Waterman L'Etalon Information Please

[Phroneo]

 

 

Greeitngs All,

 

Will someone please be kind enough as to give me some information about the Waterman L'Etalon line of writing instruments?

 

Were/are they a high or mid-quality pen in the Waterman line?

What did they replace or where did they fit in the Waterman offering?

Approximately when were they manufactured ?

How long and what diameter might the pen be? (Capped and Posted) (I'm 2-meters+ tall and have big hands. Large pens are helpful for me.)

Are they heavy and/or well-balanced?

Were they based on the based barrel coated with lacquer?

 

But most of all, how ore the nibs? Are they smooth and have good ink flow?

 

Sorry for so many questions, but I'm trying to get my mind around the modern - 1970 - present Waterman line of writing instrumetns. I have A.L.'s book but sometimes that's more confusing than helpful for me.

 

Thank you for all of your help in advance.

 

Peace,

 

Phroneo

 

 

 

 

[Ondina]

I would qualify L'étalon ( The Stallion) as a mid-high end range of the Waterman production. It has a very distinct and in my oppinion luxurious design, a distinctive nib and a broad variety of finishes, from gold or silver to laquers and polished resins.

http://www.penwa.com/waterman/letalon.htm

http://www.theinkflow.com/l'etalonlacquer.htm

http://www.pensandgifts.net/watermanpens.html

It's been discontinued not too long ago, so you can still find it in many online shops. I personally like the nib and the looks of this pen but have never owned one, so can't say much about its use. I have a friend that has one and uses it far more than his Charlestons or Carènes.

Personally, I've tried it and the weight and height are similar to the Liason. The workmanship is impressive, high quality. The cap clips into place with a small sprung brass button and the barrel is brass. The nib is soft and writes similar to the one I have, the Prefàce with a bit more of spring it it. Uses the average Waterman converter or long cartridge.

Wishing for one, yes....

Edited March 5, 2008 by Ondina

[CharlieB]

When Waterman discontinued the Man 100 and Man 200 (which, by the way, was a dumb decision!), they introduced several models to occupy the high end of their line: the Liaison, the L'Etalon, and the Edson. The Edson is the only one of the three still in production, and it is Waterman's highest end pen. The Liaison and the L'Etalon have been replaced by the Exception.

 

Although the standard models of the L'Etalon were less expensive than the Liaison, the L'Etalon had a silver plated version (very nice looking pen!), whereas the Liaison did not.

 

Hope I've got these facts right.

[ROLO]

Ah, I took a ruler out and did some measurements on my L'Etalon (Green Lacquered, Gold Trim):

 

Closed: 13.9 cm

Uncapped: 12.5 cm

Cap: 5.9 cm

Posted 15.0 cm

Diameters:

at its widest: 13 mm

barrel tassie: 9 mm

cap tassie: 11 mm

 

Relatively heavy due to brass body and cap. Nice, broad-shouldered, 18k nib, but a stiff one (at least mine, and according to me).

Very smooth tough. It has just a good ink flow (well, it had, until I started messing with it, now it writes rather wet), never skips, never fails to start, just excellent, as it should be (but do some initial cleaning when you buy it new).

Good everyday writer and not too flashy looking.

 

List price here in The Netherlands was around 210 euro (a little less than the Exception, which is some 295 euros in lacquer).

 

A good buy, if you can have it as cheap as I had mine (NOS: €75).

 

Edit: added diameters and ink flow.

Edited March 5, 2008 by ROLO

[John Cullen]

I have owned three Liaisons, all were dry and a tad toothy. Once I had Richard Binder adjust them, they were very nice.

 

I have owned three Le Man 100s and all wrote nicely.

 

I have owned two L'etalons and both were fantastic. I admit I have only tried two of them, both fine points, but they always started, always wrote smoothly and were tolerant of the angle at which I held them. In other words, I tend to hold my pen at a high angle of attack. Many pens at this angle will be a little dry, especially on the upstroke. The L'etalons were perfect even at my angle of attack. The L'etalon nibs are very firm. If you are looking for a springy nib, this is not the pen for you.

