Waterman Carene

It's a tie. In 1998, I was writing with rollerballs and a Waterman Phileas. Wanting to upgrade, I went to the Fountain Pen Hospital, and on the same day, I bought a new Namiki Vanishing Point for 99 dollars, and a just released Waterman Carene for 129 dollars.

It’s still going strong, looks good (it’s had a few knocks, but who hasn’t in the last 34 years?) and writes well. Looking forward I can definitely see me using (and enjoying) my Parker Duofold Centennial Big Red for the next 17, along with my Waterman Carene.

I like it for it's looks and easy one-handed operation.*. * Waterman Carene: Gun Metal Rollerball Blue Refill.

And the Carene is always cool, even if the repairman in me winces a little at inlaid nibs because though they're gorgeous they're much more of a pain from a repair perspective. I admit the gold body with the kinda silver outlining is a little bit ruined for me just because so many cheap-ass IPG nibs use that color scheme, even if I'm sure that Edison nib is perfectly nice.

The Carene is one of the few Waterman designs that I still wish I’d managed to obtain a sample of , but the prices always were kind of expensive. It has a kind of elegance that isn’t overblown like modern MBs… an old world beauty that I’d place on the same level as a Duofold.