Conway Stewart Winston

[Inky-Republic]

This pen was recently received as a corporate gift, subsequent to my providing marketing assistance to a local engineering consultancy. I have wanted to own one of these fountain pens for some time, given the original reputation of Conway Stewart and the fact that the current model “Winston” is a robust over-size pen that should prove ideal for someone sporting very large hands (which indeed I have).

 

The package arrived gift wrapped with a note of thanks from my benefactor and a wish that I should enjoy using the pen for many years. Note that the Winston fountain pen no longer arrives with the extra “goodies” in the box, as shown in sprebrowns youtube review (cigar, book of Churchill’s quotes, cleaning cloth etc). I suspect this was a temporary sales gimmick which is now no longer part of the deal (shame).

 

I had expected to be impressed with the fit and finish of Conway Stewart products, having read and watched a number of reviews covering the “Winston” and its current manufacturer, Bespoke British Pens Ltd.

 

Nothing quite prepares you for the experience of first handling this amazing creation however, as the product is indeed very large, substantially constructed and totally beautiful to behold. The brass lined acrylic body in “Classic Brown” is just mesmerising and the subtle variations in depth and olour seem to be a magical pool, which you can’t help but stare into!

 

Both the colour and patterning extend seamlessly through the length of the instrument, with little noticeable transition between the body and cap. The inset gold bands however section the pen tastefully into its key components and the whole thing looks “simply right” (and somehow totally satisfying). The Winston’s vital statistics are as follows:

 

Length (capped): 142mm

Length (uncapped): 137mm

Length (posted): 178mm

Length of cap: 66mm

Dia. Of barrel: 15mm

Dia of cap: 18mm

Weight of pen (empty): 54 gms.

 

The above scant-lings work out perfectly for me and whilst some have commented that the pen is too big and heavy to write with when posted, I personally prefer to use the Winston in this configuration and find it to be quite comfortable and controllable. By the way, you will notice that the rear gold band is slightly raised above the surface of the surrounding barrel. This is a great idea, since it allows you to post the pen, whilst avoiding the possibility of scuffing or scratching the immaculate surface on the barrel with the inside of the cap.

 

Above the rear band is a small end cap, which you will need to unscrew when filling the pen with ink. This cap conceals a small knurled knob underneath, which you rotate to lift and lower the piston within the filling mechanism. A single cycle of the filling mechanism is all that is required to top-up the chamber - and this quantity of ink seems to provide a quite reasonable writing mileage.

 

The original Conway Stewart stock nibs are available no more, so Bespoke Pens have substituted an alternative “semi flex” design, which they have manufactured in 18K gold and further toughened with an iridium tip. I usually prefer either a stub or cursive italic nib, but in this case, the pen was supplied with a medium nib. I was however hopeful that the “semi-flex” description of the nib meant that a line width with a reasonably controllable width variation could be achieved, but unfortunately this proved not to be the case. At best, the small degree of flex provides a modicum of ‘shock absorption” and does I think assist with a smoother ride - but that’s about it! I found the degree of pressure required to spread the tines and get any decent line variation was too heavy for everyday hand writing and indeed risked bending the soft 18k nib out of shape. I have consequently written to Bespoke pens with a view to acquiring a cursive italic or stub nib, although I believe these are made to order and will likely cost a pretty penny! As is however, the medium nib is superbly smooth to write with and has no issues with feed or wetness. Those who love standard nibs will therefore be delighted with Bespoke Pen’s new nibs and I believe they may even prove more reliable than the originals.

 

Now for a criticism which I believe is fairly serious and totally justified. The pen was ordered with a request for my initials to be engraved on the body. This engraving service incurs extra cost, although some collectors would deem it inadvisable, since it is perceived to reduce resale values. I however intend to keep the pen for personal use and will never sell, so was consequently happy to have my initials engraved on the barrel. What subsequently upset me however was the fact that in doing this, the manufacturer has omitted all the standard engraving which should be carried on every genuine CS pen, namely the maker, product model, serial number and country of manufacture. This omission effectively deletes all traceability and identification from the pen and really does greatly reduce it’s perceived value within the market place – not to mention the appeal of owning a quality product with documented history. Given the generous dimensions of the barrel, there is absolutely no reason why one’s initials or name couldn’t be engraved on the opposite side of the pen and in my view, leaving out the history and traceability of the product is a rather shoddy strategy and is completely unforgivable!

 

I shall certainly be taking this issue up with Bespoke Pens in the hope that they will agree to rectify the issue, but in the meantime I would advise all to forget about any custom engraving until after the pen is received. If it turns out that BBP can’t fix it, then I would strongly advise them to make this consequence known within their sales literature.

