Waterman Pen Company: A History

For more than 120 years, Waterman pens have been regarded as premier fashion accessories, aside from being very reliable pens used by people of style and refinement.

When it comes to quality writing, Waterman pens are indeed one of the most coveted pens in the industry. Add to the fact that these pens come with so much style, and you will surely understand why there are so many people in the market who prefer the company's pens to other brands. The usage of the brand itself spells esteem and refinement for the user because of the French design and the prestigious quality that comes with all of their pens. When you give someone a Waterman pen for a gift, it would spell esteem for the recipient. The company was established way back in the year 1833, right in the heart of New York City, by Lewis Edson Waterman.

The company's pens are actually one of the select brands that came from the first generation of fountain pen brands ever. The company has survived the rigorus in the industry to this very day, under the name of Waterman S.A. This was actually a French subsidiary of the company back in the day.

Waterman is credited with instigating innovation with the improvements that the company brought to the basic design of the fountain pen. When meshed with aggressive marketing, it did not take long for the pen to become a mass-market object coveted by so many people all over the world. You may have heard about the foundation of the company is associated with a loss of insurance sales on the part of L. E. Waterman. This is actually a fabricated story, but nonetheless, is something that is worth mentioning since so many people have heard many versions of the story over the years. It has been told that Waterman used to work for an insurance company, as a sales agent. But when it came to signing contracts and such, it failed to furnish the prospective client with a reliable fountain pen, thus, losing the insurance sales in the end. However, this story holds no ground at all, and remains one of the many urban legends about the history of the Waterman Pen company.

What holds true is that the savvy, canny, and innovative business sense of L. E. Waterman is the binding force that the company can truly boast of.

The death of the founder in 1901 brought forth the next generation leadership, in the name of Frank D. Waterman. Being the nephew of the late founder, Frank was also exposed to his late uncle's innovative business sense. He did not waste time implementing even fiercer aggression, towards the expansion of the company in the world market. But the success did not last long because the company was forced to shut its doors in 1954. The company was revived by its original French subsidiary, now known as Waterman S.A.

Since this momentous revival, the Waterman pens have become more stable in the market, even garnering more sales than it used to. The following pens are considered trademarks of the brand: the Philias, the Edson, the Himisphhre, the Harmonie, the Expert, the Audace, the Liaison, and the Man 100. The Man 100 pen was released in 1983, to celebrate the 100th year of the company itself.

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Neil Thompson is a fashion writer who specialises in men's gifts and accessories. He has a particular interest in socks, pens and wallets and brands such as Waterman, Parker and Simon Carter. Click here for more information on pens and in particular Waterman pens.

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