Matching (XXII). A Platon

Historically, the Japanese pen industry has created a mixture of original models and of copies of successful designs from the West. Today’s pen in an example of the later—an obvious copy of the Waterman’s 100 year pen… by Platon.

The company Nakayama Taiyôdô, owner of the brand Platon, was active between 1919 and 1954, and created a number of pens made of celluloid and ebonite, some with maki-e decoration. Platon also implemented a wide variety of filling systems, although this was always a fertile field of experimentation among Japanese manufacturers.

Around 1950, Platon marketed the following pen:

A Platon pen from ca. 1950. JPY 350.

A Japanese eyedropper made of celluloid.

It’s original price was JPY 350. The pen is a Japanese eyedropper made of celluloid following the style of the iconic 100 year model made by Waterman.

The pen implements a steel nib, partially gold plated. The inscription reads "WARRANTED / PLATON / HARDEST / IRIDIUM / <3>".

These are its dimensions:
Length closed: 130 mm
Length open: 120 mm
Length posted: 153 mm
Diameter: 13 mm
Weight: 14.7 g

Even the clip follows the lines of the Waterman original. Both the clip and the cap itself, just above the band, are marked with the brand name: "PLATON".

My thanks to Mr. Sugimoto.

Omas Ogiva Demonstrator – Tomikei Blue

Bruno Taut
Nakano, April 19th 2018
etiquetas: Platon, Waterman

Casa Hassinger

There was a time when there existed a production of Waterman ink in Spain. And maybe even more than just ink…

A bottle of Waterman ink produced in Barcelona.

A man by the name of Egon Hassinger acquired the license to produce ink from the American company Waterman. And the production was made in Barcelona, as can be read on the bottle. But the activity of the company Casa Hassinger might have included the assembly of Waterman fountain pens for the European market. The company imprinted a small H on clips and nibs to mark those units passing through their hands in Barcelona. Some stylophiles in Spain even suggest that some parts could have been manufactured locally, including the nibs. These could have been manufactured by Damiá Onsés Ginesta, a prolific nibmeister who provided units for mostly any Spanish pen company at one point or another.

A Waterman clip with the Hassinger mark. Picture courtesy of waltonjones.

The Hassinger's Waterman. Picture courtesy of waltonjones.

Casa Hassinger was registered in Barcelona at the address C/ Balmes 75. Egon Hassinger lived in this city between 1915 and 1948, when he passed away. The company was liquidated in 1990.

The bottle of Waterman ink marketed by Hassinger can be seen at the Gaudi’s Casa Milà in Barcelona. This is but one example of local production of ink of some well known brand. The cases of Parker and Pelikan had already been mentioned on these Chronicles.

My thanks to stylophile waltonjones for his pictures of the Hassinger’s Waterman fountain pen.

Pilot Elite pocket pen, manifold nib – Platinum Black

Bruno Taut
Nakano, September 10th 2014
etiquetas: tinta, Waterman, España, Barcelona, nibmeister Onsés Ginesta

Between Parker and Waterman

At the early stages of the development of a new industry there is always a proliferation of small companies fighting for their place under the sun. And also during those early stages, copies of successful products are in order.

The following pen follows those patterns. Brand Rifleman is known as an early name of pens in Japan, but not much more is available. This large unit is very well made.

As many Japanese pens at the time –late 1920s and early 1930s— it is an eyedropper pen with shut-off valve made of ebonite. The nib is made of 14 K gold, and is remarkably large.

The engraving on the nib reads "WARRANTED / K14 / IRIDIUM / POINT / PEN"

The feed is characteristic of pre-war Japanese pens, and it does not resemble the tree-shaped feed of the Parker Duofold.

The external appearance resembles that of the American icons at the time—the Parker Duofold. But do not expect to find any Lucky Curve feed inside. The clip, however, shows a curious engraving: “CAP CLIP”. Was it inspired by Waterman’s “Clip Cap”?

The clip is clearly carries the Waterman-inspired engraving "CAP CLIP".

