Carène Marine Amber Fountain Pen | Gloss Brown & Black with 23k Gold Clip | Fine Nib with Blue Ink Cartridge | Gift Box

I own lots of high class pens including lots of lovely ones bought from Amazon, but if I had to choose one word to describe this one it would be 'Classy.' The pen just looks right in every way. It's the perfect size and feels just right whether posted or not, and the colour (the amber one) is wonderful. As for the nib, it not only looks great but it writes great as well - fine, but not too fine. The ink flow is just right as well. I buy lots of high end pens because it's my hobby - I like them - but if I wanted to create a good impression for some reason I wouldn't choose my Mont Blanc, I'd choose the Waterman Carene.

I like fountain pens. It's my guilty pleasure. I like collecting new, old, cheap and expensive. I just like how they are superior to every other writing medium, well that's how I see it. I have found some cheap gems and some very expensive stinkers (that's you Mont Blanc <insert any model they make here>). This pen sits comfortably in the affordable end, but still be a considerable amount to spend and therefore needs to be good at what it does. This *is* good at what it does. It has a kind of pleasant sexy (hmm yes I just said that..) feel and look about it, but doesn't trade off writing ability. The nib is really first class for this price and it will serve you well for years to come. Unfussy ink converter size that has the ability to take standard cartridges also, so no need to buy bottled ink if you don't want to (but go on... just try it... once you do you will never go back to cartridges). Oops, doing my stationary pushing thing again. Sorry. A lovely pen that would make a generous statement gift, or better still present for yourself. Enjoy!

Excellent fountain pen. It looks superb, the Carene is my favourite of the modern Waterman lineup by far and this version is beautiful. It's a cartridge/converter and is supplied with a converter which works fine. The nib is great, I've had a couple of mediums before which have been very wet writers so I was happy to see this was available with a fine nib. I was lazy and didn't rinse it through before using it but it was fine - no hard starts or skipping and it has an average ink flow, will write with the lightest of pressure but won't put don't too much ink if you like to apply a bit more pressure when writing.

It was a visit from the Area Dean (which probably isn't a common opening comment for an Amazon review) that inspired me to buy one of these. He was using a fountain pen on a standard piece of paper and it was obviously the pen he used on a daily basis. I'd always thought that fountain pens were too messy for every day use and although I'd considered purchasing a good quality pen for several years had never actually got round to it. He bought his pen, a Waterman, from John Lewis - I checked and their price for this pen at the time I purchased it for £108 from Amazon, was £190. The pen is really easy to write with, no pressure required, which I guess you would expect for this kind of price range. With a decent quality ink, it dries really quickly so unless you have a habit of rubbing your hand across the words you've just written, the drying time isn't really an issue. I wish I'd realised that the pen comes with the attachment you need to use bottled ink, as I bought that separately and now have an unused spare one. In retrospect, I think a fine nib, rather than medium, would have probably been more use as a pen for daily use but I can't deduct a star for that - it really is a fine pen at an outstanding price and if you're thinking of purchasing a good quality pen then I'd definitely recommend this one.

