Waterman Registry

Waterman · c. 1915-1930s

Waterman 55

$80-300 (plain); $200-700+ (overlay)
Lever Filler
Filling System Lever filler
Nib 14k gold (#5)
Material Hard rubber

Variants

ModelMaterialPriceNotes
0555 Gold-filled overlay French market 1195 is equivalent to USA 0555 LEC
455 Sterling silver overlay
Trefoil Vine
$200-725
555 Solid gold overlay $500-1500+

What to Look For

Large lever filler with #5 nib. 1919 catalog: $5.00 plain. Sterling Trefoil Vine 455 sold for $725. French market equivalent of 0555 LEC is the 1195.

A large Waterman lever filler with a #5 nib — the next size up from the common Model 52.1

Construction

Large black chased hard rubber lever-filler, 14.1 cm long, with gold-filled trim.2 The #5 nib provides a broader, wetter line than the #2 of the Model 52.

Pricing (1919 Catalog)

$5.00 in plain rubber.3 Sterling silver overlay (455) in Trefoil Vine pattern sold for $725 at auction.4 The French market equivalent with full gold-filled overlay is the Model 1195.2

Overlay Variants

  • 0555: Gold-filled overlay (French 1195 equivalent)2
  • 455: Sterling silver overlay (Trefoil Vine pattern, $725 at auction)4
  • 555: Solid gold overlay5
  1. David Nishimura, “Waterman Lever-Fillers,” vintagepens.com. Link

  2. David Nishimura, “Vintage Pen Catalog: Waterman European,” vintagepens.com. Link 2 3

  3. Waterman’s Ideal Fountain Pen catalog, 1919, pp. 18-23. Internet Archive. Link

  4. “Waterman 452,” Fountain Pen Collector’s Price Guide. Link 2

  5. David Nishimura, “Waterman Model Numbers,” vintagepens.com. Link