The "Waterman 92 Pencil" Family - Models 91, 93, 31, Thorobred

This is a rough draft of a portion of an ongoing project to write a comprehensive book concerning Waterman's pencils. Please forward additions, corrections, comments, and criticism to jveley@jonathanveley.com.

Waterman in the 1930s was . . . in a word . . . chaotic. More than any other company, Waterman did some really strange things: the company's model designation conventions, once a masterpiece of simplicity, became arbitrary and confusing, and the company would not call the same products by the same names from year to year. Like other companies, Waterman used up obsolete, leftover parts to cobble together complete pens and pencils for sale - but the company also appeared to mix and match parts while product lines were in active production.

This article explores the "Waterman 92 pencil" family. The Waterman 92 fountain pen was introduced as the lowest tier of products to bear the company's name in 1931, with a price of $3.50, but it later proliferated into several other lines distinguished only by their trim. Rather than devote separate chapters to each, it makes more sense to consider them together.

92-1 With the flagship Patrician pens selling at $10 and Waterman’s new 94/95 line listing at $5, Waterman saw a demand for an even lower priced pen. In 1931, the company introduced the Model 92 with pens priced at $3.50. One would think – if Waterman was consistent in its numbering – that the matching pencils would be designated Model 93, but no . . . it was the Model 91, priced at $1.50. This page from Waterman’s 1933 catalog illustrates “The Ninety-Two.” Model 91 pencils have a simple nose drive, lacking the Patrician-style nose mechanism with a hard rubber nose; colors were Jet (black), Red and Gold, and Green and Gold. 

92-2 Model 92 pens were first advertised for the Christmas 1931 shopping season. This advertisement appeared in the Washington D.C. Evening Star on November 29, 1931.  This appears to be official Waterman advertising; note that the available colors were named “Gold-flecked crimson and gold-flecked green.”

92-3 Official catalogs from any pen manufacturer during the Depression are hard to find, and Waterman is no exception. While no American catalog from 1931 were available as of this writing, the Pen Collectors of America has in its library a French catalog from that year. Model designations were 0292 for the pens and 0291 for the pencils, adding the “02" prefix for the French market. 

92-4 Waterman Model 91 pencils in the cataloged colors of Jet, Red and Gold, and Green and Gold, as marketed from 1931 through 1933.

92-5 Detail of the clips on Model 91 pencils. The broken clip on the black example is a shame, but it provides some insights: 

92-6 Under magnification, the broken clip reveals that the clips were attached to a plate which was in turn attached to the barrel; the rivet heads were functional rather than purely decorative.

92-7 Although turquoise was not a cataloged color in the Model 92/91series, it is perhaps unsurprising that one might turn up, since Waterman was using this material on the Patrician line at the same time.

92-8 One of the more notable variants built on the 1931-1933 Model 91 platform is this, painted with the inscription “Mr. and Mrs. Frank D. Waterman.” These pencils are extremely difficult to find in good condition, since the paint is usually badly worn. Although this pencil sports a 1931-1933 clip, there are signs that these were made much later, using obsolete parts: note that the top end has a joint that is much higher, a characteristic of later Waterman pencils, and that bright green color is very similar to the celluloid used on the “Blue Streak” line introduced in 1938.

92-9 The Waterman Christmas pencils are painted “Season’s Greetings / Mr. and Mrs. Frank D. Waterman.”

92-10 and 11 Details of paint work on the Waterman Christmas Pencils

92-12 The lower example in this image is clearly a Model 91, but the clip at first blush appears to be a crude replacement. Similar clips were also found on the cheaper “Skywriter” pens and pencils from the late 1930s, so this is likely a factory cobbling-together of leftover parts.

92-13 As of this writing, advertisements and catalog references to a shorter length version of the Model 92/91 are unknown prior to the publication of Waterman’s 1933 catalog, in which this page was dedicated to “The Short Ninety-Two,” Models 92V pens and 91V pencils, offered in the same colors as their full-sized counterparts.

92-14 Gabriel Larsen was awarded Design Patent 90,117 for the appearance of the military-style clip of the Model 92V/91V series. He applied for his patent on March 21, 1932 and the patent was issued on June 13, 1933. These clips were stapled into the top of the barrel.

92-15 Model 91V pencils as illustrated in Waterman’s 1933 catalog. Not shown is the Model 91V in black.

92-16 This advertisement, published in the Roseville, California Press-Tribune on September 14, 1932, is revealing: the Model 92 had been introduced to court the lower-priced market in 1931, but as the Depression further deepened Waterman introduced the Model 32 at $2.75, “which formerly sold for $3.50.” 

92-17 Waterman’s 1933 catalog dedicates a full page to “The Popular Price Line,” featuring the Model 32 and 32V pens offered only in black. Pencils were the Model 31 and the short Model 31V.

92-18 The Model 31 and 31V pencils, as cataloged in 1933.

