WatermanCarène Black Sea Fountain Pen | High-Gloss Black With Palladium Plated Trim | Fine Nib With Blue Ink Cartridge | Gift Box

This pen really has the 'wow' factor. From the box to the opening up revealing the pen, to picking it and using it. Even my Dad, the most perpetually 'unimpressed' man in the world went 'oooooh' when he held it. The weight, the balance, the look of it and the attention to detail is something else.I could wax lyrical about how it looks and feels for a thousand words if I let myself. So I'll stop there and comment about the use of it!Before you even insert a cartridge or fill up the enclosed ink converter I STRONGLY advise you to flush the nib through with luke warm water (filtered and previously boiled) and leave to dry in the usual manner before use. I read a review from another site prior to this arriving where the journalist jumped straight in and experienced lots of hard starts and stalling. Leading to frustration and disappointment. But I just couldn't wait and ignored the advise to flush before use. And what happened? All of the above. I was crestfallen and it was compounded by the nib been much thicker than any 'M' I'd used before. My writing was a MESS!So what was it like once I'd followed the advice?Beautiful. Silky smooth and fluid lines, even strokes, a nice dark ink line without been overly wet and it is making me WANT to pick it up and write for no reason at all! I've tried it on everything from cheap to expensive paper and it is gorgeous on all. If only a little impractical on some due to feathering, but that is a fault of the paper not the pen. I refuse to criticise the pen because the 'M' nib is far thicker than any I have used because I broke the golden rule of fountain buying by doing so without trying it first. So buyer beware on that one if you're considering it.Is it worth the money and will you REALLY notice the difference in experience than say with a £40 or £50 pen? Yes, 100% yes. I have a range of pens up to about £80 and it was a big leap to buy one this expensive (although cheaper on Amazon at the time when I got it), so I feel qualified to make the recommendation here.The only issue is that I think, having discovered the beauty and joy of very nice fountain pens, I'm going to bankrupt myself! Buy this. You won't regret it.**Update April 2015**The inside of the cap had slowly scored the nib barrel over the course of a few months. I'd written it off as a wear thing as I used the pen daily and didn't want to be too 'precious' about things. I could feel the cap rubbing against the barrel but thought nothing of the damage it may be doing beyond a little bit of annoyance at the marks on the pen housing. Much to my horror as I began to write one morning the lower section sheared in two. Fortunately there was so little ink left in the reservoir I ruined nothing more than a few pages of a notebook. All credit to Waterman though, they assessed the pen under warranty, shipping it to France from the UK repair centre as it was felt to be unusual enough to warrant the manufacturer to examine it individually. It took a while but the pen was returned with a new barrel, new nib, and a repaired cap to ensure it didn't happen again.It wouldn't put me off buying a Waterman again and I include it purely as a note of caution if you start to see the same happening to your carene. Whilst a very unusual failure and resulting outcome I did find a few other instances of this happening to others. I can't fault the way Waterman handled the matter and my only downside is that having used the pen every day for nearly a year the new nib doesn't feel quite the same having not being 'broken in'.

Waterman Carene is very nice pen, perfect and smooth writing... balance is wonderful and lovely design... Thank you for my Carene

Review after 6 years (purchase 2017): Beautiful, elegant and comfortable pen. Wrote very smoothly and the nib (medium) lends a satisfyingly thickish line and flex. The pen came with its filler and one cartridge (I used Edelsten ink from Pelikan). The overall look is exactly as pictured (you get a slightly brighter look in bright light)- mine has a slightly more brown tinge rather than brighter red (I have a similar ball pen from Waterman that is more reddish and brighter in light). That said this pen lends a quiet serene classic look which I love, an understated look with a prominent shaped gold nib. Good balance and overall feels lighter in hand than Cross Townsend Peacock.Issues: 1) It leaks through nib. Even after sending to Waterman service (which was not very satisfying as the job was both expensive and inconclusive). This was a surprise to me. I used quality inks. It is inconvenient to have reliably stained fingers alas when you like to use a good fountain pen. 2) The lacquering is much poorer than rivals’. My rollerball version (same process) is heavily flaked - see photos. Definitely thinner lacquering visible in these Waterman pens and I have Cross Pinnacle rollerballs and fountains of very much older and heavier use and they are in excellent shape, never having been sent for servicing and having many more “knocks” in similar use. I am sure Waterman will not replace this and anyway any good pen is of sentimental value, at this price too. This means I will be careful of such future purchases, which is regrettable. Waterman does make nice pens.