 

Conclusion:

Despite it’s relatively high cost, the Conway Stewart “Winston” remains a very desirable product which generally exhibits great beauty and a high standard of manufacture. Whilst the two issues outlined above have left somewhat of a sour taste (given the high price point), for me it is still a product worth recommending within a range of top-end options. After my experience however, I would offer the following personal advice to prospective buyers:

1. Do not have the factory custom engrave your pen.

2. Do not expect any significant level of flex from the nibs supplied with the Winston.

3. Do not let the “semi flex” label entice you away from your usual choice of nib width.

 

Stop Press: I just received an email from Bespoke British Pens and the cost of the replacing my medium nib with a cursive italic, is one hundred and eighty three pounds sterling (AUD $335). As I suggested earlier, accepting statements at face value can prove to be a painful and expensive experience!

 

[Paul80]

Is that a button filler or just the knob of a captive converter.

 

I once had one of the original Conway Stewart Churchill pens, the one with the lever filler, other than the nib, I found it quite unimpressive for the money, comparing it to similar sized and priced pens like the Pelikan M1000 and Montblonc 149, it just felt cheaply made. I assume (hope) the new owners of the name have improved their build quality.

 

Paul

[dapprman]

Couple of things.

The Winston Churchill Box sets were limited editions and now go for silly prices - worse than OMAS were going for a year ago and Arco pens still are.

The other is engraved details. I have two modern Churchills and neither have the old style engravings on the body, just a numbered and signed card accompanying the pens, I believe this was also the case before Conway Stewart effectively collapsed again and became BBS.

 

@Paul80. The nibs with the Conway Stewart logo on where the last from the former company. I think the BBS ones are made by Bock (I could be wrong). I have a medium and a broad and they both are smooth and pleasant to use but on the stiffer side.

[Inky-Republic]

Is that a button filler or just the knob of a captive converter.

 

I once had one of the original Conway Stewart Churchill pens, the one with the lever filler, other than the nib, I found it quite unimpressive for the money, comparing it to similar sized and priced pens like the Pelikan M1000 and Montblonc 149, it just felt cheaply made. I assume (hope) the new owners of the name have improved their build quality.

 

Paul

 

 

Hi Paul,

 

No, it's not a button filler. The knob has to be rotated and simply operates what I assume is a fairly standard captive converter.

[Inky-Republic]

Couple of things.

The Winston Churchill Box sets were limited editions and now go for silly prices - worse than OMAS were going for a year ago and Arco pens still are.

The other is engraved details. I have two modern Churchills and neither have the old style engravings on the body, just a numbered and signed card accompanying the pens, I believe this was also the case before Conway Stewart effectively collapsed again and became BBS.

 

@Paul80. The nibs with the Conway Stewart logo on where the last from the former company. I think the BBS ones are made by Bock (I could be wrong). I have a medium and a broad and they both are smooth and pleasant to use but on the stiffer side.

 

Hi,

 

Yes you are correct, I am informed that these nibs are indeed manufactured for BBP by Bock, which makes the prospect o shelling out nearly $350 for a replacement all the more difficult to swallow! Unfortunately I can't identify any Bock reference number, so matching the correct size nib from Bock's standard inventory is somewhat difficult. Whilst my handwriting is not the best, comparing the sample I did with the Leonardo Zero (stub) vs the Winston (medium), you can see that the output from the medium nibbed Winston is pretty boring. Still deciding what to do, but unless I can replace this nib, the pen is probably destined to become a wall hanger in my office. For my taste the output to the page from the Winston in it's current configuration is fairly one dimensional and uninspiring. I may however look at sourcing a custom stub or italics nib from elsewhere, since I believe there are a number folks on the FPN who have a good reputation for this kind of work.

[Inky-Republic]

Just to follow up and circulate some useful info:

 

I extracted the medium nib from my CS Winston, measured it up with a set of digital calipers. I instantly recognised the dimensions as a bog-standard Bock 250 series nib

 

Just to be sure, I put the nib side by side with one of the spare Leonardo nibs I purchased with the Momento Zero and Bob's your uncle - they're identical (see photo)! (Incidentally, the Noodle's Ahab nib is also a match to the Bock 250 series nibs).

 

Since I had already taken a liking to the Momento Zero's stub nib, I've ordered a couple more - one for the Winston - and a spare for the Zero. At fifteen Euros each, these are a lot more palatable than the AUD $350 I was quoted for a Winston OEM replacement!

 

I'll keep the old CS medium gold nib in bag, ready to put back should the pen ever be sold.

 

One problem out of the way - and another pen to add to the FPN nib compatibility table!

[darazs]

Thanks for showing us that nice pen. And go to know the nib compatibility.

