Pick this pen up and the ebonite feels warm in the hand, that vintage warmth people talk about; nothing brittle or crusty here. The woodgrain restoration came out with the grain lines matching straight across the section joint, and the mottle on this example runs an unusually bright orange against the red.

Woodgrain mottled hard rubber joined Waterman's catalog in 1923, and the name is literal, red and black mixed like the grain in sawn wood. The 55 code is plain enough, 5 for lever-filler and 5 for the nib size, a 14cm pen from the big-nib family that topped out at the 58. This one keeps its 18kt plated trim, and it's one of the best proportioned large pens for most folks.

The #5 is super snappy, a stubbish smooth point with a tight snap on the return and very well controlled flex, better than 7x up to a 6B swell at full pressure.

Graded C for the worn imprints that come with a well loved and well used pen. A latex sac is already fitted, the classic pairing for hard rubber, and a swap to silicone is available on request if you want to run more troublesome modern inks.

Tested on Tomoe River 68gsm White with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black.

Technical Specifications

• Brand: Waterman's

• Model: 55

• Production Year: 1923

• Material: Red Ebonite

• Trim Color: Gold

• Nib Size: 5

• Nib Material: 14k gold

• Nib Grind: FM

• Nib Flexibility: 380 g

• Line Variation: 0.40 - 1.90 (7.6x)

• Pen Length: 140.67

• Pen Grip Section: 8.60

• Restorer: Heron's Mooncake

• Restoration Grade: C