What Waterman Pens Do You Own?

[inkstainedruth]

How lovely to have some pens which are family heirlooms!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bkbelton]

I have a Waterman Liaison that I bought in the mid-late 90s - it was the first "nice" fountain pen I purchased. It is a medium and writes very smoothly, but I rarely ink it up because the nib is a little boring. These days I tend to use pens with more flexible nibs that are more expressive. 

 

Would there be a way to modify the existing nib to something like a cursive italic or stub? The original ni seems to have a lot of material to work with. Should I think about replacing the nib and preserving the original for posterity? 

 

For context, my current favorite is a Franklin-Christoph with a Nagahara fine curve italic nib. So maybe the cursive italic would be too repetitive? I see the Waterman website only offers replacement sections for their current offerings.

Edited September 2, 2025 by bkbelton
added photo

[Penguincollector]

2 hours ago, bkbelton said:

I have a Waterman Liaison that I bought in the mid-late 90s - it was the first "nice" fountain pen I purchased. It is a medium and writes very smoothly, but I rarely ink it up because the nib is a little boring. These days I tend to use pens with more flexible nibs that are more expressive. 

 

Would there be a way to modify the existing nib to something like a cursive italic or stub? The original ni seems to have a lot of material to work with. Should I think about replacing the nib and preserving the original for posterity? 

 

For context, my current favorite is a Franklin-Christoph with a Nagahara fine curve italic nib. So maybe the cursive italic would be too repetitive? I see the Waterman website only offers replacement sections for their current offerings.

 I would send it out or take it to a nibmeister. There’s plenty of good ones out there now, and it’s pen show season. 

[torstar]

Severe apartment cleanup unearthed my green Edson after many years of non-use.

 

Yay!!!  

 

But still like holding a big nail.

 

 

 

[AkitaMom]

I have a Blue Phileas Waterman inked today in Larmes de Cassis. 

[Christopher Godfrey]

Only vintage Watermans!  Models 94 (blue mottled HR), 52 (red mottled HR), 54(red mottled HR), 55 (cardinal HR), 56 (red mottled HR), 58 (BHR) and a Patrician (BHR), all of which have flexible nibs.  I used to have a couple of Hundred Year pens; but traded them for the cardinal 55, which is gorgeous!

[Ceramicist]

Not sure how I wound up with three Flash (4.75") and one Standard Flash (5.5") with 18kt nibs on two of the 4.75" and steel on the rest. I think a couple of them were gifts and maybe the others were in a bag of pens I purchased from our local consignment shop. I also have a Kultur with a steel nib, which was a gift. 

[Ceramicist]

On 11/2/2025 at 6:25 PM, AkitaMom said:

I have a Blue Phileas Waterman inked today in Larmes de Cassis. 

I used to have a blue Phileas that I loved, but the section cracked. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

In in editing, I've gone over to using European EF nibs, as soon as I get done with a few more pen of the 11 I have inked, I will use my black and gold Waterman mann200 F.

 

Once before, Japanese pens stopped being nitch and expanded of their islands, there had been flame wars of the narrow loving Waterman folks vs change a nib Pelikan folks, ie me too in that war. After the Japanese pen came in, that flame war ended. Japanese pens are at least 1/2 a width narrower than Waterman was. Don't know about modern Waterman nibs. 

 

My Mann 200 F is = to my modern Pelikan 200's EF nibs. I only buy on the whole**, EF in my LE Pelikan 200's, in the double ball is wider than the older Pelikan teardrop tipped nibs. 

 

** Just got a Fritz worked IB.

 

I came back, after 40 years in the Ball Point Desert, to fountain pens by going wide from my '71 or so bought silver P-75. So I never cared if some's F was an EF or who had the narrower EF nib.

[emetoyer]

Once I found these posts, I decided to ink up 

the Gentleman Obsession

Waterman Man Old Style (Super six nib)

Waterman Man 100

Waterman Gentleman

Stiff nibs, steady writers, and very distinguished looking!

