# Waterman article



## Crayman (May 20, 2010)

Saw this in my local paper. 

D. Hyde may have got the first patent for a continuously flowing fountain pen, but it took a Brooklyn-based insurance broker to refine the design and come up with a more practical and marketable fountain pen.
According to *About.com*:
“In 1883, Lewis Waterman was an insurance broker in New York City, getting ready to sign one of his hottest contracts. In honor of the occasion, Lewis Waterman bought a new fountain pen that he considered far more stylish than a cumbersome dip pen and ink well. With the contract on the table and the pen in the client's hand, the pen refused to write, and actually leaked onto the precious document. Horrified, Lewis Waterman raced back to his office for another contract, but a competing broker had closed the deal.
“Determined to never again suffer such humiliation, Waterman began to make fountain pens in his brother's workshop. Lewis Waterman used the capillarity principle which allowed air to induce a steady and even flow of ink. He christened his pen “the Regular,” decorated it with wood accents, and obtained a patent for it in 1884. In his first year of operation, Waterman sold his hand-made pens out of the back of a cigar shop. He guaranteed the pens for five years and advertised in a trendy magazine, The Review of Review. The orders filtered in.
“By 1899, Lewis Waterman opened a factory in Montreal and was offering a variety of designs. In 1901, upon Waterman's death, his nephew, Frank D. Waterman took the business overseas and increased sales to 350,000 pens per year. The Treaty of Versailles was signed using a solid gold Waterman pen, a far cry from the day Lewis Waterman lost his important contract due to a leaky fountain pen.”
In a world of Blackberries, text messaging, instant messaging and e-mails, there are still thousands of people across the world who enjoy the feel and look of writing done with a fountain pen.
And, there are many who enjoy collecting vintage and soon-to-be vintage fountain pens.
Curious about collecting or even selling some of those old pens you found at Grandpa's house? A quick check of the Internet will turn up dozens of sites dedicated to fountain pens, never mind many shops that still sell them.


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## Mark (May 20, 2010)

I did not know that. Thank you for sharing the article... It just goes to show, you never know where the next "great" innovation will come from.


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## ldb2000 (May 20, 2010)

Here's a link to the original patent dated Feb 12 1884 . It's funny but this is from the European patent office but it's the US patent http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=US&NR=293545&KC=&FT=E


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## Russianwolf (May 20, 2010)

Started the Company in New York, then moved it to Canada. So he outsourced jobs early. :biggrin:


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## glycerine (May 20, 2010)

That's neat.  Thanks for sharing.


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## titan2 (May 20, 2010)

Russianwolf said:


> Started the Company in New York, then moved it to Canada. So he outsourced jobs early. :biggrin:


 
Probably a better business environment, even then, up in Canada rather than in New York.

FWIW.....


Barney


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## GaryR (May 24, 2010)

I believe Waterman is owned by a French company now. I suspect they bought lock, stock and barrel.
Gary R


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## NewLondon88 (May 24, 2010)

GaryR said:


> I believe Waterman is owned by a French company now.



Ah .. so now it's Aquaman?


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