12 replies to this topic

[Cheshire]

Ebay listing.

 

Is it a gray marble colored Watermans 94? I asked the seller and they mentioned it was green/gray with red specks. I didn't find any gray/green/red colors for Waterman 94 online. Thanks. 

 

Edited by Cheshire, 19 June 2014 - 09:55 PM.

[JonSzanto]

That photo reminded me: I was watching an auction for a Waterman Thorobred (outbid on it, no matter) and I laughed when the seller was offering it as a "Waterman's Regus".

[Cheshire]

That photo reminded me: I was watching an auction for a Waterman Thorobred (outbid on it, no matter) and I laughed when the seller was offering it as a "Waterman's Regus".

 

I did stare at the listing title for a few min because I hadn't heard of a Waterman's Regus pen anywhere. Not sure if the personal inscription hurt the auction    

[vintage penman]

Possibly, it  has a very similar cap band but I can't see for certain. It looks like a steel grey pen to me - one of the most popular 94 colours. I seem to recall that turning up on some other pens too - 3v springs to mind but that would be way smaller than the 5" quoted in the listing.

[JonSzanto]

 

That photo reminded me: I was watching an auction for a Waterman Thorobred (outbid on it, no matter) and I laughed when the seller was offering it as a "Waterman's Regus".

 

I did stare at the listing title for a few min because I hadn't heard of a Waterman's Regus pen anywhere. Not sure if the personal inscription hurt the auction    

 

 

I had the same thought (and why I didn't bid any higher). The good part was I added some education by reading up on that lower line of pens, and even it they were more of a budget pen, that was very pretty celluloid. As a rule, I'm not fond of inscriptions, but sometimes make an exception.

[david i]

So much to say, so little time. At least this is easier to address than the red Vac posted today by Brian

 

The pen indeed is a Waterman 94.

 

The color is a pearlescent gray with flat red specks. As with other pens that use pearlescent gray, often the color discolors toward either amber or green.

 

This color was known in Waterman catalogues and Adverts as Grey  and as Grey Pearl (pages not in front of me, so I can't exclude the "Gray" spelling).

 

TBMOK, Waterman did not offer a color called Steel Gray though of course noting observationally the color looks like steel is fine.

 

Risking the wrath of at least one of our serious Waterman collectors, I toss down the gauntlet by noting that the common collector usage of the Waterman color "Steel Quartz" for this color is in error. Steel Quartz is a documented color in models 3 and 92  for Waterman, a pearlescent gray with caramel streaks.  I have never seen Waterman literature use that name for the gray-red Waterman 94. I would be happy to see Waterman paper that does cite this name in association with the Waterman 94 in gray-red.

 

regards

 

david

[david i]

 

-d

[Cheshire]

I had the same thought (and why I didn't bid any higher). The good part was I added some education by reading up on that lower line of pens, and even it they were more of a budget pen, that was very pretty celluloid. As a rule, I'm not fond of inscriptions, but sometimes make an exception.

 

I think I've seen a  Waterman's Thoroughbred before and they do have nice celloid colors. I like the 1940s models even though they seem to be less popular. At least the name P. Groob doesn't stand out too much from the FP. 

 

So much to say, so little time. At least this is easier to address than the red Vac posted today by Brian

 

The pen indeed is a Waterman 94.

 

The color is a pearlescent gray with flat red specks. As with other pens that use pearlescent gray, often the color discolors toward either amber or green.

 

This color was known in Waterman catalogues and Adverts as Grey  and as Grey Pearl (pages not in front of me, so I can't exclude the "Gray" spelling).

 

TBMOK, Waterman did not offer a color called Steel Gray though of course noting observationally the color looks like steel is fine.

 

Risking the wrath of at least one of our serious Waterman collectors, I toss down the gauntlet by noting that the common collector usage of the Waterman color "Steel Quartz" for this color is in error. Steel Quartz is a documented color in models 3 and 92  for Waterman, a pearlescent gray with caramel streaks.  I have never seen Waterman literature use that name for the gray-red Waterman 94. I would be happy to see Waterman paper that does cite this color in association with Waterman 94.

