Vintage Waterman identification

[Jimmy]

Hello,

 

Could anybody help to identify this Waterman pen ? When has it approximately been made ? I bought it yesterday, it must be a very common pen. It has a very flexible nib, it is my first flex, it a joy to write with and a very pleasant writing experience, it writes wonderfully. This green-brown celluloid pen is small, 12.7 cm long capped, the barrel diameter is approx. 1.1 cm. Nib and barrel say "Ideal". A 3 is printed on the flat top end of the barrel.

 

Jimmy

[Oxonian]

Hi Jimmy,

 

You seem to have done a lot of the work yourself.

The number 3 on the end of the barrel identifies the pen as a Watermans No.3, this model was made for many years and appeared in several forms, your looks to come from between about 1937 and 1946 ish. The nibs on these come in every type from rigid manifold to very flexible indeed and everything in between. The colour of your pen is I think sometimes called moss agate but I don't know what Waterman called it.

 

Most Watermans models up until about 1945-6 ish had the model numbers imprinted on the butt end of the barrel, certainly on the earleir pens black hard rubber pens, this was accentuated by being filled with red wax and on the red hard rubber it was white wax.

 

cheers, John

[Jimmy]

Fast answer, thank you, John. I bought it mainly because of the very flexible nib and I have not been disappointed. It's really different from modern nibs and a pleasure to write with.

 

Jimmy

[Scripsit]

FYI the color is 'steel quartz.' Waterman's grey marble with red veins, the one used in the chrome-trim 94, is often mistakenly called steel quartz, but what you've got is the real thing.

Rob Morrison

www.vintagewriting.com

 

Fast answer, thank you, John. I bought it mainly because of the very flexible nib and I have not been disappointed. It's really different from modern nibs and a pleasure to write with.

 

Jimmy