Waterman was established around 1884 in New York City by Lewis Edson Waterman, it is one of the few first-generation fountain pen companies that survives to this day, under the guise of Waterman S.A. (originally Waterman's French subsidiary). In 1883 the founder of Waterman company invented the "Three Fissure Feed" system which prevented excessive discharge of ink, which saw Waterman’s first pen-related patent, granted in 1884. The Waterman Company received the gold medal of excellence at the "Exposition Universelle" in Paris in 1900 for developing the "spoon Feed" system which prevented overflow of ink. In 1904 the pen clip was invented. Early Waterman pens were made of hard rubber and were equipped with 14K gold nibs. From early on, precious metal trim and overlays were offered. Many are still in use today, and their nibs are prized for their smoothness and flexibility. In 1913 Waterman company introduced the lever fill system. Though largely ignored by present-day collectors, the Waterman C/F of 1953 introduced the modern plastic ink cartridge. In 1967 a factory Saint-Herblain in France was opened. In 1983 the Waterman company celebrates its landmark 100th anniversary. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Waterman creates The Pen that is to become the reference in luxury writing. In the 90s came the products we know today. In 1992 Waterman came up with the Expert line, in 1994 the Hemisphere - a design that combines technological ingenuity and ultimate elegance. The years between 2004-2009 saw the creation of product lines such as Exception, Elegance and Perspective. Over time Waterman have as they say endeavoured to redefined elegance as the perfect balance of beauty and innovation in their writing instruments. Waterman have been at the forefront of design, innovation and elegant pens for almost 150 years and continue to be a major presence in the fountain / pen mass market.
The Waterman Kultur and Phileas models were both introduced to the market in 1994. The Phileas remained in production until the late 2000’s whereas the Kultur is still produced in France. They are quite often confused as they are very similar in external appearance. However there are some fundamental differences between the two. The primary differences are that the Phileas has a brass liner for weight, the Phileas nib is two-tone, and the Phileas has the fan cap band on the barrel end. The Kultur lacks these features but is otherwise identical. The Kultur often (but not always) comes with a transparent section. There are a large number of colours available in the kultur range, with primary solid colours initially available: green, blue, red, black etc with transparent and neon colours introduced at a later date. The Waterman Phileas model is named after Jules Verne’s character Phileas Fogg in his novel ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. The cartridge/converter Art Deco designed Phileas was originally produced in marbled blue, green, red and grey. The Phileas was universally praised for its writing qualities far above its price range.
This is a complete set of the Waterman Phileas model in green marble finish. It is quite rare to see a of new / unused set listed on eBay. They are in mint condition.
On offer is a NEW OLD STOCK Waterman Phileas FOUNTAIN pen, ROLLERBALL pen, BALLPOINT pen and MECHANICAL PENCIL set in a green marble effect finish accentuated with gold plated trim. The large derby on the caps to these pens and pencil have a stylised gold plated clip with the Waterman logo indented on them and a thin gold ring and black cap screw. The caps have a thin gold ring at its base. The fountain and rollerball pens have the unique Phileas gold shield at the base of the barrel. The gold / silver two tone open medium nib also has the “Waterman logo, Paris and L” (see note below on nib size ) indented on it. The rollerball and ballpoint have new refills and the mechanical pencil has leads. The fountain pen comes with a Waterman converter. This pen set is presented in a new tan leather pen holder. The pens feel good in hand, look fabulous and are a real pleasure to write with.These pens are in mint condition. There are no dings, dents, scratches or any personalisation on either pen. Please refer to the photographs as they form an integral part of the description.
PLEASE REFER TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED CLOSELY AS THEY FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DESCRIPTION.
during the 1990's one or more European pen manufacturers had the idea to change the nomenclature for pen sizes. They began by substituting "L" (large) for "B” (broad). It turned out that the standard pen size indicators are so conservative and engrained in pen cultural manufacturing worldwide that the experiment was dead in the water before it got started. I think I have seen exactly one nib on one occasion that had the "L." Hence, I will suggest that the nib on this pen is a slice of history. Keep hold of the nib, even if you get another nib mounted for general writing.