 

regards

 

david

 

Thanks for the answer. I did worry that it had been discolored due to time after I looked at the enlarged photos. I actually was interested in the keyhole nib because they tend to be rare on eBay. The photo you posted o the original coloring of a clean Waterman 94 looks quite nice. Do celluloid pens turn dark over time or only exposed to the environment? I've seen photos of celluloid pens where they looked faded or blotchy on different sections. 

 

I store my FPs out of direct sunlight but I don't know if I can stop the color change anyways. 

Edited by Cheshire, 19 June 2014 - 10:55 PM.

[Procyon]

Like David said, "So much to say, so little time."

 

Some celluloid discolors, some doesn't - and a lot depends on the environment the pen has been kept in.  This color isn't usually too bad about discoloring, but it does occur. Most of these don't have keyhole nibs, but I can't really say it isn't original, because those nibs were in use for the time frame that the 94 was produced.  In any case, the BROWN nib is fairly scarce and probably worth the price that the pen brought.

 

Also, all I remember seeing for the name of this color is "grey" from Waterman, although a lot of collectors seem to call it "steel quartz".  This doesn't bother me much - it seems sort of like using the name "true blue"  or "night and day", which are also common collector names for Parker and Waterman pens that were called something else by the manufacturer. Those latter pens were called "moderne" I believe - which is totally nondescript, and "grey" isn't much better, in my opinion.  So I personally have no problem in using a name that provides a better description of the pen, no matter what the original catalogs say.  Jesus, what idiot at Wahl-Eversharp named the "Flamingo"?

[david i]

Flamingo?  What Flamingo?

 

 

I really must update that pic to show the rest.

 

Only downside though to using "Steel Quartz" randomly is that that name actually does refer to a different Waterman color.

 

 

regards

 

david

[JonSzanto]

Jesus, what idiot at Wahl-Eversharp named the "Flamingo"?

 

Maybe they had a junket in Las Vegas...

 

[Procyon]

The only way a flamingo looks that color is if you cut its throat. 

[Cheshire]

Like David said, "So much to say, so little time."

 

Some celluloid discolors, some doesn't - and a lot depends on the environment the pen has been kept in.  This color isn't usually too bad about discoloring, but it does occur. Most of these don't have keyhole nibs, but I can't really say it isn't original, because those nibs were in use for the time frame that the 94 was produced.  In any case, the BROWN nib is fairly scarce and probably worth the price that the pen brought.

 

Also, all I remember seeing for the name of this color is "grey" from Waterman, although a lot of collectors seem to call it "steel quartz".  This doesn't bother me much - it seems sort of like using the name "true blue"  or "night and day", which are also common collector names for Parker and Waterman pens that were called something else by the manufacturer. Those latter pens were called "moderne" I believe - which is totally nondescript, and "grey" isn't much better, in my opinion.  So I personally have no problem in using a name that provides a better description of the pen, no matter what the original catalogs say.  Jesus, what idiot at Wahl-Eversharp named the "Flamingo"?

 

I'd been surprised that I won that auction because the last BROWN nib on a restored Waterman's #7 went for $170+. It's not as interesting as a PINK or even fabled WHITE nib but I like the look of keyhole nibs. Now to find a reliable restorer. I'd love to try my hand at restoring but somehow I feel like this is not the best time for experimenting.

 

OT: Thanks for the interesting note on FP naming. I'm curious how do unofficial names for specific models are developed over time? I've never been to a pen show or collectors meeting/club so it's all new to me. The examples you listed lead to interesting photos and so many FPs, so little time. IMHO, on eBay it's a good day if the seller lists the correct color and a non-blurry photo. They usually don't add info for the model unless it looks particularly expensive.     

 

@david i: Thanks for the photos of the "Flamingo" that color is really striking and probably too rare for me.