Waterman 42 Safety

★★★☆☆ $80-250 (plain); $200-1500+ (overlay)

Safety Pen

Filling System Safety (retractable nib)

Nib 14k gold (#2, often flexible)

Material Hard rubber

Colors Black chased, Black smooth, Red ripple

Variants

Model	Material	Price	Notes
0542	Gold-filled overlay	$200-500
442	Sterling silver overlay (Gothic, Filigree)
542	Solid gold overlay	$500-1500+
0642	Two solid gold barrel bands
42H	Vest (small) size	$3.00 (1919 catalog)
42 1/2	Standard-width variant
42 1/2V	Vest pocket Baby Safety		Smallest safety. French versions have 18K nibs with hallmarks.
442 1/2V	Sterling filigree vest-pocket safety	$200-500
542 1/2V	Solid 14k gold vest-pocket safety	$500-1500+

What to Look For

Turn end knob to extend/retract nib. Mechanism must work smoothly. Check cork seal.

The Waterman Model 42 is a safety pen — a clever design where the nib retracts into the barrel for safe travel, sealed by a screw mechanism.¹

How It Works

Turn the end knob and the nib extends out through the section. Turn it back and the nib retracts completely inside the barrel, sealed against ink leakage.¹ This made the safety pen ideal for carrying in a pocket — the most leak-proof design of its era.

Pricing (1919 Catalog)

The 1919 catalog lists the Safety Type:²

No. 42H (vest size) and No. 42 (standard): $3.00
No. 44 (#4 nib): $4.00
No. 45 (#5 nib): $5.00
No. 46 (#6 nib): $6.00
No. 48 (#8 nib): $8.00

Sterling silver overlays (442-448) ranged from $5.50-$9.50 in Gothic, Filigree, and Etched patterns.² Solid gold (542-548) reached $23.50-$40.00.² Vest-length models with telescope caps added $4.50-$42.00 to the base price.²

Identification

The “4” in the tens place denotes a safety pen in Waterman’s numbering system.³ Look for the retractable nib mechanism — a jammed safety pen is difficult to repair.⁴ Check the cork seal at the nib end.⁴ Available in BCHR (black chased hard rubber), smooth black, and red ripple hard rubber.⁵

European Variants

The vintagepens.com European catalog documents a Model 42 with 18K gold-filled Italian overlay (c. 1924),⁶ and a 42½V in red and black woodgrain hard rubber for the French market with 18K nibs bearing French hallmarks and “wedding ring” barrel bands.⁶

The Vest-Pocket “Baby” Safety

The 42½V is Waterman’s smallest safety pen.⁵ The Peyton Street identifier documents multiple variants: plain BCHR, sterling silver filigree overlay (442½V),⁵ and the extraordinary solid 14k gold version (542½V) — one of the rarest and most valuable Waterman pens.⁵

David Nishimura, “Waterman Eyedroppers,” vintagepens.com. Link. ↩ ↩²
Waterman’s Ideal Fountain Pen catalog, 1919, pp. 38-43 (Safety Type). Internet Archive. Link. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
David Nishimura, “Waterman Model Numbers,” vintagepens.com. Link. ↩
pens.bankbonimus.com, “Waterman Pen Guide.” Link. ↩ ↩²
Peyton Street Pens, “Waterman Pen Model Identifier: Safety Pens.” Link. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
David Nishimura, “Vintage Pen Catalog: Waterman UK and European,” vintagepens.com. Link. ↩ ↩²