Waterman W5 queries

[Nightjar]

Irritatingly persistent newbie question-asker again!

 

I bought a Waterman W5 (barrel marked Waterman's / Made in England / W5). But I'm not sure that the nib and section are correct. Low price, so not a big deal, in fact intriguing...

 

As shown in photo: nib marked 5 not W5. W5s online have nibs marked W5, though a previous post by @Nethermark indicates that some W5s (earlier ones?) have nibs marked 5 not W5.

 

Also: the section has more pronounced concave curve than other W5s seen online.

 

So I guess it's probably nib and section from another model... or it might be some variant of W5 that's not well-represented online. Does anyone have a view? The section certainly appears a perfect fit to barrel in terms of diameter, colour, etc. The feed appears visually the same as feed shown in photos of W5 online. And pen design otherwise as expected for black W5.

 

Somewhat related: one online source says the W5 was produced from 1955, others list it as a 40s or even 30s pen. Does anyone know which is correct?

 

Any help much appreciated 🙂

 

 

Edited February 11, 2025 by Nightjar

[Nightjar]

It's perhaps possible that it's a 515 section, either franken-fitted or a transitional production model,* since the 515 seems to be very similar to the W5, with similar or identical narrow-wide-narrow triple band on cap in the 1947 catalogue. Scan below is 515 section from the 1947 catalogue. [Though if either hypothesis correct, still doesn't explain the nib marking (Waterman's / 14 CT. / 5), which I haven't been able to find online.]

 

* I suppose this sort of thing was quite possible back then... e.g. they had the new W5 barrels but a batch of 515 sections left over, so they used them. But of course franken-modification very possible.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2025 by Nightjar

[Nightjar]

Well here I go again responding to my own queries! Nobody else does 🤣😉

 

After much searching, I eventually found this nib marking, on a 515 here:

https://collectablepens.co.uk/products/watermans-515-in-brown?variant=40279676584016

 

[This 515 has a single broad cap band, unlike the 515 in the 1947 catalogue, which has narrow-broad-narrow bands like the W5; indeed the appearance of the capped 515 in the catalogue seems identical to the W5.]

 

So it does appear to be a 515 section and nib. The remaining question is whether that was Waterman's doing or a franken-fixer's. In the absence of evidence, I must suppose franken-fixer. Though I certainly think it's possible that Waterman did it in the factory, as mooted above, and particularly given the closeness in time of 515 then W5. [Or another way of saying the thing: perhaps early W5s had the same section and nib as the 515?]

 

@Nethermark  I'd really appreciate your view if you see this, since you've previously mentioned that you have W5s with just 5 on nib... do they have a more concave 515-type section, or the less curved W5-type section?

 

 

Edited February 12, 2025 by Nightjar

[Nethermark]

Hi Nightjar,

 

As I said in the original post, I'm not a Waterman expert and therefore, I may very well be wrong on this topic

 

The sections on my 515's resemble the one on your W5. However, I have not tested whether the sections can be swapped on these pens. I would be rather hesitant to say with certainty that your section and nib are from a 515. When I seach the net for Waterman W5, I see there is some variation in the shape of the section between pens. 

 

Waterman seems to have produced several pens of this design; I also have an unmarked pen that resembles a 515, but has a NW5 nib.

 

 

 

 

[Nightjar]

Thanks so much for this response @Nethermark, really appreciated.

 

So long story short, it's entirely possible that my pen is not a franken-monster, but a production variant of the W5 👍🏼

 

Thank you again!

[senzen]

This is what my W5 looks like:

 

 

The section seems more straight, the nib does say W5.

[Nightjar]

Thank you @senzen! Yes yours is the indisputable W5 I think, with straighter section and nib marked W5.

 

I re-found @Nethermark's post mentioning W5s with nib marked 5 not W5, but I don't know if his pens have curved or straight sections, or whether they are barrel-marked W5.

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2025 by Nightjar