92-19 Clips on the Model 31 paid homage to the venerable Ferris patent, with rivets above the word “Waterman’s” in capital and lower case letters.

92-20 Waterman also offered the Model 32/31 as a combination pen and pencil, although no known catalog reference indicate what the model was called. This example is owned by David Nishimura; image courtesy David Nishimura.

92-21 The black and pearl combination pen and pencil at top, with its riveted clip, is likely from the same period as the introduction of the Model 32/31 in 1932-1933. At bottom is an odd pencil which shares the proportions, chromium trim, and nose configuration of the Model 31V, but in an uncateloged black and pearl. Waterman used the same material on the flagship Patrician line, calling it “Nacre.” Is this a Model 31V pencil in an uncataloged color? Maybe. Is it a Model 93V as discussed below, also in an uncataloged color? Maybe . . . but the nose is wrong.

92-22 A hastily added (inserted) page at the end of Waterman’s 1933 catalog, numbered page “I-5,” shows the Model 32 pen as part of the new “Number Three” line. “Number Three” makes more sense than the enigmatic designation “32," since the other pens in the series – the Model 3 – retailed for $3.00 (the Model 32 still retailed at $2.75). The pencils matching Waterman’s new Model 3 pens, Model 93, retailed for $1.25. Note that both full-length 93 and the short length Model 93v pencils now have hard rubber nose cones like Waterman’s more expensive lines.

92-23 In this detail from the preceding figure, the names for Waterman’s flashy new colors are introduced: “Steel Quartz,” “Black Pearl,” and “Green Pearl.” “Claret,” a red marbled celluloid, was also available on the short models 93v only. Note that the Model 32 designation was retained for black pens in the “Number Three” line. Perhaps this was a vestigial hat tip to the year the pens were introduced in 1932; perhaps it was because unlike the others in this series it was cheaper, retaining its $2.75 price tag.

92-24 The two pencils at bottom in this picture are Model 93 pencils as shown in Waterman’s 1933 catalog, in “Green Pearl” and “Steel Quartz.” At top are two mind-bending blends of different models. At top is something resembling the Model 31, but in Waterman’s “blue” as seen on the Model 95 series . . . and with a wide, plain chromium band. Second from top is a pencil which more closely resembles the Model 95 series, but with the clip from the Model 31 or Model 93 . . . and with that same wide, plain band not found on either.

92-25 At top in this image is a Model 31v, so designated only because it is in black. The others are Model 93v pencils in Steel Quartz, Black Pearl, Green Pearl, and Claret. All were introduced in 1933.

92-26 At some time by the end of 1934, Waterman had changed the clips on the Model 92/91 series in favor of a smooth clip with “Waterman’s” imprinted in vertical letters. This artwork is part of an official Waterman advertisement published in the New York Daily News on December 23, 1934.

92-27 The February 1935 issue of The Pen Prophet clearly illustrates that the Model 92/91 had adopted the same clips and colors as the Model 3/93 series, with the only difference being the trim color and the price: pens with gold filled trim were fifty cents more expensive, while pencils with gold filled trim were an extra quarter.

92-28 Model 93 pencils consistent with Waterman’s 1933 catalog. Not shown are Model 91 pencils with gold filled trim; the author has never encountered one. Perhaps it has just been bad luck, or perhaps the Model 91 in this configuration wasn’t made in significant numbers. After all, customers budget-conscious enough to seek out the cheapest Watermans the company offered could hardly be expected to shell out a bit more just for different trim.

92-29 Model 91V pencils, consistent with Waterman’s 1933 catalog. Not shown is the Model 91V in Black Pearl.

92-30 Noses on pencils in this family come in two distinct varieties, one larger than the other and mated to the end of a barrel that is not tapered. More documentation will be needed to determine with certainty which came first or whether both were offered at the same time. Note that the wider noses match the earlier versions of the 1933 Model 91 pencils in image 92-24. 

92-31 Price stickers add significantly to the collector’s appeal of a pencil; it is a shame that Waterman’s price stickers during the era impart nothing more.

92-32 Two more desirable Model 91V pencils. The top example in pearl snakeskin celluloid was likely made for the European market; this example was repatriated from England. At bottom is a Model 91V in Waterman’s turquoise, as seen on the Patrician line.

92-33 The twin bands on the upper example match the single bands on other examples in the 91V line. The wider, plain gold filled band on the turquoise example is unusual.

92-34 Even though this pencil was made for the European market, it carries a Made in Canada imprint.

92-35 This Model 91V is in a nonproduction celluloid not seen on any other Waterman . . . or anything else, for that matter. Image courtesy David Nishimura.

92-36 Some Model 93V pencils were clipless. All of the examples I have found have been in Green Pearl.

92-37 Detail of the tops of the normal and clipless versions of the Model 93V.

