Maker: Waterman.
The Lauréat was one of Waterman’s nearly-fine pens of the 1990s; not one which lay on the bottom of the heap, but which was not out of reach of the average buyer. Like the Super Master, it is less notable for its superb writing abilities than for its power to resist damage. It is reasonably close in looks to Waterman’s iconic Le Man series, a move likely aimed at the same sort of combination of vanity and inability to either scrape up money or justify spending a lot on a pen which Parker served with its 21.
The Lauréat in use is something like the Expert II; the point is of very similar construction and performance. It is perhaps a little better balanced, and is a somewhat more slender object overall. The cap-station on the tail is another echo of the Le Man, and while it doesn’t have an actual gripper mechanism like the more expensive pen, it does make for very secure posting. It is wide enough in the body to avoid my frequent accusation of over-slimness, and balances well with the cap posted or set aside.
Update: I’ve been shown a pre-1990 catalogue showing that this model and the Super Master were both in production at once, at least for a while. It thus is not only of the 1990s, as the first sentence indicates, but also a little bit of the 1980s.
Production Run: c. 1985 – c. 2000
Cost When New: A German price list for 1987 shows a silver-bodied variant for DM145 ($80), lacquered models at DM98 ($54), and a bare metal finish for DM75 ($42). A 1999 catalogue shows it at $85.00, referring only to lacquer finished (for modern values, try this calculator).
Size: 13.8 cm long capped, 17.0 cm posted, 12.4 cm uncapped.
Point: Plated steel.
Body: Brass, generally lacquered.
Filler: Cartridge, capacity approx. 0.6 ml or 1.4 ml (international pattern).
Waterman Lauréat; the ribbed section is a clear hint of identity
A gun-metal finish Lauréat with its cap on, showing both the cap-dock on the tail and a fairly distinctive broad “belt” of visible section at the joint.
Late-model Lauréat in what is either Oriental Blue or Shadowed Blue. After 1990 (but I can be no more specific) the clip changes to a sprung style, and before 1988 (ditto) the trim ring below the section vanishes.
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