194 - WATERMAN OVERLAND Vintage fountain pen.

WATERMAN OVERLAND Vintage fountain pen. Golden barrel and black resin details. Nib in 18kt gold. M tip. Click cap. With original box. Measurements: 11 cm. length. Waterman is the world's second largest manufacturer of fountain pens, specialized in the production and marketing of fountain pens, ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils and rollers. Founded in 1883 in New York by Lewis Edson Waterman (1836-1901), it is one of the oldest companies in the industry still in operation. Waterman's most important contribution was the invention and patent in 1884 of a side-slot filling system based on capillarity. This mechanism allowed a constant flow of ink into the nib, eliminating the problem of dripping when writing. The Regular pen was the first to incorporate this innovation. After Lewis Waterman's death in 1901, his nephew Frank D. Waterman took over management of the company, expanding its international presence and increasing sales to 350,000 pens annually. In 1904, Waterman launched the "clip-cap" pen, which included a riveted clip to securely attach it to a pocket. In 1907, the retractable Safety Pen was noted for its reliability and resistance to dripping, and in 1913, the "lever and pouch" filling system was introduced. In 1927, a French researcher invented the glass ink cartridge, which was patented in 1936 and was a breakthrough for the future of fountain pens. In 1953, Waterman replaced these glass cartridges with plastic ones, thus contributing to the mass popularization of its products. Since 1967, Waterman pens have been manufactured at the Saint-Herblain plant near Nantes, France, where around five million units are produced each year, 70% of which are exported to more than 110 countries.