 

As far as I know, BBP has a custom version of the nib. My experience is that it does behave differently than the Momento Zero a colleague of mine owns.

[Paul80]

What's the story behind BBP are they a new company the bought the CS name when they went bust or the same management team redirecting the name under new ownership to get a fresh start.

 

The last I heard when I stepped away from the pen world about 5 years ago CS were merging or being taken over by Onoto, did that go through or was that behind their final collapse.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[Inky-Republic]

What's the story behind BBP are they a new company the bought the CS name when they went bust or the same management team redirecting the name under new ownership to get a fresh start.

 

The last I heard when I stepped away from the pen world about 5 years ago CS were merging or being taken over by Onoto, did that go through or was that behind their final collapse.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

 

 

Hi Paul,

 

I don't know if BBP has any old CS players remaining within the management team, but essentially no, this is a new company with a different target market and a new production strategy.

 

Essentially BBP purchased all the old CS company's materials and production stock and effectively re-targeted the products to a higher end market. The pens produced today under the CS brand are generally a much higher quality build than the old mass produced pens that CS turned out towards the end. Some components (nibs in particular) have now been expended from the old stock and as discussed above, have been substituted with alternative designs from Bock.

 

What the company intends to do as other stock components and materials are expended I don't know - either they run out an expensive series of final editions, or seek to re-establish supply contracts and design new models. It would be interesting to understand their intentions, especially since a number of colour offerings in the CS range are being listed as "No longer available" Maybe we'll see replacement designs come to the fore, or maybe some other brand may rise from the ashes down the track? On the BBP website there is some reference to a new "Stratford Pen Company" and maybe this is a manufacturing organisation they have created to reforge all the old British pen companies into a leaner and more efficient production hub, whilst still marketing under the original brand names - who knows?

[dapprman]

From my understanding that's not quite right and what the actual truth is I'm not sure we'll ever know.

 

What I do know is that towards the end of Conway Stewart under it's final owner (note the Conway Stewart holding company still exists and still owns all the rights), several people from Onoto were leant to see if Conway Stewart could be saved. Something happened with the result that they left Onoto under a cloud, took over Conway Stewart, and for what ever reason started the BBP brand (maybe they were looking to save/restart other British pen companies under the one banner).

[georges zaslavsky]

I have one older Conway Stewart Churchill Button Filler in Blue. The nib on it is a medium with a decent amount of flex

Edited April 7, 2019 by georges zaslavsky

[Paul80]

Interesting so they changed from the version I had which was a lever filler to the one above, a button filler to the version BBP sells which is a cartridge converter filler.

[Vetinari]

and yet another version: an older Winston with CS imprint and captive converter, and a newer BBP with a normal converter (I asked the nice people at BBP not to make it captive).I really like the weight of the Winston!

[Paul80]

Their Winston & Churchill's has had more comebacks than Winston Churchill had political comebacks

 

Paul

[Inky-Republic]

Just a quick follow up on the CS Winston.

 

The photos show the Winston's medium nib and feed removed and the Leonardo stub I decided to replace it with.The replacement was the exact same size, so was very easy to fit.

 

Also shown is the Winston FP with the Leonardo nib fitted, together with a sample of how it writes (sorry about the lazy hand writing, but it's been a long day and is late!)

 

That said, the writing sample does indicate the variation of line width that is possible with Leonardo's stub nibs (which are a pleasure to write with by the way!).

 

The ink is Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown, and appears nice and textured by the CS wet feed.

[AJ50]

and yet another version: an older Winston with CS imprint and captive converter, and a newer BBP with a normal converter (I asked the nice people at BBP not to make it captive).I really like the weight of the Winston! 648EC4B6-CF93-45A0-846C-778FF38F5AE0.jpeg

Didn’t know they would do that - might be tempted

[s_t_e_v_e]

I inquired about this same model with BBP and here's what they said about the nib and barrel engraving:

 

 

 

Dear Steve
Thank you for your enquiry below

Message Body:
I'm interested in the Conway Stewart Winston fountain pen in classic green. I have a couple of questions about it. Is the nib unit made by Bock? Does the barrel have brand engravings like the original?

The nib is made by Bock, but the barrel does not have any engraving on it. You can have engraving put on the barrel as an extra –details on the website - some people have their name put on the barrel with the words “Made in England” under it.

Once again thank you for your enquiry

Kind regards

Alastair Adams
Managing Director
Bespoke British Pens Ltd

 

I think the stock that BBP got from CS when they shut shop was unfinished and did not have the engraving. BBP also probably didn't get original CS nibs. $350 to get the nib "replaced" sounds absurd. You would be better off buying a new Bock nib from fpnibs.com and also have it ground per your liking for way less. The will also initial it for you.