Waterman Carene

Waterman Carène

F nib / 18kt

Lacquered brass / Marine Amber

Length 14.4cms capped / Weight 34g

So another fountain pen, this time it's one that has been on my list for quite some time, the Waterman Carène. When I bought my first expensive fountain pen, the Waterman Perspective (I had a Cross ATX m nib as my first fountainpen, sold it some time ago) I already knew I would one day buy a Carène. The inlaid nib was just something I knew I had to have if I would one day I would spend another substantial amount of money on a (fountain) pen. What I did not know back then (which by the way is just over a year ago) is that I was going to be a collecter of fountain pens in the time to come and I would buy four other Watermans first.

The Waterman Carène is a real eye-catcher, that's for sure. The colour of the one I have is referred to as 'Marine Amber', which sort of looks like marble, but on the Carène it is more faded than for example on the Laureat (red marble). The fading makes the finish more subtle than of the Laureat, which  gives the Carène a sense class that suits a pen that is (probably) aimed at the business market. The shine is to die for and exactly what they my attention to this colour for the pen. Gold toned trims are the logical choice to go with the 'Marine Amber' and the people at Waterman made no errors here.

To my hands and in comparison to other Waterman pens I own The Carène is a rather heavy, long and fairly thick pen. If definitely feels like it's made for people who have bigger hands, which is probably why it felt like a was going to write with a marker when I picked it up to write for the first time. While my Perspective is heavier and my Exclusive (with the cap on the barrel) is longer, the combination of the thickness of the barrel, the weight and the length of the pen makes the Carène feel a bit oversized for my small hands. Not a major point now that I own the pen, but if I'd tested it before I bought it, it would have made me doubt slightly. The Carène has a long nib section, which is as streamlined as the rest of the pen, with of course the inlaid nib as the cherry on top. As with all my other Watermans the overall the built quality is excellent, the pen feels very solid and probably will last for many years.

Then the nib, the beautiful inlaid nib. As I am by now used from Waterman pens, the nib on the Carène is an excellent writer. Though I've recentcly concluded that the European F isn't fine enough for me and that I prefer the Sailor F nib as my daily workhorse, the Carène still has what can be called a nice F (for European standards). The line is slightly broader than that of my Perspective (F), which means hat the EF nib Carène would have probably suited me better. With regards to smoothness, the Perspective wins the day.  The Carène is a drier writer than the Perspective, which results in a bit more feedback especially on cheap paper. Still I can't say I'm disappointed, not at all. But that comes from someone who doesn't mind a bit of feedback, since it improves my control of the pen and thus my handwriting.

The fillings system is cartridge/converter, nothing special there. Since I discovered the wonders of ink in a bottle I have been using only the converter system, but the Carène can take the standard Waterman cartridges as any other Waterman pen. The Carène uses the regular Waterman converter, which workes reasonably well, though that may be due to my inability to use converters. Whether it holds enough ink depends on your writing. The Carène isn't my regular writer during a day, but I use it occasionally when I have to write down something real quick and I don't have the time or patience to unscrew the Sailor. Also I rotate between the Carène and the Perspective so the ink lasts pretty long. The Carène has no ink window so you have to unscrew the pen to check the amount of ink there is left. For me no problem, for others it is an annoyance.

After the first weeks of owning the Waterman Carène I can say it is a fine pen with a very luxurious appearance, available at a reasonable price of €180-€200. I was slightly disappointed by the fact that it didn't blew me away when I started using it. I like the finish on this pen, but comparing it as a writer to my Waterman Perspective (which is cheaper) and my Sailor 1911 Standard (same price range) I prefer the latter ones the Carène. The comparison with my Sailor may not be fair, since it is such a different writer and Japanese pens seem to be my holy grail, but has class in a more subtle way than the Carène. Same goes for the Perspective. The Carène is like a nice SUV, it looks good, but it's too big to be elegant. For a fountain pen, the Carène is - in my humble opinion - just a bit oversized.

I have no regrets buying the Waterman Carène, since I bought in good condition second hand for just €45. I don't know if I would've been so forgiving if I paid the full price... However, I am biased, because my Sailor 1911 arrived just before the Carène and it simply suits my handwriting perfectly. For me the Carène is an excellent 'back-up' pen for quickly taking notes, but for more extensive writing I prefer the Sailor 1911 and even the Perspective.

Rating after first few weeks: 3.5/5

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