Waterman
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This installment I will explore the Waterman brand. Waterman the man have long passed and left his legacy to the world. Lewis Edson Waterman is credited (often) as the creator of the modern fountain pen. The fountain pen that we know and love (or dislike) to use. Fountain pens were not invented by Mr. Waterman, he improve it to the level of dependable and safe to use for daily writing without the often “burp” of ink that cost him is big insurance contract.
Legend says that Mr. Waterman lost a large insurance contract due to the pen he used that time “burped” and spill the ink on the contract paper, thus provoke the customer to back down and refuse to sign.
Disappointed but not infuriated, Mr. Waterman turn this disaster into a lifelong pursuit of improvement to the fountain pen. His real invention is the reliable three fissure feed that controls the ink flow without “burping” it out. Waterman pens are able to reliably deliver a well-controlled ink flow when we write, thus eliminated the problematic “burping”
Eventually, it grows into a full fountain pen, the Regular that is largely credited as the world first reliable fountain pen and practically “burp” free. The inventions do not stop there. There are numerous other world-first inventions in the history of Waterman Pen:
1904 invented to pen clip and safety as the first ink flow proof retractable pen. In safety pen, the nib are retractable and the cap would close the pen as cork plug a bottle thus preventing the pen from leaking ink as the pen is plug by its cap.
1913 lever fill system was invented. Prior to this, all pens are eyedropper where you just use an eyedropper to suck ink out of the bottle and put it into the body of the pen. Kind of messy and cumbersome to do on a regular bases. Take note that W.A. Sheaffer (the founder of Sheaffer Pen) claim to invent the lever fill system in 1912, I have no idea who invented them first as the era was full of innovations.
The lever fill was a great breakthrough of the time as it simplifies the ink filling process tremendously. It is very much resembling modern fountain pen in terms of ease of use. Only decades later that the fountain pen has the converter that is in my opinion make it truly easy to use, clean, and maintain.
With the introduction of lever fill, gone are the days when people spill inks on the way from ink bottle to pen. No more accidental knocked over the ink bottle and best of all, lever fill makes cleaning so much easier compared to the eyedropper. Just pump water through the system using the lever as if you are filling the pen and it will flush out most of the microparticles (usually a mix of paper fiber and dried ink particles). With an eyedropper pen, I need to disassemble the nib and feed or use a rubber bulb to flush the pen.
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Waterman as a pen company begins to grow and develop splendidly. Before long, the JIF-Waterman was established. Jules Isidore Fagard cooperate with Waterman to produce Waterman pens in France. The company grows splendidly and sales are soaring.
1927 Mr. Paraud, a researcher at JIF-Waterman invented the glass ink cartridge very similar to modern-day ink cartridge, only it was made of glass.
1953 the plastic ink cartridge was invented due to the nature of glass being brittle. Plastic practically solves the last problem of mobility in fountain pen, that is you need to travel with the cumbersome ink bottle in order to keep your pen working. With ink cartridges, you only need to take several of this and pop them in when you are out of ink and write on, totally eliminate the need of carrying the cumbersome and difficult to use ink bottle.
Refilling from an ink bottle without spilling is practically impossible on a moving vehicle like cars on bad roads, old trains, or ships moving on waves. It was the last piece to bring practicality into fountain pens before the fountain pen was replaced by ballpoint. Platinum claim to invented the ink plastic cartridge in 1957, maybe in Japan. Again, it is not clear who invented what and what is the distinct difference as nowadays, they all quite similar since the technology is so old.
Mr. Waterman has a very strong point on research and innovation but he did not heed the changes of time. He still produces the finest pen, technically, but not the most fashionable ones in the market. Other brands are emerging and they have modern, beautiful, fashionable designs. This in turn eroded Waterman sales and eventually at a strange turn of event, Waterman USA was no longer in business and absorbed in 1954 by the subsidiary JIF-Waterman French where it still operates today.
After several times changes of ownership, Waterman today was nowhere near its glory days. The brand lost its identity and don’t have a clear direction of where it should position itself. Waterman discontinued the Edson line, arguably the most advanced fountain pen in the world. This hurt the brand principle considerably as Waterman was about technological advancement and innovation. The brand tried to go low end but still expensive compared to the new brand from China and some Japanese brands low-end products, thus putting the brand floating around with no clear product positioning.
Pens, especially well made high-quality pens are moving more and more into the niche markets. Nowadays with the onslaught of digitalization and disposable pen, high quality is the only way viable in my opinion. High quality does not have to be luxury, high quality can also be interpreted as reliable and comfortable to use. I, for instance, love a good ergonomic pen as I write a lot and long sessions. A good pen is the difference between tired and cram hand vs getting my ideas on paper in one go.
Waterman should stay true to their soul of innovation and add a fashion touch to the design, it is based in Paris, the capital of world fashion. A well-design pen that ergonomically comfortable and pretty in look will sell well in the world market. Italian have several big brands that all focus on design. People still buy them despite the fact that the writing quality is not that great. On the contrary, Waterman pens are great writers, especially the higher-end models. Why not just focus on the middle-high market and go all out on nice design and ergonomy, still put a heavy focus on research and innovation.
If Waterman Pen doesn’t want to invest heavily in research anymore, at least partner up with other parties that innovate. I would love to see a beautiful Waterman like Edson but ballpoint instead of fountain pen, partner up with Fisher Space Pen. Just how good will it be? Paris fashion style with space technology in one pen. I believe that would boost both brands value and popularity as it can create something new for the market that blends practical and fashion design. How about some high quality, beautiful classic style filigree to commemorate master of arts? So many ways to re-establish Waterman back.
Seriously, Waterman, you have one heck of a legacy. It is more than enough to re-establish yourself in the world. I will be honored to help you chart the strategy of it. You can message me on LinkedIn or email me: infinitecoach@gmail.com
As always, have a nice week and please do share this article if you find it interesting. You never know who will benefit from it. God bless.
