The Waterman Expert III • A Modern Classic

A review of the Waterman Expert III fountain pen.

Thanks to a great friend of the channel (who prefers to remain nameless) for sharing this pen.

Paper was a Rhodia lined tablet

Timestamps
Intro: 0:10
Design overview: 0:57
Nib: 4:28
Specifications: 4:31
Size Comparisons: 5:18
Writing Sample: 5:38
Dad Joke of the Week: 8:14
Final Impressions: 8:27
One Last Thing: 10:37
Quote of the Week: 10:54
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[sajjadhusain]

I love Waterman, both vintage and modern. Unlike Parker, Cross and Sheaffer for years on end, Waterman has bucked that sorry trend and managed to put out a slew of very stylish, high quality and excellent writing modern fountain pens. The Hemisphere, Charleston, Embleme, Exception, Perspective, Carene etc are all very fine pens.
I have the Expert, (I and III). Elegantly designed but not showy and flashy in any way. I find the Expert to be a sophisticated looker that is perfectly suited in professional settings. And is a very dependable, affordable pen and smooth writer, too.
Both the medium nibs on my Expert pens seem to write a little wider than medium, more like a smooth wet medium-broad. I find that not uncommon among Waterman pens today. I have found Cross to be the same with their nibs.
Good of you James to review this workhorse but stylish wonder of a pen.

[-Kazan-]

Great review. I love Waterman Expert models, have many roller but the fine nib I have is way scratchier than any other fountain pen I've tried.

[santauxia]

I really, really like that pen. I have wanted one for a while now. Beautiful and elegant pen. Great review J.

[polksie]

Great review! This pen has been on my radar for a while. Now with Christmas approaching, I see a present for me under the tree.

[philippebarillecavalier]

It's good to see them still around. My first FP was Expert (II, I think) in the Dune series, blue. The section tread cracked after many years (maybe a few drops). It's unfortunately sold only with nib, but then I went from M to F. I should have taken F from day one, much more adequate with my use! Lately tried Visconti Blue with it, and it's surreal.

One thing I don't like with the latest design is the finial, where the replaced the metal round piece with plain plastic and a logo. Not a dealbreaker, just a small downgrade. They don't offer exciting color or pattern options anymore, like they did around mid 2000s. At least this gold black trim looks irresistible.

[charlesedwards]

Ive used a Waterman Expert for nearly two decades now and although I have written with other high end pens nothing feels more smoother or more comfortable than my Waterman Expert.

[JonaInesFritz]

Thank you for this well done review!
I fully agree, the Expert III is among the best of medium price range modern Waterman pens you can still buy. However, I disagree about the price comparison. The Diplomat Aero costs about 1.6 times and the Lamy 2000 about 2 times as much as the Expert III - here in Europe.
And yes, the Expert III draws a wonderful line with Waterman inks, especially with Mysterious Blue! Lovin' it!

[jpg]

Glad liked it… I felt bad for you trying all these plasticy waterman’s before. Modern waterman you have to go brass/lacquer. Expert is one of the best sub $100 pen. Nothing fancy with the nib style, but writes very well and the pen looks grand and it is the best poster pen I own. I have black, matte, brown, blue, red … Experts, all great. If you keep going up the line, Carène will blow your mind.

[stephanfeinen]

I have several Expert I and II models but no III. The Expert I and II are in fact very different pens that just look very similar at a first glance but the Expert I is resin with a very interesting nib and the Expert II (like the Expert III) is lacquered metal with a more classic nib. Both models are very fine pens and the Expert II comes in more colourful finishes than the Expert I. I like all of them but I haven't bought an Expert III yet as to me it seems to be just a slightly updated version of the Expert II.

[jasondrinks]

Classic and well-designed pen. Bought one about twenty years ago and only complaint is that the cap liner failed so it wouldn’t stay closed. Credit to Newell Rubbermaid though: they replaced it free of charge by post. The other slight niggle is that the gold nib band corrodes after a while of dipping in ink. Not an issue if you only use cartridges, I suppose.

[hriveran]

Great review, James. I bought my Expert mainly because it had a big discount at a local store. I am most satisfied with my purchase.

[StardustTrumpeter]

9:05 I do want a Waterman, but what about Waterman Hemisphere compared to Expert?

[Scouzeboy]

Greetings from Australia.
Great Video. Thanks.

[marachristian]

I have 2 Experts and an Ideal from the 70s and a modern Expert and 2 modern Hemispheres. They are all great writers and very elegant-looking pens, in my opinion. Great brand, but I wish they offered more than just fine or medium nibs, and more colors.

[paulherman]

Beautiful pen! I've had only vintage Waterman's (a nurse's pen with a semiflexible nib I ended up giving to a friend, and the one I still have, a late 1940s Taperite) and really like them. (I am sure I'll end up with more. Give it time.😉)
Unlike their sister brand, they seem to still be worth the price, and it's why even modern ones are interesting to me. Thanks for sharing this interesting pen, and God bless!

[TheUndecidedFrog]

I have 2 waterman fountain pens. They are beautiful instruments that I enjoy using often. I have an Expert 3 l'essence du bleu, and a Carène l'essence du bleu. The Carène is uniquely smooth and silky.

[lucm]

for me the waterman Carene is a grail pen ....One day😄 thanks for the reviews bring back memories

[wilberfloss]

The section on the end of the barrel, past the gold ring, is apt to come loose and wobble. Mine does, and I've read of several other people complaining of the same problem.

It is a lovely writer, though, I agree.

[leolagunes]

Thank you for the video! I have question about a waterman pen I have. Do you have any tips on a waterman fude tip?

[fabricesimon]

Great video. I am happy to see a waterman. It's not that often on YouTube. I used this brand fountain pen all through college and university and probably a trillion of cartridges.... I plan on buying a moon man 800 the cheapest one... Do you know if they are compatible with international cartridges or if I can change the feed to make them be? I am no ready yet to turn to ink and converter. Great job great channel please carry on I learn a lot.