Waterman Man 100 Gold "Specimen" Demonstrator Pen c. 1987-1988

The dilemma facing Waterman and its retailers in the late 1980s was demonstrating the look and feel of a new solid gold pen to a prospective customer without having to risk opening it. A person who could afford it and would want to see one would want to buy an untouched example, not one that had been handled. The other issue for many retailers would be stocking such an expensive pen not knowing if they had the right combination of nibs and sections. The solution Waterman chose was to make gold plated replicas as demonstrators. Although it looks identical to the original, each part, the cap, barrel, section, and end cap were stamped "SPECIMEN" breaking any illusion that it was the solid gold pen. Many sources say the pens were vermeil, heavy gold plate on .925 sterling silver, though there's no definite confirmation. These pens were not offered for sale as a regular model nor is it known how many were made.

Read the story about these interesting pens here:

https://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Waterman/WatermanSpecimen.htm

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