The GIANT 1980s Oversize Waterman Ideal Le Man 100 Gold, Lacquer and Black Resin Fountain Pen 18K 750 Gold M Medium Nib Item ID: WAT-036

WATERMAN Le Man 100

Manufacturer/Model: Waterman's/100 Le Man/France
Year of production: 1983-1999 (Pen here made in approx. late 1980s)
Filling system: Standard Waterman Piston converter or Cartridges (none included)
Nib: Large Solid 18K 750 Two Tone Gold, M medium size; "Waterman Ideal Paris" 
Material: Brass base with thick black lacquer finish; Black Resin Captop, Front and Back Sections; Thick Gold Filled Trimmings  
Length (pen closed): Oversize pen at 144.5mm closed, posted at whopping 170mm! Thick pen, diameter at cap's ring 14mm

Condition and information:
The absolute King among Waterman pens, the original Waterman Le Man 100 model. Made by European division of Waterman in Paris, this pen was made to compete with the then well established giants of the European pens, the Pelikan's 800-1000 and Montblanc's 146-149. The pen could not be more iconic, it saved the Waterman luxury pen brand division at the time and was made continuously for nearly two decades, and at the same time it was their flagship pen for two decades. This was an amazing achievement at the time, to have such a successful flagship fountain pen in the era of the great extinction of fountain pens the 80s and 90s. There were at least dozen variants of this pen, all based on this original model. The Le Man 100 was launched in 1983 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Waterman Ideal Company in US. The pen is special and unique in many ways. The build quality is extraordinary, made out of brass and thick black lacquer finish, but also with solid brass inserts. This puts the pen in the super heavyweights at ~36gr. The front section and the back sections are made out of precisely color and shine matching black resin. The cap snaps on when posted, with the same nice and strong "click" sound as when closing the pen, and makes the pen a true giant at full 170mm when posted. The cap features the traditional European Waterman clip which is featured on many many Waterman pens starting from the 60s, more precisely with the original Waterman C/F fountain pen. The appearance of the pen with its size, form, simplicity, the back & gold colors, gives an impression as this is a professional writing instrument, its not for show off, it simply states a tradition and respect for the classic but modern Fountain Pen. The pen is very heavy, gives it a unique feel in the hand and writing balance, this is one pen where posted or not posted does not make much of a difference. The pen's nib large, beautiful with the famous Waterman Ideal Globe, and no breathing hole, just a line. This gives the pen a super nice clean face. This nib is hardly changed compared to those of 100 years ago, they are nearly identical both in design but also writing experience, after all, this pen was made to celebrate those pens. The nib is not flexible but it doesn't feel stiff. Since its 18K gold it has that nice soft touch to it. It will write from F fine to M medium even though its graded M. The pen can take any standard ink cartridge and piston converter. Serial number is engraved on the front section. Very easy to use, clean and maintain; the whole nib comes off with gentle pull as well as the feed. The inner side of the section has a clearly marked slot how the feed and nib need to be aligned in order to place them back correctly; a very convenient feature should the user decide to clean the section or swap a nib. The pen is in absolute mint condition, with no signs of use, perfectly preserved. A true Waterman masterpiece and legend.