Watches and Fountain Pens, Show me your Photos!

My fountain pen collection is much bigger than my watch collection. The pen in this photo was my first bespoke fountain pen. A penmaker in Canada made it for me when he was just starting out. The blue-ice acrylic matches the blue thread on the silicone strap nicely.

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this is sort of 'come as you are' but here it goes

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PoorMansRolex

this is sort of 'come as you are' but here it goes

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Cool! I see a Sheaffer Prelude (I have one in brown tortoise and duotone nib (stainless steel)). The Platignum I am not sure of the model but I have one in black. The nib housing broke and I put the nib in a blue vintage Esterbrook pen. The blue pen looks like a Pilot Petite but I'm not sure. The closest I have to it would be a Pilot Kakuno. Nice pens!

That watch though!  Tell me more about it!

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Impressive! I'll take your word on the Sheaffer, as I didn't buy it, but it's USA made. Similarly, the Platignum music nib is something bought for a buck at a flea market that is only good for cartoonishly wide writing with dramatic variation. Indeed, the Pilot Petite1, a common pocket pen for me when I wear pullovers in the winter.

The watch is a family drawer find. I assume it was my paternal grandfather's but really don't know. Store branded dial from a local jeweler at the time (Google it and you find silverware and cutlery). It's a wee 32mm. If I tagged Aurelian, I suspect he could narrowly access the timeframe based on dial configuration (ooh, if he shows up he can mention which ink he previously recommended) but I think it's early 1950's. Dial brags are Incabloc and unbreaskable mainspring, case back mentions all stainless steel, water resistant, antimagnetic and again the Incabloc. There are three five-pointed stars too, which may have some meaning. Speidel expansion band. When I had it repaired, I forgot to ask about the provenance of the hand wind movement inside, so it's a mystery to me.

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Not pens but pencils… lots of mechanical pencils

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I have the perfect combo for this post. 

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Official Grand Seiko Fountian Pen with Grand Seiko Blue ink.

My apologies on the picture quality 

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romaker

Not pens but pencils… lots of mechanical pencils

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Okay, I am not as versed in mechanical pencils but I get them. What sticks out to me are the Rotrings. I think those are the coolest. I love the knurled grips. I have a multi-pen/pencil that kind of imitates the aesthetic of the Rotring. It's an OHTO 3-in-1. It has a mechanical pencil, red pen, and black pen. I think I see some Kurutoga pencils on the right. I own one and my daughters took the others I had. The Pentels on the left are familiar to me because I can never forget those grips.

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IvanRomero

Okay, I am not as versed in mechanical pencils but I get them. What sticks out to me are the Rotrings. I think those are the coolest. I love the knurled grips. I have a multi-pen/pencil that kind of imitates the aesthetic of the Rotring. It's an OHTO 3-in-1. It has a mechanical pencil, red pen, and black pen. I think I see some Kurutoga pencils on the right. I own one and my daughters took the others I had. The Pentels on the left are familiar to me because I can never forget those grips.

I have a Rotring multi. It has this slick mechanism where the selection is made by whichever corresponding mark is facing upward. The first time I tried to buy it, the guy at the shop couldn't figure this out (pre-smart phone days) and lost the sale.

Anyway, @TheHoroSexual where does one get Grand Seiko Blue ink?? Googling came up dry.

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TheHoroSexual

I have the perfect combo for this post. 

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Official Grand Seiko Fountian Pen with Grand Seiko Blue ink.

My apologies on the picture quality 

I didn't even know this existed. It looks like a collab with Sailor. I wonder if Epson had a hand in making the ink or if they stayed with the traditional Japanese ink makers. The bottle looks a little like a taller version of Iroshizuku's smaller ink bottles.

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PoorMansRolex

I have a Rotring multi. It has this slick mechanism where the selection is made by whichever corresponding mark is facing upward. The first time I tried to buy it, the guy at the shop couldn't figure this out (pre-smart phone days) and lost the sale.

Anyway, @TheHoroSexual where does one get Grand Seiko Blue ink?? Googling came up dry.

That is exactly how my OHTO multi works. I ordered it online but I was already familiar with how they worked because I had a Palm PDA stylus multi-pen that worked the same way.

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IvanRomero

I didn't even know this existed. It looks like a collab with Sailor. I wonder if Epson had a hand in making the ink or if they stayed with the traditional Japanese ink makers. The bottle looks a little like a taller version of Iroshizuku's smaller ink bottles.

It is indeed a collaboration with Sailor. It was bought through a customer in Japan. I believe Grand Seiko gives out gifts to their customers who are members of the GS9 club. 

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PoorMansRolex

Impressive! I'll take your word on the Sheaffer, as I didn't buy it, but it's USA made. Similarly, the Platignum music nib is something bought for a buck at a flea market that is only good for cartoonishly wide writing with dramatic variation. Indeed, the Pilot Petite1, a common pocket pen for me when I wear pullovers in the winter.

The watch is a family drawer find. I assume it was my paternal grandfather's but really don't know. Store branded dial from a local jeweler at the time (Google it and you find silverware and cutlery). It's a wee 32mm. If I tagged Aurelian, I suspect he could narrowly access the timeframe based on dial configuration (ooh, if he shows up he can mention which ink he previously recommended) but I think it's early 1950's. Dial brags are Incabloc and unbreaskable mainspring, case back mentions all stainless steel, water resistant, antimagnetic and again the Incabloc. There are three five-pointed stars too, which may have some meaning. Speidel expansion band. When I had it repaired, I forgot to ask about the provenance of the hand wind movement inside, so it's a mystery to me.

My ears were burning. I have a few more pens than this, but many more watches. My best guess is the jewelry store watch is late 1950's, give or take five years.

