I taught myself calligraphy and the traditional italic “hand” back in college as stress release and a way to connect with writers and scribes of the past. The pens I used and treasured were purchased on a young person’s tight budget, and even with care they got rough and worn. Real life, kids, a demanding job and other things contributed to me not making time for the simple pleasure of beautiful writing, written beautifully. Then came the pandemic — and along with it the space and alert that it is important to honor skills and hobbies you enjoy. Although I do not use this pen for writing in an italic hand, I do use it for writing, especially things that matter. Although much of my writing is done on a laptop, this pen patiently waits, and I try to make time for it at least every other day. The smooth, understated design is well balanced in the hand, easy to hold and to write with. The ink flows smoothly, and the mechanics all work as they should. With care, this pen will last decades. It is a limited-edition design, which Waterman plans to make available for only 24 months. In a nod to my younger self, I’ve been using Waterman’s “mysterious blue” ink while continuing to search for the “harmonious green” made by this brand.

Hi … I have been a pen person for many years and I have collected a multitude of inexpensive technical pens, fine point markers, and rollerballs to play with. Laid out on top of my refrigerator (out of sight to foster marital harmony) is a rotating roster of the usual suspects; pens and markers from Micron, Parker, Pilot, Prismacolor, Stablio, Staedtler and UniBall. I love the color, and accuracy of line they bring to paper and I use them at every opportunity. It has been a number of years since I used a fountain pen daily though and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to give it another go. And that brings me to the my experience over the past month with this wonderful Waterman Expert fountain pen. Let the gushing begin … Simply put, this pen is a thing of beauty you can hold in your hand. The matte black lacquer body shuns fingerprints and the ruthenium clip and trim have a mirror finish that, to my eye, is a (very) dark gray chrome. Ruthenium, I’ve learned, is a member of the platinum family of metals on the periodic table and will not tarnish. Ever. Functionally, this pen is an absolute pleasure to write with. It is well balanced when capped and the included Waterman ink (cartridge) flows ever so smoothly across the page. The ink is quick drying, looks quite nice, and was “well behaved” on sheets of Canson “Mixed Media” paper I tried. I now have a pad of Strathmore (off-white) lined writing paper that I am using to practice with and I am thoroughly enjoying the pairing. The Verdict: This Waterman metallic pen black pen is flawless in form, manufacture, and use. I am very impressed with the “fit and finish” of its build, its quality, and how comfortable it feels to use. Most of all, I am happy that this gorgeous Waterman has reminded me how much I enjoy using a fountain pen. And that gift reinforces how easy it is for me to recommend this handsome pen. Have fun … P.S. / Footnote - Since my Waterman Expert fountain pen arrived a few weeks ago, I purchased, through Amazon, the Waterman Expert “Matte Black + Chrome” ballpoint pen to keep it company. It too is a simple pleasure that I am able to carry in my pocket. And, it is one more well made tool that I happily recommend.

Back in the 1990s I bought a Waterman fountain pen at OfficeMax. This was in the days before the internet made buying exotic items easy. I wanted a fountain pen, but could not find my favorite Lamy pens anywhere near my home in Toledo, so I did the unthinkable and bought a fountain pen from a pen display case at an office store. I regarded that Waterman pen as a rather poor addition to my collection of Lamys and Rotrings. But somewhere along the way in the subsequent years, my opinion of that Waterman began to change. I realized it never clogged. And if the ink dried in it because you hadn't used it for months, you could clean the nib and section and it would work like new--time after time. And it wrote beautifully for a steel nib. It just worked. Eventually I bought a second new Waterman of the same model to have parts for the first. Unfortunately, the end of that pen's barrel which screwed on to hold the clip in place would occasionally come unscrewed and at some point both pieces fell off the original pen leaving me with a pen lacking its clip and barrel end. But it was a champion pen. It was kind of retro in appearance, just a big fat cigar with a florid dual-colored tip. Nothing at all Bauhaus or cool about it. But it outperformed my Lamys and Rotrings hands down as a reliable writer. So I was fascinated to get this pen. Now, let's be honest $160 is a lot for a steel-nib pen lacking any really striking design features. And $160 for a non-piston fill pen lacking even an ink converter is kind of insane even though this is a modern and somewhat striking design for Waterman. The unusual design features are the matte black barrel and section and the black nib (a nib made by "physical vapor deposition" which is a resilient and high-tech way of coating one metal with another). But despite the design differences between this pen and my twenty-five-year-old Waterman, this pen is just like the old one in being a great, competent, smooth and reliable writer. Can I justify the price of this pen? With a steel nib, resin barrel and section and no piston-filler or even converter, probably not. You can get a better, though perhaps no more attractive, pen from TWSBI for one-third the price. But for the heritage of Waterman, the pure writing experience and the simple attractiveness of the design, I find this a fine pen. Perhaps not as great at the price, but then I feel any price paid over about $100 for a fountain pen is money wasted if you're just looking for a good-writing fountain pen. And yes, I do have several pens that cost over $500, but those were gifts I received, not my own purchases. So I commend this pen to you. If all you want is a good writing fountain pen, get any TWSBI. But if you want a bit more aesthetically, a bit more history in the brand you buy, a heritage and a pen you might pass on to your grandchildren some day, this could be the pen for you. One thing's for certain, you're not likely to see someone sitting in Starbucks writing with the same fountain pen as you if you make this pen your daily carry.