I have purchased many of these carene fountain pens now largely due the fact I kept dropping them! Be warned if you do drop this pen the gold nib will bend and will be useless I speak from personal experience, you can however replace just the nib but it's often cheaper just to replace the entire pen believe it or not . The pen arrives in a beautiful blue hinged presentation box inside is lined with a cream Suede cushioned lining underneath is a pack of blue ink cartridges and a converter so there's no need to buy either on purchase. The writing style of this pen is quite simply sublime it produces a smooth even flowing script with no drips or splotches . Unlike traditional fountain pens the carene has a rounded nib similar in shape to the very cheap Parker vector pens. That is the only thing That's the only thing this pen has in common with cheaper brands the Parker nib can feel somewhat scratchy where as the carene always feels smooth ,This pen is a thing of beauty it looks good and feels good it's got a nice solid weight making for a very evenly balanced fountain pen:not too heavy not too light. Both the medium nib and fine nib are pleasant to write with . The medium obviously produces a thicker script and the fine nib is as it says on the tin. I will never change fountain pen brands again I am a fan for life. For those who find the price excessive Amazon are the cheapest yes it's expensive but you won't be disappointed this pen They do often dramatically reduce the cost so it's worth keeping an eye out .

I really liked this pen because it felt great in the hand and was really nice to write with. The nib was really smooth typical high end Waterman, the balance was also really good. I loved the design and its feel of quality. The ink feed however on this particular pen was the wettest I've experienced, so wet it quite unusable. First I thought about exchanging it for a fine nib version but in the end I didn't, liking medium nibs for their smoothness. I reluctantly returned mine to Amazon for a refund. Having read a few reviews I understand that this not uncommon with the Carene.

Unwittingly, I'd become a Lamy and Pilot snob. The Lamy 2000 and Dialog CC, Pilot's E95s, Custom 72, 823, and 743 -- what more did I need? Then I saw a review favorably comparing the Waterman Carène and Lamy 2000 and realized that what I liked aesthetically about a posted Pilot E95s with its partly-hooded nib is echoed in the unique look of the Carène's partly hooded nib. But how would I like it as an everyday writer? Oh, I do, I do. With a converter filled with Waterman's Serenity Blue ink, the Carène's fine nib is a joy to use. i like it as much as any of my Lamy's or Pilots while it's not so glassy as some of that lot. Other than the niggling aesthetic flaw of the nib and finial not "automatically" lining up and a slimmer than I prefer grip section, I appreciate everything else about the pen. It is a classic. My hand has not tired writing page after page of cursive with it.

This fountain pen is all metal, with a lacquered blue body and a chiseled cap. The lacquer is perfectly done. The nib, while it is gold, is a bit stiff; Definitely stiffer than your standard gold nib. The push and click mechanism of the cap is very satisfying.

Je l’utilise pour le bureau et pour compléter une collection de stylos plumes. Dans cette livrée bleue et vagues, le stylo est splendide et toujours aussi agréable à utiliser. La plume fine est généreuse mais sans excès. Elle est très douce , peut être pas autant que la médium. La tenue en main est parfaite pour écrire longtemps.

Sehr eleganter Füller, Einer für's Leben. Die wichtigste Erkenntnis nach ein paar Monaten mit vielen Schreibaussetzern und "kratzender" Feder: einfach den vorderen Bereich mal eine Weile mit warmem Wasser durchspülen, dann sind die Aussetzer weg und der Füller hat ein wunderschönes, weiches Schriftbild. Vermutlich durch die lange Lagerung nach Produktion bedingt (?).

i love it