do hold my interest.

James Partridge

If you liked the Exception you'll also like the Edson. Just bear in mind that it's a big, thick pen, and the nib is inlaid. It's as smooth a writer as the Exception.

Uh, where's the "none" option in the poll. I'm through wtih Watermans. Everyone I've had has been a drrrrryyyyy writer.

Hi,

I use a Waterman Ici et La. I know it's supposed to be a women fountain pen, but it's hard to educate family on the FP distinctions. It is also the most reliable fountain pen I have.

Cheers

Claude Pilon

I received a Waterman as a college graduation present. I don't even know what it is--it's good-size, heavy, and was fairly expensive. It's always been an excellent writer, or at least until I dropped it nib-down a few years back. It's been occasionally skippy since then, although I had it serviced.

I'd like to get it back into shape, actually.

I have several modern Waterman pens in my collection.

I have:

2 Hemisphere's (one has a bent nib, the other works fine);
1 L'Etalon with a stub nib;
1 Liaison with a broad nib;
1 Charleston with a cursive italic nib;
1 Phileas with a medium nib; and
1 Carene with a fine nib.

I also have a Harley-Davidson by Waterman pen with a medium nib.

I also had an Expert II, which I didn't care for and I sold it.

I think that's it.

James P.

I have several modern Waterman pens in my collection.

I have:

2 Hemisphere's (one has a bent nib, the other works fine);
1 L'Etalon with a stub nib;
1 Liaison with a broad nib;
1 Charleston with a cursive italic nib;
1 Phileas with a medium nib; and
1 Carene with a fine nib.

I also have a Harley-Davidson by Waterman pen with a medium nib.

I also had an Expert II, which I didn't care for and I sold it.

I think that's it. No wait, I also have a Waterman Gentleman, with an 18K medium nib. OK, that's it. Really.

James P.

I heard "Phileas" mentioned in this forum so frequently that I started forgetting that it was a Waterman pen (I was starting to get the misperception that there was a brand called "Phileas" :doh:)

I live in Australia and when I visitted the department store that sells fountain pens, I saw Phileas on sale for around $120 AU ($91 US) I thought they were around $30 US in America. Has the price been ridiculously inflated when imported to Australia?

Go for it! The Carene is a superb pen. i've owned a couple over the years. Sadly i've either sold or gifted them all away. Been thinking about getting another & stubbing it.

Dennis

I only own 1 modern Waterman. A transparent orange Kulture, it's sporting a wicked sweet medium CI nib i did myself a while back. To be 100% honest I really prefer the Phileas to the Kultur in the aesthetics dept. The Kulture looks too stripped down for my tastes. I hear a lot of people with the opposite opinion but I sort of like the modern pseudo-decoish feel to it.

I've owned several Carenes and really dig the heck out of them. The Edson is one of my grail pens.Love that blue/gold combo & the nib... heavy sigh.... Actually it's a Boucheron that I REALLY want but doubt I'll ever be able to touch one let alone own one.

I've been considering a white Charelston for a while now but haven't made the decision to make the jump yet. Well that & I'm broke as usual...lol

The serenete' (sp?) is IMHO one of the least appealing pens waterman has ever made. I've used them on several occasions at shows and in shops & it does absolutely ZILCH for me.

Just my 2 bits
dennis

The Phileas is $20 to $30 US on ebay. A new one. It is a hard-to-beat pen at that price. even with shipping down-under you shouldn't be paying more than $40 US. Kultur, identical mechanics with a different esthetic can be $10 US cheaper.

Andy

I actually found Richard's receipt for repairing my Waterman, and it turns out it is a Waterman Gentleman.

A little heavy for me (as I remember it took me a solid week to build my hand muscles enough to write with it comfortably), but a good pen.

Not on the list. A charleston. White. I like this one very much. Thanks Lex.

My wife and I have two Phileases. One with a broad nib and the other has a fine. The broad is her's, the fine mine. I like them both but I like the fine nib better.

Gee, I didn't realize you could only vote once. This is my first post here. I'm happy to find a forum that specializes in pens.
I have several models of Watermans including:
Allure - 3 ball points (different colors)
Hemishere - 2 ball points and a pencil
Phileas - 1 ea. of ball, roller, and fountain
Expert - Black, Blue fountainDune red fountain
Expert - Red racing edition fountain in Formula I collector box
Expert II - Black fountain and ball set, Dune red fountain
Maestro - Burgundy fountain
Charleston - Ebony fountain
Harley Davidson - ball point
Preface - ball, fountain, and pencil set
Apostrophe - Black fountain
and my prize...
Liaison - Black fountain

I also have assorted Pelikan, Cross (Townsends are my favorite), Parker, Sheaffer (Intrigue Silken Bark) and other misc. pens and pencils. Just love em. Wish I could figure out a way to use them on the computer instead of a keyboard.

I think the Serenite is quite wonderful looking.... but I've got a thing for asymmetry... Question is, how does it feel to write with one? Does the curviness get in the way?

brian

I've bought two Carenes recently, one on the Marketplace here from a well known Greek God and the other on ebay. One was a fine nib and the other medium. I am enjoying both of them, and the medium is very, very smooth.

You can pick them up (even the Deluxe gold cap version) for under $100 on ebay if you're patient.

Ron

I've just recently acquired an Expert II and a Hemisphere, and I must say that I'm thoroughly impressed by both pens. I've never been very attracted to Waterman pens, but these two write smoothly and reliably, fit my hand very well, and are quite beautiful. I'm now seriously considering a Carene to try a slightly upper-level Waterman.

Hi, my better half and I have a Hemisphere and a Hermoine in our collection. I did have a Phileas but I sold it recently.

Dawn