Quite some years ago I saw a movie on PBS about a young
Japanese -American girl in an internment camp. She was given a pen before
shipping off. In camp she began writing letters and essays with her most
treasured pen. At the end of movie, she became a well-known writer. The pen
was a Waterman fountain pen, a nice looking dark colored fountain pen. I
have never known Waterman pens before watching the movie.
Since then I learned that the tip of a Waterman is made of 14K gold and
"flows" well. It is also sufficiently flexible to allow quill-like writing
for elegant penmanship. Well liked and favored by many writers and those
with good penmanship, it is known as a learned person's pen.
In the 1994 I was in Paris for a meeting, and saw these pens in a shop
(manufactured in France since 1954, moved from NY. Sold to Rubbermaid in
2001). I opted to get a ballpoint instead (new for Waterman, used to be
fountain pens only). Brought it back to SD and eventually gave it to
someone, who has much better handwritings than I do.
Recently I went to eBay to see what sort of vintage Waterman Fountain pens
are available, it turns out there is a big group of people on eBay buying
and selling vintage Waterman. They go from a few hundred to about $1K. It
seems there is big fan club of these pens.
In searching around I found out that L.E. Waterman, an insurance salesman in
NYC, was generally credited to be the inventor the fountain pen with a
reservoir of ink in 1884, although it is somewhat a controversial claim,
however, it is probably true that the Waterman Pen Company was the first
internationally successful manufacturer of the fountain pen as we know it.
The modern Waterman of recent years is apparently not as of a high quality
as before. A group of us recently chipped in to get a Waterman Ballpoint pen
for our former teacher, Mr Lum Ying-Ho. The ink leaked out after our teacher
opened the box and clicked on the pen. What a bummer. A few days ago I found
the box that once contained the Waterman Ballpoint pen.
Inside this box, there is still a ballpoint refill, made in the US. Took it
out and tried it. It writes immediately and smoothly even after 16 years of
storage. Called our former teacher and asked him where the writing core was
made in his pen, it was made in France. Mailed the refill to him, and it is
currently working for him well.
I surmise to say that
A pen is not a pen, until the PEN is treasured and valued
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1.This link tells the history of Waterman Pens
http://www.internet-ink.co.uk/waterman-pens-history/waterman-pens-history.
2.More about Fountain Pen Pens
3. By the way, Hungarian journalist Laszlo Biro invented the ballpoint pen
in 1938.
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