What is your grail vintage waterman?

[Pepin]

Would like to learn from the experts.

[satrap]

All sterling LeMan 100.

[FredRydr]

What is your grail vintage Waterman?

 

So far, my black celluloid No. 7 with pink nib. Prettier pens have come by, and more exotic pens are in my pen trays, but the No. 7 pink remains my favorite writer, and it is always inked.

 

Fred

[gregamckinney]

_True_ grail (as in, may not exist, probably will never have a chance): One of the pens from the first batch of pens assembled by Waterman himself.

 

More realistic grail: Very early pen with a horseshoe vent nib.

 

Regards, greg

[GardenWeasel]

Mine was the LeMan 100 - and I bought a couple. Then it was the nibs themselves, so I bought a few. Then it was the Opera, so I found one and bought it... now I'm on the hunt for the harlequin! Comes to me, my little one! I am waiting...

[PAKMAN]

Late 1920's Waterman Red Ripple #7 Red band/red nib.

[Mauricio]

Waterman 7 with Pink nib and pink band on the cap ... Already have it except it has a brown band on the cap. In an effort to keep it original, I am looking for an original (not a modified/reworked) pink banded cap. That pen writes like a champ!

[jellybelly1]

All models of the Le Man 100 are beautiful, and as satrap mentions, the 100 Sterling is a beauty to behold

[sallywally]

I love so many! The red rippled ones, olive ripple, the old chased hard rubber, and the fabulous silver and gold overlays! My ultimate combination would be an extra-fine semiflex in just about any body!

[Pepin]

what do you gents mean by "pink" nibs?

[rroossinck]

Many of Waterman's early nibs were color coded. Check Richard Binder's website for a reference explanation.

 

In answer to the question, I have two that I'm on the hunt for. A really nice example of a silver ray Ink-Vue, and a clean Hundred Year OS.

[Dlpens]

In the 1925 Waterman catalog there is a full covered pen with a golf motif. I have seen the 1/2 covered golfer but never the pen shown in this catalog. So that is my holy grail Waterman. Another holy grail Waterman is the triple snake eyedropper pen. As if the double snake isn't rare enough! Don

[Skyppere]

I'd love a non-crazed mint or nearly mint Waterman 100 year pen... I know they're out there. I want one for a song.

skyppere

[Johnny Appleseed]

A true "holy grail" pen is not a normal production pen you would drool over, but a rare and difficult to find relic that requires patience, stamina, and sacrifice to achieve. It is one you must go on a quest to seek.

 

Now, of course, that means different things to different people, and for some the sacrifice needed to obtain a standard overlay is more than a deep-pockets collector needs to land a Waterman 20 Overlay.

 

So for the true grail, I would go with Greg and say one of the first Watermen pens from 1884 - such as the one in David Nishimura's collection.

 

Realistically, a #7 black would be a real treat. More realistically a Pink #7 Red Ripple, a Blue Ripple 94 are high on my list of "someday" pens, and the pen I really want is a 15POC G.M.

 

what do you gents mean by "pink" nibs?

 

Waterman's color-nib chart

 

Maybe Don or someone can show off their complete 7-color set?

 

 

John

Edited November 30, 2009 by Johnny Appleseed

[Vintagepens]

Yes -- if we are not to devalue grailhood, aim high . . . and then aim higher yet!

A true Grail should not only be desirable, but elusive to the point that its very existence should be in doubt.

 

How about a Snake in platinum over red hard rubber?

Or a #20 safety in Rose Ripple?

[rhosygell]

A 55 ripple with blue nib and anothe 94 preferably one of the ripples with blue nib and another Ink Vue.

 

Sadly ever escalating prices make these someday pens and I will have to make do with one blue nibbed 94 and a red nibbed Ink Vue and the usual fine semiflex in my ripple 55!

[Silvermink]

I'd be happy with a 454 (okay, make it a 554 if we're going for broke) or an OS Hundred Year.

[Richard]

I want a Bluegreen Ripple 94 and a Rose Ripple 94.

[Pepin]

Hi John,

 

Thank you for the link. I didn't know Waterman made so many nice pens.

 

 

A true "holy grail" pen is not a normal production pen you would drool over, but a rare and difficult to find relic that requires patience, stamina, and sacrifice to achieve. It is one you must go on a quest to seek.

 

Now, of course, that means different things to different people, and for some the sacrifice needed to obtain a standard overlay is more than a deep-pockets collector needs to land a Waterman 20 Overlay.

 

So for the true grail, I would go with Greg and say one of the first Watermen pens from 1884 - such as the one in David Nishimura's collection.

 

Realistically, a #7 black would be a real treat. More realistically a Pink #7 Red Ripple, a Blue Ripple 94 are high on my list of "someday" pens, and the pen I really want is a 15POC G.M.

 

what do you gents mean by "pink" nibs?

 

Waterman's color-nib chart

 

Maybe Don or someone can show off their complete 7-color set?

 

 

John

[FredRydr]

...for the true grail, I would go with Greg and say one of the first Watermen pens from 1884....

I'd break it.

 

Fred