waterman laureat, an underrated waterman

[georges zaslavsky]

Hi

 

A little waterman laureat review, written with a laureat extra fine nib

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

Let me tell you which pen is which from left to right:

1st generation laureat extra fine nib

2nd generation laureat m nib

1st generation laureat f nib

1st generation laureat f nib

1st generation laureat f nib

1st generation expert f nib

1st generation expert f nib

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/dcp_0329.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/georges2/dcp_0330.jpg

The waterman extra fine truely writes like an extra fine and this out of the box with no customizations

I really like that pen, it is a very good and a classy writer.

 

regards

 

georges

[PatientType]

Georges,

Thanks for shining a light on an overlooked pen. Now that I'm aware of the Laureat's qualities, I'll keep an eye out for one of these numbers.

 

 

[J English Smith]

I too like the Laureat. Very nice design, understated compared to the Phileas. I have a fine 1st gen and a medium 2nd gen and they both write well. The barrel size is truly medium - not too thick, not too thin. Gold trim plating is well done. They are nice steel-nibbed pens for the money.

 

(The medium nib runs to medium-broad. But I don't have many broad nibs, and I like this one. You can see a lot of ink color without feeling like it's a paintbrush.)

[Bill32164]

I'm surprised there are not more posts about the Laureat. Then I am new at this. I cannot say the Laureat was my first Waterman, but it is my newest. Favorite? Perhaps. I have an old USA made Waterman 100 year pen that writes very nicely and fits my hand great -- problem, fill lever is broken so it must be used as a dip pen. So, that said my favorite pen is my Laureat. I bought it on Ebay in like new condition for less than $20.00 shipped to my door.

 

The quality and balance of this pen is outstanding. I like the smoothness of the nib. Mine is a medium and it lays down a nice line of ink effortlessly. First time I used it I did not have any good paper, only a legal pad to test the pen. The pen was such a pleasure to use I filled 3 pages!

 

Since buying my first I purchased 2 more. Another M and an F.

 

I am surprised at the price these pens bring for not having much on this site about them. They are fine quality pens and a real pleasure to use.

[ethernautrix]

Oh wow, back in the late '80s, these were my favorite fountain pens. My first fine fountain pen was a Waterman Executive, but then I bought a Laureat... and then I bought another one. I think I had three or four at one time and maybe eight or nine over the years, with extra nibs, and it was my favorite pen to give as a gift. I've kept only one, the blue-marble, with only one extra nib (or maybe two), one of them is an EF.

 

I have a sentimental fondness for the Laureat. And Waterman, for that matter.

 

These days, I have a Le Man 200 in rotation. I had the Le Man 100 in rotation, too, but I think I am going to have to let that one go, as it wasn't comfortable to write with after some minutes. I think, having been acclimated to the lighter Nakayas, the Le Man 100 is too heavy for my hand now. The 200 is still very comfortable -- and these nibs! The F on the 100 and the EF on the 200 are smooth and stiff and wonderful!

 

Yeah, and the Laureats. Amazing pens.

[csmorris]

A Laureat with a Fine nib was my first pen. Bought for me by my father when I was graduating High School. My most treasured pen to date!

[olivier78860]

A very underrated pen indeed. The nib is a real charm, and it's nearly indestructible a pen.

(Mine has a floating nib. If I pull it gently I have it in my hand. But I can put it back in its place, and the pen works like a charm !)

My only criticism would be the shape of the section, since it's not continuous.

My recommendation is to get one if you can, you won't regret it for the cost.

 

Nice review, Georges! Giving justice to this little and affordable gem.

Edited August 13, 2011 by olivier78860

[Namo]

The Laureat was my first pen after the usual Pelikano we had at school. I broke it at the army, taped it so I could still use it, and then losst it in a snow storm... lots of memories there! The replacement for many years was a Waterman Maestro, very nice, but maybe not up to the Laureat!

 

Merci pour ce beau rappel qui ramène pas mal de souvenirs!

[mazg]

I just purchased one of these after reading this post, a 2nd generation blue marble in immaculate condition (boxed with converter and cartridge) for $55. I am very happy with the purchase and am finding the M nib not overly broad. It is my first Waterman (my other pen is a 1976 Parker 65 Insignia) and this will be my everyday pen once I find a nice sleeve to put it in so it doesn't get scratched.

[Namo]

Just bought a 1st generation, green marble, EF nib in an antique store - what a wonderful pen!

[Snargle]

The Waterman Laureat turned out to be my first high-quality fountain pen, and it's still my #1 writing instrument.

 

I took a little bit of a risk last summer and was trolling my local weekly outdoor flea market for shaving-related stuff. Much to my surprise, I found a vendor that had several nice-looking fountain pens. He claimed that he was selling them for a relative who formerly had a shop that dealt with pens, stationery, etc. I'm usually reluctant to trust some of these sellers, but the prices were so low that, even if the pens were fakes, I wouldn't be out very much.