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Aurelian

My ears were burning. I have a few more pens than this, but many more watches. My best guess is the jewelry store watch is late 1950's, give or take five years.

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This is turning into a game of stump the fountain pen geek. 😂

Starting in the back, I think I see a Parker Duofold or one of its Chinese homages like the Kaigelu 316 but the cap bands are not correct for a Kaigelu. So, I am guessing the real thing. I thought at first that the one with the faceted cap was a Faber-Castel but I don't think they use that acrylic and the clip is wrong. My guess is a Monteverde or a kit pen. The fountain pen in my picture is a kit pen called "El Grande" closely based on a Parker Duofold. The next one looks like a Waterman Preface but I'd have to see the cap jewel to be sure. The clip screams Waterman. The pink one has a Sheaffer Balance vibe but I am at a loss. The cream-colored pen is a given, Sheaffer Fineline. I don't see too many of those around the FP forums. The goo on the feed indicates either a mixing of inks within the pen or fungus growing in your ink bottles. I'd check on that. The red one looks like another Waterman but again, I am not sure, it also has a Pilot look to it. The black one next to it has a Pilot Metropolitan look to it but that is a shot in the dark. There's not enough that I can see to make a call.

Now the watch. Yes, definitely a jewelry store watch. 😂 

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I love the way that writing with a fountain pen makes my writing style more expressive and artistic, however I find them impractical for daily use. The only fountain pen I currently have is a Lamy 2000. I like to carry a pen with me, and find something like my  titanium Tactile Turn bolt action pen to be ideal for that (plus it makes a great fidget device).

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tempus

I love the way that writing with a fountain pen makes my writing style more expressive and artistic, however I find them impractical for daily use. The only fountain pen I currently have is a Lamy 2000. I like to carry a pen with me, and find something like my  titanium Tactile Turn bolt action pen to be ideal for that (plus it makes a great fidget device).

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The Lamy 2000 makes a great EDC fountain pen likewise the Tactile Turn makes a great pen to carry I own them both. In turn, I do not own an Omega. 🥺😂 Currently I have been using the Big Idea Design Ti Arto. I really like how I can use just about any pen refill with it.

I use fountain pens daily. They can be an issue especially for signing receipts but at my desk, at the office, I don't have any issues. My current pen is a Jinhao X159

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IvanRomero

The Lamy 2000 makes a great EDC fountain pen likewise the Tactile Turn makes a great pen to carry I own them both. In turn, I do not own an Omega. 🥺😂 Currently I have been using the Big Idea Design Ti Arto. I really like how I can use just about any pen refill with it.

I use fountain pens daily. They can be an issue especially for signing receipts but at my desk, at the office, I don't have any issues. My current pen is a Jinhao X159

I had forgotten that I also have a Jinhao X450. While the construction of the Lamy is superior, the difference in feel while writing doesn't justify the price difference as far as I'm concerned. It is a bit smoother, but not as smooth as the 20x price difference would suggest.

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brazenhead

A Seiko and Twsbi pairing seems appropriate

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@brazenhead that is perfect. TWSBI has come a long way from the day of the 530. My 530 finally developed a crack and I stopped using it. My 540AL in blue is still going strong. What ink are you using?

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theossifrage

Ah drat, I'll have to take a picture once I get my watches back... and how coincidental, as just a few days ago I received a free leather pen pouch from Galen Leather (highly recommend!) when I bought a phone case, and decided that this was as good a time as any to bring out my fountains from storage and start using them again. Might buy some Diamine Green Umber to match the case!

@theossifrage I'll be waiting. Galen Leather makes some great stuff. I reviewed 2 of their Field Notes wallets when his wife was still alive. Someone in Germany has one of them and I kept the other. I'll have to take a watch related image and post it.

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IvanRomero

@brazenhead that is perfect. TWSBI has come a long way from the day of the 530. My 530 finally developed a crack and I stopped using it. My 540AL in blue is still going strong. What ink are you using?

Currently inked with a sample of Taccia Midori Green I got from a friend.

I got into fountain pens after the older phase of Twsbi was on the way out and the Diamond 580 and Eco line were just coming out.

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brazenhead

Currently inked with a sample of Taccia Midori Green I got from a friend.

I got into fountain pens after the older phase of Twsbi was on the way out and the Diamond 580 and Eco line were just coming out.

I've never tried Taccia inks. Are they dry or wet?

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IvanRomero

I've never tried Taccia inks. Are they dry or wet?

This is the first Taccia I've tried as well - I would say they're on the wet side of medium.

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romaker

Not pens but pencils… lots of mechanical pencils

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Not just me then. (Just the Rotrings, from the photography challenge a few weeks back)

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@rep_snake has been doing the pen and watch photos in his reviews, apparently missed this thread.

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JaimeMadeira
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Not just me then. (Just the Rotrings, from the photography challenge a few weeks back)

Definitely not just you. 😁

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rep_snake
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Very nice. MB 145?

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IvanRomero

Very nice. MB 145?

it's a Mont Blanc Meisterstück 146 Le Grand, UNICEF 2009

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@rep_snake I only have one MB and it's a 32. A small pen but a great nib. I can only imagine what it feels like to write with yours.

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IvanRomero

@rep_snake I only have one MB and it's a 32. A small pen but a great nib. I can only imagine what it feels like to write with yours.

Montblanc fountain pens are without exception a writing experience. In addition to MB fountain pens, I also have Waterman and Diplomat fountain pens. I love writing with it... it has style. i love style... 😉😀

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@rep_snake Also love my Waterman pens. Maybe when things slow down a bit I can get some updated pictures and post them.

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I have a Lamy LX in Ruthenium plating. and it looks like a good match with my Orient Kamisu II.

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