 

 

As you can tell, I very much like the L'etalon. I kept one and sold the other because the Fine points on these, at least in my very limited experience, were true Fines and not as wet and wide as the Phileas Fine points I have tried.

 

So if you are thinking of getting one, I think it is a good plan. They are not cheap, and they are not really a big pen, which may or may not work out for you. I would sure like to get another one with a Medium nib. which I expect would be a middle sized medium rather than a Phileas wetter and broader medium.

 

I doubt you will be disappointed. j

[wspohn]

Although the standard models of the L'Etalon were less expensive than the Liaison, the L'Etalon had a silver plated version (very nice looking pen!), whereas the Liaison did not.

 

It was sterling, actually.

[Phroneo]

 

Greetings All,

 

Thank you for taking your time to answer all of my questions about the Waterman L'Etalon. I was looking at some images of standard L'Etalon fountain pens in black, green, and burgundy and I liked the way the looked. But as you all know, it's difficult to get a feel for the size and weight and all of those other things I questioned from pictures.

 

It's OK by me for the nib to be stiff so long as it writes smoothly and has dependable ink flow - all of which seem to be the case by reading your postings. It is also a "standard" length pen for me. It may be just a tad too small being about 5 or 6 mm shorter than the Liaison, but that shouldn't matter too much.

 

I think that I'll keep my eyes open for a nice set somewhere. Once again, thank you for all of your help.

 

Peace,

 

Phroneo

 

 

 

 

[satrap]

Although the standard models of the L'Etalon were less expensive than the Liaison, the L'Etalon had a silver plated version (very nice looking pen!), whereas the Liaison did not.

 

It was sterling, actually.

--------

 

And, I have a gold-plated version.

[satrap]

When Waterman discontinued the Man 100 and Man 200 (which, by the way, was a dumb decision!), they introduced several models to occupy the high end of their line: the Liaison, the L'Etalon, and the Edson. The Edson is the only one of the three still in production, and it is Waterman's highest end pen. The Liaison and the L'Etalon have been replaced by the Exception.

 

Although the standard models of the L'Etalon were less expensive than the Liaison, the L'Etalon had a silver plated version (very nice looking pen!), whereas the Liaison did not.

 

Hope I've got these facts right.

===============

 

Hi CharlieB!

I think the Liaison would have been a hit in sterling. don't you?

[CharlieB]

Hi CharlieB!

I think the Liaison would have been a hit in sterling. don't you?

 

I think it would have been a hit -- but not with me. I can't get used to writing with the Liaison's curved nib. I'm left-handed, and the Liaison's nib blocks my view of what I'm writing. I much prefer the nib on the Man 100 or the L'Etalon.

Edited March 7, 2008 by CharlieB

[satrap]

I would qualify L'étalon ( The Stallion) as a mid-high end range of the Waterman production. It has a very distinct and in my oppinion luxurious design, a distinctive nib and a broad variety of finishes, from gold or silver to laquers and polished resins.

http://www.penwa.com/waterman/letalon.htm

http://www.theinkflow.com/l'etalonlacquer.htm

http://www.pensandgifts.net/watermanpens.html

It's been discontinued not too long ago, so you can still find it in many online shops. I personally like the nib and the looks of this pen but have never owned one, so can't say much about its use. I have a friend that has one and uses it far more than his Charlestons or Carènes.

Personally, I've tried it and the weight and height are similar to the Liason. The workmanship is impressive, high quality. The cap clips into place with a small sprung brass button and the barrel is brass. The nib is soft and writes similar to the one I have, the Prefàce with a bit more of spring it it. Uses the average Waterman converter or long cartridge.

Wishing for one, yes....

===================

 

eBay seller pens_n_more still has them. I bought a blue Liaison from them, and they are great, with great prices

 

 

 

diane

[dare_nova]

I have Etalon Canyon Brown Gt in M nib. Great writer and very smooth