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Hi there, I've been a silent member of the FPN for 11 years now, it's high time to come out from the closet! I was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, where I got my first fountain pen as a kid from my daddy. My father is a notary emeritus and he gave me a deep purple Waterman (no idea what model it was, but it was new back then in the 90s and had a steel nib). My Dad always wrote with his Waterman Le Man 100, he owned several of these. He used the havana Waterman ink. In consequentce I was, too, writing only Waterman pens, oblivious to the whole universe of other pen-makers. I looked down to my friend (and penfriend) Ania's Parker which I considered vulgar (hihi). And up to my uncle's Montblanc, but Daddy said, that Montbalncs were delicate, prone to problems and - the bottom line - had the screw system. So I stayed happily with my Waterman, till one day in London I lost it. I was about 16 years old back then and it was a true tragedy... My beloved pen, with which alone I wrote so many letters and pages... Daddy took me to the Waterman boutique in one of Warsaw's shopping malls and he bought me a new Harmonie (black, CT). I really liked this robust and heavy but slim and elegant pen. After maybe two years there was some issue with it, I sent it to Waterman for reparation and got a brand new one instead. In the meantime I was using one old Waterman with a gold nib ground by my Dad to a custom oblique. It scratched a bit but I loved the line variation. And then I went to Italy to continue my philophical studies. In a little exquisite pen shop next to St. Anthony's Basilica in Padua I got my first Lamy Safaris. I was delighted by the calligraphy nibs one could swap at ease! I got several of these pens and used them with different nibs and inks. But my nostalgy for Waterman was growing (in the meantime I lost my old Waterman with the custom ground nib on a train from Warsaw to Vienna, I took it out to write down some insider's pizza recommendations in Venice to some stranger in the compartment and forgot it there). I started searching for Watermans with oblique and stub nibs and realised that one could buy some new old stock Préfaces. I got myself one in black resin and one silver plated with an F nib and a stub nib separately. These were my new favourites, I loved them. After several years in Padua I moved back to Warsaw and then to Cologne, where I live now. Upon my arrival in Cologne a disaster occurred: my whole backpack still packed with valuable fountain pens (the silver-plated Préface and all my Lamys, thanks God the black Préface with the stub nib was not there) got stolen. (Alongside with my laptop and kindle...) Now I own several beautiful Waterman Gentleman pens with different nibs and I like them even more than the Préface. And I use them at home, taking my pink Lamy Safari to the University It writes great and if I loose it, I can rebuy it. So as you see from my lengthy fountain-pen autobiorgaphy, I love fountain pens as writing instruments but I don't really collect them (well, if you exclude 5 different rare finishes of the Gentleman that I have accumulated lately). I love the section inky thoughts and might be tempted to tell you more about the exclusive Diamine Kölsches Rheinwasser Ink that came out recently made for the local pen store Ortloffs. Still, what intetests me most, are archival / waterproof inks. I would love to try out an old Waterman or Pelikan with a flex nib. Best wishes to you all, fellow fountain-pen freaks!

Dear Waterman Folk, I have a little collection of Gentlemans (Sterling Silver Grain d'Orge Oblique, Sterling Silver Godron F, Gold-Plated Godron M). Now I got two more delightful Gentlemen which on the cap instead of the W Logo have emblems of BMW (Dark Cherry, M nib, see photo) and "Porsche Club de France" (Tobaccco, M nib). The tobacco colour seems rare to me. How rare are these pens? Do you know other branded editions of the Gentleman? The nibs are normal 18K, deliciously smooth writers. I wonder if some people collecting the Gentleman find this exciting:) I don't even have a car, let alone a Porsche ! I am looking for the one in black or blue laqueur with gold flakes though. Please share your knowledge and thoughts on these pens !

