Waterman pens
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | goods |
| Founded | 1884 New York, U.S. |
| Founder | Lewis Waterman |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Fountain pens |
| Owner | Newell Brands |
| Parent | Sanford L.P. |
| Website | www.waterman.com |
The Waterman pen company is a major manufacturer of luxury fountain pens. Established in 1884 in New York City by Lewis Edson Waterman, it is one of the few remaining first-generation fountain pen companies, as Waterman S.A..
Since 2000 it has been owned by the American group Newell Brands subsidiary Sanford L.P.
The initial years of Waterman's involvement in pen manufacturing are unclear. The earliest records of reservoir pens date back to the tenth century, with the oldest surviving examples dating back to the 18th. Waterman's improvements on basic pen design and aggressive marketing played a vital role in making the fountain pen a mass-market object.
In 1883 Lewis Edson Waterman invented the "Three Fissure Feed" system which prevented excessive discharge of ink after previously losing a big sale due to a leaking fountain pen, which led to the key novelty feature of Waterman's first fountain pens being the feed, for which his first pen-related patent was granted in 1884. From the beginning, competition in the fountain pen industry was fierce, both in the marketplace and the courtroom. Despite later company literature that depicts Lewis E. Waterman as a golden-hearted innocent, all evidence indicates that he was a tough, savvy, and innovative businessman.
In 1899 the L.E.Waterman company developed the "spoon Feed" system which prevented overflow of ink, which also led to the company receiving the gold medal of excellence at the "Exposition Universelle" in Paris in 1900.
Nonetheless, it was after L. E. Waterman's death in 1901 that the company took off. Under the leadership of Waterman's nephew, Frank D. Waterman, the Waterman Pen Company expanded aggressively worldwide. While Waterman introduced its share of innovations, the company's main selling point was always quality and reliability.
In 1904 the pen clip was invented to allow a pen to be held in the pocket or "clipped" onto an object. The same year also saw the development of the first complete inkflow-proof retractable pen.
As the 20th century wore on, Waterman's conservatism allowed its younger and more innovative competitors to gain market share—Parker, Sheaffer, and Wahl-Eversharp, in particular. By the later 1920s, Waterman was attempting to catch up; it continued to struggle through and beyond World War II before finally shutting down in 1954.
Waterman's French subsidiary, Waterman Jif (later Waterman S.A.), continued to prosper and eventually absorbed what remained of the American company and its British arm.
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Wikipedia