US
Sanford
2707 Butterfield Road
Oak Brook,
IL 60523 Oak Brook
Telephone:
1-800-523-2486
Email: us.consumer@sanfordregistration.com
Email: pwr.repair@sanfordcorp.com
Canada
Sanford
2670 Plymouth Drive
Oakville, Ontario L6H 5R6
Telephone:
800 668-4575
UK
PO Box 6 |
Newhaven |
East Sussex BN9 0AX
01273 513233
Web Site: www.waterman.com
In March, 1884 Lewis E. Waterman started the Ideal Pen Company in New York. Waterman started assembling and selling pens from parts supplied by local companies back in 1883. He designed a feed system that would allow ink to flow out of the pen, while air could travel back into the pen, for a controlled flow of in. He applied for a patent of his design in 1883 and it was granted February 12, 1884.
His company started on a kitchen table at the rear of a cigar store on Fulton Street in New York. He produced about 200 pens in his first year of operation. If you bough one of his pens you received a five year guarantee.
Things kept going very well and his production increased to 500 pens in his second year of operation. These were pens made by hand. Things kept getting better, he moved his company to a building at Broadway and Courtland where he ran a larger operation to handle the increased business. By now he had two factories to supply the key parts. A factory in Connecticut for the pen body and one in New York itself for the gold nibs.
In 1899 Waterman opened a factory in Montreal Canada. By 1901 it is reported that Waterman was selling 1,000 pens a day. A big increase from his humble beginnings of 200 a year.
Lewis died in 1901 and his nephew, Frank D. Waterman took over the very successful company. Now the company was reported to be produced 350,000 pens a year..
In 1988 the company was renamed the L.E. Waterman Company.
In 1926 Jules I. Fagard (JIF) who was the brand's French agent opened his own company, JIF Waterman, to manufacturer Waterman pens in France.
In 1927 one of the researchers who was working for JIF-Waterman invented the ink cartridge and this remained an exclusive item to JIF-Waterman for some 20 years.
The company had a number of pens that were extremely successful. One series, the Patrician, issued in 1929 was re-issued again in 1992. The lacquer coats, there are 19, take over two weeks to complete.
In 1954 production of pens in United States and Canada ceased. JIF-Waterman in France remained the sole company.
In 1971 the company became Waterman SA located in France.
In 1983 the company celebrated its 100 anniversary and issued the LeMan 100 pen which was a mainstay of its line for a number of years.
In 1987 the company was taken over by Gillette. In 2000, Gillette placed its stationery line up for sale with Newell Sanford purchasing the company.
I was pleased to have the opportunity to tour of the Waterman Factory in Nantes, France