What little I have been able to discover about the Remex pen (or,
"Remex", as the barrel imprint has it) is this: It was a line of
low-priced pens made by Waterman which allowed them to play in the
third tier without getting any mud on their valuable name. I have
yet to find any mention of a Canadian division of the operation, but we
must assume there was one, because this little fellow was made in St. Lambert, Quebec;
like the Canadian end of most U.S. pen makers, it was likely a way to
get the pens into the U.K. without paying so much in duty, and the fact
that people in Canada also bought pens was just a tiny bonus. The
lever, while lacking Waterman's "box", is fixed to the pressure bar in
a very Watermanly way.
I'm a bit up in the air as to the age of this pen. The body is
made of plastic rather than rubber... I think; it's not in any way
oxidized like my other BHR pens (the less-brown example being the Waterman 12) but when warmed there is
something of the smell of erasers. The lever is mounted with a
pin, in the same way as my Sheaffer
3-25,
but in a less expensive pen an older technology might be passed as good
enough... although I should think a more modern suspension-ring down
the barrel would be less labour-intensive. There's no sign it
ever had a clip, and the only nod to any kind of attachment on the body
is a guide-hole for a ring-top fitting, which is something the elderly
Waterman 12 shares. I believe that chasing as a decoration fell
largely out of favour by the time WWII began, but I can't really base a
dating on that, as it occasionally pops up even on modern pens.
The body imprint doesn't help, as between maker and location, is
says merely SELF-FILLING PEN; this in itself seems a little archaic a
usage, but still doesn't pin anything to a calendar.
The point is somewhat worn at the tips, which says to me that this pen
didn't spend almost its entire life hidden away from light and air
(militating for a plastic body); the owner apparently liked holding the
pen about 70° to the paper, which is a great shame as he or she
lost out on the great charm of this point. It's flexible as
all-get-out, and offers very nice line variation if used as a shallower
angle. Alas, the flat-spot induced by the previous user means
that to act on this capacity requires tolerating some nasty
scratchiness. One day I may try to smooth this, although there's
not a lot of tipping material left on the point.
Update: A gathering of
old pen boffins declares-- if it smells like rubber, it's rubber.
I wonder how it got down through the ages so unaffected by light
and ozone?
Specifications: Broad 14k point. Lever filler.
11.1cm long capped, 14.3cm posted.
Condition:
The state of the tipping is mentioned above. The body is without
marks that weren't put there by the maker, which are crisp and deep.
The lever has a tiny spot of brassing at the upper end, and
another which can just be seen in the photo above, at the left side of
the flash-flare.
Repairs:
Sac replaced. Update:
Very slight reshaping of point, making for smoother writing a
more sensible angle.
Location: Vienna, Austria. Sold for $25.00
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