c.1948 NOS Stickered Waterman Crusader 516 Fountain Pen

Vintage: c.1948

Make: Waterman's

Model: Crusader 516

Color: Jet

Materials: Acrylic, gold anodized Astralite (stainless steel) cap, nickel-plated trim

Filling System: Lever-filler (resacced and guaranteed to fill to factory capacity)

Length: This full-sized model measures 5 1/16” capped

Nib: 14k Ideal 5A nib lays down a firm yet smooth and consistent XF line

Condition: Near-mint. New old stock with original price sticker. Resacced and inked. What makes this example exceptional is the virtually pristine condition of the cap. Unlike most, which show significant wear to the anodized finished, this one is immaculate apart from 3-4 pin-sized marks that don’t penetrate the plating. Lever is also immaculate. Acrylic parts are smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes – scarcely even any microscratches. Manufacturer imprint on barrel is factory deep and fully legible. 

Details: I received this pen in a batch of New Old Stock Watermans from the 1940s. It retains its original sticker on the barrel, which reads: “516 / Acc’t / $5.00". Like the Conquest above, the Crusader has a distinctively wartime model name. Again like the Conquest, it was a response to Parker’s popular 5, featureing a clutch-activated cap for easy uncapping, a streamlined profile, and a sturdy cap made of a proprietary stainless steel alloy Waterman called Astralite. This is an example in Jet black acrylic with an open nib (these were also offered with hooded nibs). The cap is made of a stainless steel Waterman called Astralite, anodized with gold with cutaway rings revealing the glossy steel underneath. Nickel-plated clip and lever complement the midcentury style of the cap.