As with the introduction of many great fountain pen companies, the introduction to the Parker Pen Company will not disappoint.
While reading through their website timeline and craftsmanship pages I gained great insight, not only to the company, but to the products and materials used in fountain pen construction.
Yet another innovative, refined, quality pen company with products to admire.
With such history and craftsmanship behind many of these pen companies, competition must be fierce. In my research of these pen companies I’m finding it hard to find one I do not like.
Once I start purchasing and reviewing these products I may feel different.
Finding other great reviews on these products online could change my opinion for the better or worse, but for now I’m very impressed with this industries standards.
Cited from the Parker Pen website on Craftsmanship who could explain it better then Parker.
“Every Parker Pen is created without compromise, the result of commitment to innovate and refine.
Our designers use this spirit in every pen they create, researching the finest materials and the ideal blend of established and ultra-modern techniques to push the state of the art just a little further with every model, while never forgetting that every important Parker quality.
Look inside to find some of the features of Parker craftsmanship.
You might find some of them surprising, but everyone is part of our determination to reinvent the writing instrument for the modern age”.
Parker then breaks down their materials used, innovation & expertise and their high quality standards.
I’ll go into this further in future articles, but first I wanted to breakdown the Parker Pen Company timeline just to provide some background on Parker.
Parker Pen Company Timeline
1888 – The Parker Pen Company is founded by George S. Parker
1889 – The first Parker Pen is produced and patented
1894 – Parker’s first major innovation the “Lucky Curve” is created.
The “Lucky Curve” greatly reduced the leaks that were an inevitable hazard of using early fountain pens.
Parker Lucky Curve
1921 – The first Parker Duofold is produced. Considerably larger and more expensive than pens of the time, it’s a gamble but an instant success.
Parker Duofold Pens - 1920s
1939 – The first Parker 51 is produced. It would go on to be a global best seller and to be described as “The most perfect pen ever produced”.
1954 – Parker’s first Ball Pen, The Jotter. Still in production today it has sold an incredible 750 million worldwide.
1964 – The Parker 75 brings a new level of craftsmanship to pens of the era, combining the latest technologies with traditional skills.
Parker 75
1988 – The Duofold Centennial Edition means the return of an icon to celebrate 100 years of Parker.
The new Duofold remains a showcase for Parker’s finest materials, techniques and craftsmanship.
2002 – The Parker 51 Special Edition combines the classic futuristic styling of the Parker 51 with the very latest pen technology.
2004 – The Parker 100 becomes the face of Parker for the 21st century, with the combination of avant-garde looks and an affectionate reinterpretation of the unique styling of it’s illustrious predecessor, the Parker 51.
Parker 100
2006 – The new Parker Pen website is launched, offering fine writing pen enthusiasts a new level of interactivity.
Parker’s website provides a unique tool where the user can write an eCard electronically, the Parker Writing Simulator.
The tool allows you to pick from one of their writing styles; fountain pen, roller ball pen, pencil or ball point pen, choose a model like Duofold, Premier, Sonnet and many others.
You then are able to type a message and see how the fountain pen would look when written.
The final step is sending that eCard if you choose, but just seeing the models and features is a nice touch by Parker.
Parker has one of the finest material breakdown’s I’ve found yet online.
The material breakdown will help you determine which fine fountain pen might suit you best and what’s available.
A fountain pen collector will have many styles in the collection, but due to price gold might not be your first choice so it’s important to know your options.
Just through the information provided by Parker you can see that they are a company which should be considered, if wanting to purchase a pen product.
I recommend visiting their website, reading through the materials and using their interactive tools.
We will go into their product line in much more depth in later articles, but if you use a Parker pen I would appreciate some feedback on the company and products used.
Parker Pen Articles and Related Content
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Parker Pen – Share Your Message With The World
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Parker Duofold Pencil
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Parker Sonnet – Sterling Silver Cisele Fountain Pen
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Parker Fountain Pen Refill – Parker Quink Ink
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Parker Duofold Pen – Makie Carp Fountain Pen
Parker Pen Videos
Parker Pen History – A Look Back at the Factory
Inking for the first time a SE Parker Sonnet Terracota
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