92-38 Waterman’s 1936 catalog shows the Model 92V and 91V pens and pencils unchanged, but the clips on the Model 92/91 series had been redesigned to replace the word “Waterman’s” with a deco-inspired diamond shape.

92-39 Model 91 pencils for 1936 in Jet, Steel Quartz, and Green Pearl.

92-40 As Waterman also did for the Model 94/95 line, in 1936 the company also offered Model 91 pencils with gold filled and sterling overlays. Shown here are examples in Waterman’s Sheraton and Basket Weave patterns. If the company was consistent in its model numbering, these would be Model 491 pencils with sterling overlays and Model 0791 pencil with gold fill.

92-41 Detail of the lovely clip on a Model 0791 pencil in Sheraton.

92-42 At center in this page from Waterman’s 1936 catalog is the “Junior,” Waterman’s lowest-priced model and successor to the Model 32.

92-43 At top in this image is the Waterman Junior pencil. The other pencils in this image are from Myk Daigle; none of them matches any cataloged configuration for the Junior.

92-44 This advertisement was published in The Saturday Evening Post on June 11, 1938. What had been known as the Model 3 pen is shown in a flashy new celluloid and is described only by its flashy new model name: the “Thorobred.”

92-45 This undated catalog sheet, courtesy of David Isaacson, illustrates the gold-filled “Thorobred DeLuxe” and chromium-trimmed “Thorobred Regular” lines. Colors are Jet (suffix J), Golden (suffix Y), Grey (suffix G), and Blue (suffix B), with Garnet (suffix R) added for the ladies’ lines. Model numbers have been changed: what had been the Model 92 was now the Model 351, and the Model 3 has become the Model 301. Pencil model numbers would henceforth be the same as the model numbers of the pens they accompanied, with the addition of a “P” prefix.

92-46 Many of the new Thorobred pens were stamped on the butt ends of their barrels with the model name, no pencils are known to exist marked with the name. Others were stamped "32-A," perhaps a nod to the entry-level Model 32.

92-47 Thorobred pencils, as introduced in 1938. The two with gold-filled trim are Thorobred DeLuxe models in Gray (Model P351G) and Blue (Model P351B); note the chromium nose on the blue example, which may be a replacement. At bottom are Thorobred Regular pencils in Golden (Model P301Y), Grey (Model P301G) and Blue (Model 301B). At bottom is a Thorobred Regular with a barrel that is noticeably more greenish; if it is a discolored gray, it is very uniformly discolored.

92-48 One variation of the Thorobred to watch for is those with wide trim bands, such as the top example in this image.

92-49 Note the unmarked clip . . .

92-50 This is no Waterman: the barrel is stamped “Gold Bond,” which was a store brand of pens and pencils offered by Montgomery Ward, which procured pens and pencils from several different manufacturers during the 1920s and 1930s. These rebadged Thorobreds were likely offered by Montgomery Ward circa 1938-1940.

92-51 Note that this Gold Bond has that same greenish hue as the bottom pencil in 92-47, suggesting this was a special run of celluloid intended for use on rebadged pens and pencils for Montgomery Ward.

92-52 At top (coming soon, hasn’t arrived yet) is a Ladies’ Thorogbred DeLuxe Model P351VG as described in Isaacson’s advertisement. The next is a Ladies’ Thorobred DeLuxe in Golden, but note that is fitted with twin trim bands; unless the extra band designated a different model, this would be a Model P351VY. Third from top might be a Ladies’ Thorobred DeLuxe in blue (Model P351VB), but note the absence of that black hard rubber nose – this is a rear-drive, propel-repel-expel pencil fitted for .9 millimeter (.036-inch) leads. At bottom is a similarly equipped Ladies’ Thorobred Regular in Golden, which might have been a Model P301VY.

92-53 Full-length Thorobred pencils outfitted with propel-repel-expel, .9 millimeter mechanisms have also been observed; several have been reported in gray, all made in Canada.

92-54 The pencil from the preceding figure has Waterman’s trademark globe added at the top of the clip, and this clip also sometimes also appears on Waterman Ink-Vue pencils (see Figure ___).

92-55 While these two pencils share some features with the Waterman 92 family, they were likely made after World War II using leftover parts. The clips might be from either 1934-1935 Model 91 pencils or 1938-1940 Thorobreds, but the celluloids are clearly post-War (the bottom one, in particular, is made from the same material as the Nurse’s pens of the late 1940s).

92-56 Both of these later incarnations were Made in Canada.

92-57 This detail of the clips on Waterman Model 91 pencils shows how the series evolved through the 1930s From left: (1) the riveted clip used from 1931 through 1933; (2) the riveted clip introduced on the Model 32 in 1932 and the Model 3 Line in 1933; (3) the “Waterman’s” clip used in 1934 and 1935, (4) the deco clip of 1936 on the Model 91 only; and (5) the “Waterman’s clip (slightly more rounded) from the Thorobred line, 1938-1940.