 

I ended up picking up a NOS boxed Waterman Laureat Fountain Pen and Rollerball Set for $25. It's got a beautiful Gray & Black Marbled Lacquer body with a gold clip and trim rings. Some research showed that this is a first-generation Laureat with a flat-top cap. The FP has a medium nib (gold-plated steel?) and after a little scribbling to get things flowing nicely, has turned out to be an excellent writer. The rollerball refill was completely dried out and unusable, which leads me to suspect that this might actually be a new old-stock set. There also are a couple of age spots/soiling on the lining of the box. I've now got two beautiful writing instruments that perform extremely well. I purchased a converter and have been filling the pen with Noodler's Ottoman Azure.

 

Here's some photos:

 

 

 

 

[ChelleW]

The Waterman Laureat turned out to be my first high-quality fountain pen, and it's still my #1 writing instrument.

 

+1

 

Got this very set in the 90s. Still have it. The Laureat is my favorite writer bar none. I've been spoiled rotten by the smooth, broad nib. I have a medium nib but it turns out the Waterman medium is a bit broader than most.

 

As for the rollerball, I replaced the regular refill with a G2 gel ink refill and now that's a nice writer too.

[rwilsonedn]

Another +1. The Laureat I have is just a splendid writer, and great to look at besides.

ron

[ThirdeYe]

I have a blue marble one almost identical to the furthest to the left, and it's a really nice writer. I prefer it over my Phileas M that I had and also the Expert II M I had. I sold the other two and kept the Laureat, along with two fine-nibbed Kulturs. Mine has a medium nib.

[tonydent84]

I'm looking everywhere for a first generation Laureat rollerball in black lacquer and gt (or a close enough color). I think the grip section is too weak. On my rollerball at least. Broke on me when putting a refill in. Maybe I was too tough with my grip, but I still believe the grip section is too fragile. Another Waterman Laureat first generation rollerball also was made of cheap plastic. This one, the grip section didn't come out to replace the refill. Rather, you unscrewed the tale of the pen (the part where the cap posts). Whenever I post the cap, it gets kind of tight so that when I unpost the cap, the whole section comes out. The second generation seems to be of much higher quality.

 

Ordered a new grip section for the first generation from Waterman last week (they still have some lying around they said). I'm thinking about getting the second generation Laureat fountain pen from a pen shop which tends to carry old discontinued models, but only if I find it at a reasonable price and in black with gold trimming.

[Laura N]

Excellent review. This takes me back. I have one of these from the 1980s in black with gold trim. The clip was bent back from being stored for many years inside the ring of a binder. But the medium nib is amazingly smooth and nicely wide. It's just a great writer at a nice price.

[Muncle]

The Laureat was "my dad's pen." He always had it with him, and I remember not being allowed to use it. Any other pen, no problem, but that one was too fragile. As I got older, I used it maybe half a dozen times, with his permission, and because there were no other pens about. He still has it, always in his pocket, now nestled next to a couple of other pens he has discovered since I started collecting.

[Tritonus]

Dear Georges,

Thanks to your excellent and persuasive review I went out and bought myself a Waterman Laureat with an M nib(the 2nd generation) earlier this year and it is indeed a superb pen - I use it nearly everyday in my rotation of fountain pens and the feel of its nib is really incredibly especially when I inked it up with Visconti Blue.

I do have a question for you though as I'm planning to get another Laureat with a Fine nib but the options I have in the 2nd hand market is mainly the 1st generation Laureat - since you own both, do you think there is a difference between the two versions or is it mainly a question of aesthetics only?

Regards,

Ron

[georges zaslavsky]

Dear Georges,

Thanks to your excellent and persuasive review I went out and bought myself a Waterman Laureat with an M nib(the 2nd generation) earlier this year and it is indeed a superb pen - I use it nearly everyday in my rotation of fountain pens and the feel of its nib is really incredibly especially when I inked it up with Visconti Blue.

I do have a question for you though as I'm planning to get another Laureat with a Fine nib but the options I have in the 2nd hand market is mainly the 1st generation Laureat - since you own both, do you think there is a difference between the two versions or is it mainly a question of aesthetics only?

Regards,

Ron

I think it is aesthetics only, the laureat is a way much better pen than today waterman tasteless offerings. Go for it.

[GradesWithFPen]

Thanks for the review. I agree that the Laureat is a much underrated pen, but because of this, I was able to get one on ebay for $23 the other day! My first Laureate came to me in 1991 as a celebration of buying my first house, and I have written with it (honestly) almost every day since then. No matter what is in my rotation, it is STILL my go-to pen. It's been dropped, rolled, run over by an office chair, but it still looks great and is just about my favorite.

 

The Laureat is just about the only pen that you can keep posted without scuffing the barrel because the top posts on a nob and not the enameled part. Love the pen and always will.