 

Great article about the Man Old Style: https://penshotsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/waterman-man-businessman-pen-le.html

 

Sadly could not find a converter for the Man Old Style, so using an old box of ‘88’ long cartridges (from many years ago!) If anyone knows of the proper converter for the Man Old Style, I am all ears!

[Ceramicist]

4 hours ago, emetoyer said:

Once I found these posts, I decided to ink up 

the Gentleman Obsession

Waterman Man Old Style (Super six nib)

Waterman Man 100

Waterman Gentleman

Stiff nibs, steady writers, and very distinguished looking!

 

Great article about the Man Old Style: https://penshotsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/waterman-man-businessman-pen-le.html

 

Sadly could not find a converter for the Man Old Style, so using an old box of ‘88’ long cartridges (from many years ago!) If anyone knows of the proper converter for the Man Old Style, I am all ears!

Beautiful!

[Theotime]

I used to have a few Waterman Kultur (if I remember correctly, one was transparent red and 2 were metallic, iris-like). They were the first fountain pens I picked for myself back when I was in middle school. I can't find them, sadly, I think they broke (or maybe I just thought they did, I didn't take good care of them)

 

Recently, my mom found her neon pink one. Still a pen I like, but after being used to nicer ones, the only appeal I'd have for them would be nostalgia 😅

[migotka21]

Hemisphere I fountain pen, expert II fountain pen and ballpoint(?) which went missing last year and some day I will find it.

 

Hemisphere was a gift from a friend. I was sure it was allure. They got it several years ago with a logo of a bank, every person in their old job had one, and they never use fountain pens. They kept it in a drawer and asked if I still liked pens. And they didn't want money for this so I got them a mcdonald's shake. And I posted a photo on the old Polish forum and only then sb. wrote "NOT allure, hemisphere". Never inked brand new hemisphere I for a price of a shake. It's a deal.

[GlenV]

A birthday present pen pretty little thing and always nice to use a number 2 New York nib this one is a medium with some flex.

[Penguincollector]

  Oh how lovely, @GlenV! Wishing you many happy returns of the day. 

[inkstainedruth]

@GlenV That's very similar looking to a couple of Morrison ringtops I have (only I suspect that the Waterman's overlay isn't just "gold-filled" like the overlays on the Morrisons). 

Of course, I suspect that part of the reason a friend of mine told me to buy it (one of my purchases at my first pen show) was because I think that HE thought it was a Waterman....

But congratulations on such a lovely birthday present!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[GlenV]

Thank you for the birthday greeting and comments, my wife gave me this pen but since she typically does not wish to hear anything about fountain pens at all she really surprised me a good one!  I think the overlay Morrison pens are nice looking pens with fenestrated (cutout, "fillagree") overlays, even though the pen quality is a bit lower so historically have not been as collectable.  To be honest I think Watermans have become overpriced due to the name these days it seems to me although as more folks desire them the demand does outstrip supply, so maybe is normal.

[inkstainedruth]

Well at this point I've seen a number of other brands besides Morrison and Waterman that have similar overlays (Townsend, Eclipse, and even Parker).

I must say, though that the first Morrison I bought has a LOVELY semi-flex stub nib which is a delight to write with -- but because it has a bad habit of unscrewing itself from the cap while on the lanyard, that pen no longer leaves the house....  Although I should put it (or the sterling overlay one, or both) back into rotation at some point.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Splintercat123]

I own 4, a French glass cartridge one with 18ct nib, a French standard with glass cartridge, a W3,  and an unidentifiable one BUT it does have a charming 14ct Ideal keyhole nib, which is very flexy and soft too. It is just a Black lever fill two gold banded cover.

[Arthur Pewty]

Maybe someone can tell me what Waterman I own. Specifically this rollerball, which I just bought. I can't find a match online; it resembles a Graduate or an Allure, but neither is quite right. Perhaps it is one of those two, but the design has changed since this pen was made. It was listed as NOS, and I don't know how old it may be.