These are the dimensions of this Rifleman:

• Length closed: 135 mm
• Length open: 132 mm
• Length posted: 177 mm
• Diameter: 15 mm

On the tail of the pen, the blind cap is just the knob to open the shut-off valve instead of hiding the push button to operate the rubber sac of the old Duofolds. The barrel is engraved with the brand name "RIFLEMAN / FOUNTAIN PEN".

My thanks to Mr. Sunami

Pilot Myu 701 – Platinum Black

Bruno Taut
Machida, October 8th, 2013
etiquetas: Rifleman, Parker, Waterman

Matching (XIII)

The controversy is always there: Is that pen original or a copy of another? Which company did father that idea? Sometimes, the answers are clear…

This Platinum pen is, in essence, a copy of the well-known and highly valued Waterman’s Hundred Year pen from 1939. The Platinum is, as well, a lever filler. Its nib, however, is a “10-years” nib made of stainless steel.

This is not the first example of a copy cat made by Platinum seen on these Chronicles. Another “10-years” pen was a knock-off of the Parker 51, and by the 1940s, Platinum manufactured a copy of the Skyline model by Wahl-Eversharp. This trend, of this learning process, ended up in the late 1950s, although some might say that it was revived with the current model 3776, so close to the Montblanc balance pen.

The "10-Years" nib made of stainless steel.
The incription reads as follows:
"PLATINUM / 10 YEARS / S*N Platinum logo / IRIDIUM / JIS logo / -< 5 >- / P-A".

My thanks to Mr. Sunami.

Pilot Vpen – Pilot Blue

Bruno Taut
Chuo (Tokyo), March 3rd, 2013
etiquetas: Parker, Platinum, Waterman, Wahl-Eversharp, Montblanc

Out of Production (II)

When speaking about the problems to find proprietary cartridges to ink a Morison pocket pen, I ended the text with a negative conclusion—those pens, that Morison for instance, lose a lot of value in the second hand market, those pens have become almost useless.

The Morison pocket pen whose cartridges are almost impossible to find.

But there is also a positive conclusion—some brands still provide support for their old products. That is the case of the three big Japanese pen manufacturers with regard to the very popular idea of pocket pens. Current ink cartridges by Pilot, Platinum and Sailor can be used in those pocket pens from the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, cartridges are the only way to ink some of those pens, mostly Platinums and Sailors, as the old converters went out of production. Pilot is particularly exemplary on this—the CON-20 converter fits perfectly on those pocket pens and is a good alternative to cartridges. And Pilot, as well, still produces the CON-W to be used on those old pens (1960s) that needed the long gone double spare cartridges.

The original Pilot Myu-701 and its reissue, M90, can use the CON-20 converter.

The Pilot Capless from 1965 can still be used todays, in absence of double spare cartridges, by using the CON-W converter.

Some could say that the only difference between Morison and the big three is that Morison is out of business. And that is true, but true as well is the fact that some still-active companies did abandon some of their old products. Case in point, the beautiful Waterman C/F pen uses a specific type of cartridge and converter now out of production. And this makes us value a lot more those other companies.

The Waterman C/F, equipped with its converter, now almost as valuable as the pen itself.

For those unfortunate cases we have two options. The obvious is to look for those old cartridges and converters in second hand shops, flea markets and online auctions. The other is to adapt other ink deposits. That is what I did with my pocket Morison. Now it is inked with an adapted Pilot cartridge.

But the bottom line might be that self filling pens and eyedroppers do not have this problem.

Pilot Ladypearl – Diamine Graphite

Bruno Taut
Shinjuku, February 24th, 2013
etiquetas: Morison, Sailor, Platinum, Pilot, Waterman, soluciones técnicas, conversor

Size 10, by Waterman

Nibmeister Yamada is an avid, and brilliant, collector of early Waterman pens. His collection includes a couple of units with size-10 nibs—and unusual and spectacular nib. The pens are eyedroppers (model 20) with a large ink capacity.

Another view of the impressive collection of early Watermans of Mr. Yamada.

