waterman 1st generation expert

[georges zaslavsky]

Hi

 

Here is the first generation expert with its beveled tri dimensional nib which was never reviewed, time to give this very underrated pen a review. The review contains two models, a fine nibbed model (dark green) and a medium nibbed model (vivid green).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/watermanexpertreview.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/watermanexpertreview2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/dcp_0316.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/dcp_0317.jpg

And to sum up why my preference of the first generation expert over the second generation expert here is it:

A circa 1995 1st generation Waterman Expert fountain pen in Black plastic and gold plated trim. For decades, Waterman has churned out unique designs, beautiful materials in vibrant colors. The Expert was originally produced in plastic that was light weight and featured a distinctive two-tone, steel nib. They also had a firm clutch to the cap that let you know it was snapped securely to the barrel. Around 2000, Waterman introduced the second generation Expert that never matched up to the first generation. The body was made lacquer over brass that dramatically increased the weight of the pen. The also redesigned the nib and, while the nibs wrote well, they looked cheap. Finally, they redesigned the clutch in the cap that did not engage to the barrel as securely as the first generation. Over time the clutch wears out and the cap can disengage from the barrel with little or no effort. These first generation Experts were a well kept secret and were underappreciated for their design, feel or how well they wrote. This pen measures 5.6 inches in length with the cap clutched snuggly to the barrel.

 

Expert I has a stiff nib, gold colored with sort of a chamfered shape to it, it's bevelled on both sides, rather than being rounded. The cap has a stylized "W" on the front, between the trim rings, and "Waterman Paris" on the back. The end of the cap is just solid plastic with a "W" embossed in it, also the barrel is plastic.

The Expert II has a gold insert in the end of the cap, has "Waterman Paris" on the front between the trim rings and "France" on the back. It has a two-tone rounded nib which is stamped with "Waterman Paris" and has a distinctively different collector. This pen is a bit heavier than the other one because brass barrel.

 

enjoy the review

 

best regards

 

georges

[hari317]

Thank you Georges for introducing me to this lesser known Expert.

 

Regards,

Hari

 

[Greenpiece]

I agree with you Georges about how nice the first generation Expert is. I am lucky to have one that my father gave me since he no longer uses fountain pens. I have an Expert II rollerball, and it's noticeably heavier with the brass and lacquer construction. The nib on the Expert I is very smooth and has a very good flow, not too much or too little for my handwriting. It's just a great daily writer with the secure pull-off cap, secure posting ring and comfortable weight. I highly recommend it as well.

 

In fact, I would rank it second in my collection behind only my Sheaffer Connaisseur and slightly ahead of my 149. I know that's surprising, but it's that good a pen to me.

Edited March 2, 2009 by Greenpiece

[altecniblick]

Thanks for the review. I might give this pen some serious consideration, since my old Graduate died.

[lobsang]

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post; it's nice to finally know the model of a pen I fell in love with and have cherished for years. I'm embarrassed to admit that I DID pay around $400.00 for it in a specialty pen store...the unusually high price was one of the factors that made identifying it more problematic. It would appear I got "hosed", but the other pens in the store seemed appropriately priced, so it would seem odd that they would jack up the price of this one to such a degree.

 

If my recollection is correct, I actually lost the first one I purchased and had to have another one ordered from a different (and completely unrelated) vendor. The price for the second one was about the same. Can anyone explain why this pen appears to have been SO overpriced by two unrelated vendors? One reason I'm so certain of the price was because at the time I could not believe I was actually spending $400.00 on a fountain pen!!!! I was not a collector at the time, but this one became the first in a collection that's grown over the years.