Waterman Catalog, archive.org [source]
Waterman · 1927-early 1930s
Waterman Ripple
What to Look For
Distinctive wavy ripple pattern in hard rubber. Introduced Waterman's first color-code nib identification system. Made in response to Parker Duofold competition.
Waterman’s 1927 answer to Parker’s colorful Duofold — a new line in rippled ebony hard rubber that introduced color-coded nib identification.1
History
By 1927, Parker’s Duofold had proven that customers wanted colorful pens. The Ripple series was Waterman’s response — a new ebony processing technique creating distinctive wavy patterns in hard rubber.1 Critically, the Ripple line also introduced Waterman’s first color-code nib identification system.1
Colors
- Red Ripple, Olive Ripple, Blue-Green Ripple, Rose Ripple1
Each color ripple pen came with a color-coded nib indicating the nib type (Red = Standard, Green = Rigid, Pink = Flex Fine, etc.). See the Color Nibs reference for the complete system.