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The Waterman Timeline

  • 1884 – Lewis Edson Waterman patents the ‘three fissure feed’ system, preventing the excessive discharge of ink. The ‘Ideal Pen Company’, later renamed LE Waterman, is born.
  • 1899 – ‘Spoon feed’ supplying system, designed to prevent ink overflow, is developed.
  • 1900 – The LE Waterman company receives the gold medal of excellence at the ‘Exposition Universelle’ in Paris.
  • 1908 – Waterman ‘Safety Pen’ invented – the first ever ink-overflow-proof retractable pen.
  • 1913 – Supply lever system introduced, and used with Waterman pens for the next 30 years.
  • 1926 – Jules-Isidore Fagard starts manufacturing Waterman pens in France.
  • 1927 – Glass ink cartridge introduced.
  • 1939 – Waterman launches its first pen with a 100-year warranty.
  • 1953 – Plastic ink cartridge introduced. The missile-shaped Waterman CF pen is also born, which was the first to use the elegant clip shape still used by Waterman today.
  • 1983 – Waterman celebrates its centenary with the Le Man 100 design.
  • 1994 – Hémisphère launched.
  • 1997 – Caréne is designed.
  • 2004 – Exception introduced.
  • 2008 – Perspective joins the stable.