Waterman Lauréat

            Vintage pens are easy to come across in Maine. Almost every antique shop you walk into will have a cigar box filled with old pens that need a bit of TLC to get working. Being pretty well versed with repairing and restoring vintage pens myself; I always enjoy finding a diamond in the rough at these stores. While it isn’t really a “vintage” pen; today’s pen is one of those finds: a Waterman Lauréat.

            Stats:

            Diameter – Body 10mm

Diameter – Grip 9mm

Length – Body 124mm

Length – Overall (Capped) 138mm

Length – Overall (Posted) 170mm

Weight – 65g

Available Nib Sizes – Fine

Cost When New – $55

Product Run – c. 1985 – c. 2000

            Looks:

            The Waterman Lauréat was marketed as a midline pen, definitely not a flagship model but not one to glance over either. It was marketed as a very durable fountain pen, and that reputation is one that it lives up to. After quite a few years in a drawer, the only part of this pen that has seen the test of time is the nib.

            The finial is a gold colored flat top, which connects immediately to the signature Waterman clip with the “W” logo imprinted at the top. The cap ends with a thin gold colored band that reads “Waterman. Made in France.” The cap connects to the body at a black plastic section with another thin gold colored ring. The thin brass body of the pen continues to another small gold coloers band, followed by an end piece that can be unscrewed. I’m not fully aware of why you’d want to unscrew the back end of this pen, it is just a cartridge converter that also unscrews in the usual spot above the grip.

            
            Popping off the cap reveals a tapering-ribbed plastic grip. The grip fits well in the hand, and the grips ensure that there will not be any slipping while holding the pen. This pen’s nib is a gold colored steel nib. On my model the coloring has begun to wear off to reveal the steel, but remember this pen is around 30 years old. An interesting thing about this nib is the lack of a breather hole, which means that the line this pen creates will be on the finer side and lacking some line variation. The nib and feed are friction fit and can be removed for easy cleaning.

            Unscrewing the grip section from the body will allow you to use Standard International sized cartridges or converters.

            In my previous review (which can be read here:We Be Pens "Cocobolo"), I talked a lot about how the weight of that pen was a downside. While the Waterman Lauréat is an all brass pen; I feel that its weight is exceptionally well distributed. Being a smaller pen, as far as girth goes, it means that less metal is used in all.

           
            Writing Experience and Writing Sample:

            
            Writing with this pen is pleasant. Because this pen has a finer nib, if used with a drier ink you can even use it on “worse” paper and experience no feathering or bleed-through. The nib is as smooth as a steel nib can be, and it puts down a decent line. Here is a writing sample with this pen:

            Final Thoughts:

            The Waterman Lauréat is a fantastic pen. It fits very well in hand and is a nice writer. Finding this pen second hand means that it will need some intense cleaning before you can use it, and that might be too much for some pen users. If you do see this model pen at your local flea market or antique store; I would highly recommend it.