I bought few days ago NOS Waterman Gentleman FP....unfortunately the converter was not provided , I tried different international converters that I have but they did not fit .... Is there anyone who knows which type of converters does this pen accept and from where I can get one Thanks

Just today I spent $87.50 for a Waterman Gentleman (which includes free shipping) after comparing prices to the other ones being sold on eBay. The one I bought is burgundy lacquer with a medium "Ideal" nib. Interestingly, in my perusing of the 'Bay I came across a picture of a dozen Waterman Gentlemen(!) being sold en masse, in a Waterman box, no less. The pen which caught my eye immediately was the blue lacquer Gentleman with what I call "gold splotches." These splotches aren't specks or flecks but amoeba-size (enlarged a few hundred times) patches of gold. Whether they are comprised of real gold (as in gold leaf) or just a gold-colored metal of some sort, I do not know. What I do know is that I'd like to get a hold of one of those pens (not the box of 12, mind you, but a single blue-and-gold-splotched Gentleman)! Can anybody lead me in the right direction? Does the finish of the pen in question have a particular name? By the way, the box of pens which is still listed on the 'Bay for $2k and is numbered 3913 7994 9239. The blue and gold-splotched one is easy to spot; it's the seventh from the left. Thanks for whatever help you can render.

I bought a beautiful sterling Waterman Gentleman, medium nib, on eBay a couple months ago. I like the pen, but it skips badly. It turns out to be a display model, so has a special non-functioning dummy feed for pens that were not supposed to be sold. So I can get the pen working if I can locate a real feed - but where can I find one? I'd like to avoid spending a fortune simply to get a usable feed. I'd also like to avoid a long wait for a feed to show up on eBay. Is there any hope Waterman can supply one? Also, I'll bet the feed for a Gentleman is the same as for some other Waterman pens, but which pens are a match?

Hello Everyone, I have been following the forum for some time, and became fascinated with everything to do with beautiful precision writing instruments. I was inspired to watch endless youtube videos and following various blogs over the last 5 years or so. Along the way I learned about journaling, and about fountain pens I would not even have considered acquiring until one forum member or another wrote about their personal experiences. For example, although my collection was formerly entirely German in manufacture (Pelikan, Kaweco, Lamy, Montblanc), I recently obtained some very well made Chinese pens. My next steps will be to learn how to properly tune my pens, and even attempt to fiddle with the nibs - perhaps switching out and replacing them with #6 nibs by various manufacturers. Once I am confident I hope to "rebuild" some vintage Parkers and American pens with the mentorship of my friend Nathaniel who runs an online pen shop in Chicago. I work in the public safety field, and am a reserve member of the military. I am hoping to open a law practice when I retire from my profession, and the whole fountain pen thing hit me around the time I realized that I would be starting a more gentle life in the next 5 years or so. My wife and daughter were very sceptical about my new hobby, especially as I am already obsessed with building huge armies of military miniatures (everything from Ancient Egypt to the American Civil War), but they are coming around. I hope to be a useful and pleasant contributor to his forum. Regards, Tish

For many of us, our appreciation of fountain pens goes hand-in-hand with our affection for journals, notebooks and sketchbooks. No newsflash there. Quick back-story (well, not-so-quick...): Last autumn, when I posted a query, seeking a really fine replacement for a functional but damaged Junior Legal Pad Portfolio, fellow FPN member Octo very kindly directed me to Oberon Design -- a source for bench-crafted leather goods. I landed on the handsome Tree of Life pattern, and placed an order. For anyone wondering, I can attest, it's an exemplary bit of craftsmanship, tooled with a keen eye to meticulous detailing, and well constructed from heavyweight materials. As a reporter, any time I haul it out during an interview it draws enthusiastic comments from others. I own one of their journals, in the handsome Bold Celtic design. Except it's a bit small for my writing style, which involves a lot of side notes and digressions. After some research I decided on Oberon's Sketchbook (9-1/8 x 11-5/8). Except unlike the Portfolio models, Oberon's Journals and Sketchbooks (both of which include a leather cord-and-pewter button closure) haven't been equipped with a pen loop. But after inquiring whether such an option could be made available, I heard from Amy of the Santa Rosa, California-based company's customer service department. Such an add-on was in the works. Now, Oberon is offering that option. For an additional $5, the made-to-order Journals and Sketchbooks can be fitted with a sewn-in pen loop. Having researched add-on loops such as the peel-and-stick Leuchtturm pen loops or the very appealing Quiver pen holders -- both of which I admire -- I'd say that Oberon's optional add-on is a functional and moderately priced supplement to an admittedly pricey piece of leather goods, An investment I happily endorse, with no prompting other than as a satisfied paying customer. (PS: My son, a budding artist, took one look at my Celtic pattern Journal and fell in love with it. He's inheriting it next month, for his 21st birthday. It's nice to be able to bestow -- and share word of -- heirloom-quality goods that are still made in America.)