The two pens with size-10 nibs.

The two nibs have different engravings.

The 500-yen coin has a diameter of 26.5 mm, a bit over one inch.

In a sense, these Watermans would be the inspiration for the Japanese jumbo pens of the 1930s. However, their purposes were probably different—a symbol of status on the American pen, and a way to ease the grip in the case of the Japanese tools.

My thanks to Mr. Yamada.

(Aurora 88 – Pelikan 4001 Blue Black)

Bruno Taut
March 23th, 2012
[etiquetas: estilofilia, Waterman]

At the Museum (IV)

(As seen at the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Modern Literature).

On this chronicle I am presenting the pens that belonged to another female writer –NAKAZATO Tsuneko (中里 恒子, 1909-1987). She was the first woman to be awarded with the Akutagawa price in 1938. However, the price had just been established in 1935.

Nakazato´s pens. At least, those shown at this exhibit.

The golden nib of the New Clip jumbo pen.

Her pens, as shown at the Museum of Modern Literature in Yokohama, were mostly Western, with the sole exception of a New Clip jumbo (manufactured by Fukunaka Seisakusho), with an ink deposit suitable for a very long novel. The rest were a Sheaffer snorkel, a Pelikan 120, and a couple of identical French-made Watermans.

The Pelikan 120. Nominally, a student pen.

The snorkel in the feed of the Sheaffer pen.

The two identical French Watermans.

A user or a collector? It does not really matter… User she was, and successful at that! Collector, maybe.

(Aurora 88 – Pelikan 4001 Blue black)

Bruno Taut
March 11th, 2012
[labels: New Clip, Waterman, Pelikan, Japón, evento, estilofilia, Sheaffer]

Waterman's Music

Wagner meetings, I have already mentioned on these chronicles, are always a wonderful opportunity to see great pens in the hands of passionate stylophiles.

The impressive collection. Or part of it...

Nibmeister Yamada is the happy owner of an impressive collection of early Waterman pens. Among them, a model 54 (a lever filler, 5) with a wonderful music nib in size 4.

The Waterman 54 and its nib.

This three-tined nib is really flexible and remarkably wet. The slits are quite subtle, and it takes some attention to realize this is an unusual nib. There is one single breathing hole half-way between the tines, and that makes the nib to have a very normal look.

A sample of the ways of this wonderful nib.

My thanks to Mr. Yamada.

(Aurora 88 – Pelikan 4001 Blue-black)

Bruno Taut
March 4, 2012
[labels: Waterman, evento, plumín]

At the Museum (III)

(As seen at the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Modern Literature).

YOSHIYA Nobuko (吉屋信子, 1896-1973) was an active, and popular, novelist between the 1910s and the 1970s. She specialized in romance novels and was a pioneer in class-S—a very Japanese genre in which a primary argument are strong bonds between girls. She herself revealed her homosexuality in her novel Two Virgins in the Attic (Yaneura no nishojo, 屋根裏の二處女, 1919).

The Parker 51 with her name engraved on the barrel.

A large number of her pens were on display at the exhibit. Some, indeed interesting: from a Parker 51 engraved with her name to a lever filler in green celluloid by Waterman to a safety pen with a silver overlay by the same company.

A Waterman lever filler in green celluloid.

A Waterman safety pen in red hard rubber with silver overlay.

However, the pens that attracted my attention the most were two frankenpens: an all Montblanc pen with body (model 12) and cap not matching, and an improbable combination of a Montblanc 252 body with a Platinum cap. I guess she was really attached to these pens. Maybe they were excellent writers and she kept using them after having misplaced the caps…

A Montblanc 12 with a mismatched cap.

The impossible frankenpen--a Montblanc 252 with a Platinum cap.

Whether Yoshiya was a collector or a user we do not know. A total of eight pens of her were handled to the museum, including those two chimeras. Enough to choose among!

(Muji aluminum pen – Diamine Teal)

Bruno Taut
March 3rd, 2012
[labels: Montblanc, estilofilia, Japón, evento, Waterman, Parker]