On opening the amazon package I was pleasantly surprised to find the waterman had come in its original display box as some pens on amazon don’t. I had held my breath fearing the worst that my pen may have been subjected to a trip to my house in a plastic bag, or even worse, made to face the elements, and Britain's bumpy roads, just stuffed inside an envelope. But no, I could breath again, my pessimism was thankfully unfounded. Opening the box revealed the pen in all its black, plasticky glory. Avoiding temptation, I stopped short of hauling the pen out immediately and decided to check out what other goodies were stuffed inside. Ink cartridge… check Ink Reservoir… check Manual… Manual? Or at least I thought it was. In actual fact it turned out to be a 30 page document outlining your legal rights as a waterman pen holder. As if anybody will ever read it. After ignoring added value legal book came the moment I was waiting for. I slid the pen out of the case and held it aloft in my hand. It was a fine looking pen. Shapely and sexy to the look and touch. As I rotated it the Golden accents gleamed and there on the bezel rotated into view it had Waterman etched into the side. I was in pen nirvana! The pen whispered to me Use me! Use me! And I dutifully obliged. She (yes, she) was thick. Much thicker than my lamy and far thicker than I was used to having between my little fingers. And she had a weight and heft to her that a body builder would have been proud of. This was a pen built to last. As wide as a tank and as heavy as one. Yet the Carene was elegant. With a unique maritime inspired Gold nib that looked shaped and ready to cut through the 7 seas. The Bow front that is the signature of the Carene pen series. On filling the pen with Waterman bottled ink, I was trembling with writers anticipation. Notebook ready, Pen on paper, And… Ow what a mess! I now understand clearly why the pen was made half boat half writing tool. Everytime I put ink down on paper a river gushed forth onto the paper page as wide and ferocious as the amazon. A moments pause of the tip would spring up pools and eddies of ink that would engulf even the most powerful of verbs. The nib, a medium, was as far as I could tell was designed to deluge the page and destroy word and sentence alike. To add insult to the situation the pen, every 3 or 4 seconds, would, for reason unexplainable by physics, turn off. Then turn back on. Every fountain pens owner's nightmare. The pen skipped. I tried cleaning the pen multiple times. I tried different inks but nothing could stop the problem. The pen was either trying to drown me in ink or refused to work. I had before me a beautiful pen that makes handwriting look like I've been stabbing at my notebook page all day with an ultra wide white board marker. Up to this point i thought it might just be a problem with the nib but i was wrong. I write with a very shallow angle with a pen and unfortunately this meant the carene nib underside, which protrudes like a boat's keel, would sit on the paper instead of the tip. This made it difficult for me to write unless I opted for a hand position that was alien to me. Sorry waterman, I won't be changing my writing style that has worked for 28 years for you. So the Waterman Carene is a beautiful pen to look at and pick up but, for me, it’s a let down. It fails at its most basic purpose: to write well. I was so looking forward to a premium pen experience but I got the exact opposite. How disappointing. Back to my trusty lamy I go then. Summary. Shallow pen grip may hinder use Beautiful design 18ct Gold nib Skipping Pooling of ink Very wide for a medium nib Cheaper pens write better Poor nib underside design

Gorgeous looking and smooth writing instrument. It is what makes writing with a fountain pen a joy.

Lovely pens. This is my second purchase as I gave my first to my son. These are classy, stealth wealth fountain pens.

For this price, you get a luxury pen, golden 18k nib, that writes soooo smooth and precise. Worth every Euro.

WOW! This pen is amazing. I’ve owned and used many Montblanc and Pelikan pens over the years but this Waterman has now become my absolute favorite. It’s like writing on glass - so.smooth. Perfect ink flow from one of the most beautiful nibs of any pen I’ve ever seen. And its Art Deco style and design are totally unique. Fit and finish are stunning and flawless. From the deep blue of the body to the polished silver cap , this pen exudes quality. It was a limited production from 2022 to 2024. If you find one grab it! It’s that special!!

This is a very smooth fine nib that writes well out of the box. No hard starts no cartridge converter issues. No hard starts. No adjustments were needed. The deep burgundy brass lacquered finish is perfect. In hand, the pen feels slightly weightier than any Lamy Safari or TWSBI ECO pen I own. I first inked the pen with a Waterman Blue ink and made sure to saturate the feed properly. Read the instructions in the manual. I have used it over a period of two months and refilled the pen 4-5 times since. I deliberated between a medium and a fine nib for the Waterman Carène. Although generally I prefer medium nibs from LAMY or on gel or rollerball pens. The fine nib works well for me as a regular daily writer. I write mostly on modest fountain pen friendly notepad paper; from Rhodia, Fabriano, Campus Kokuyo to Maruman. The Japanese papers, Maruman or Kokuyo provide a smooth glide-like writing experience. 80gsm Rhodia, although popular with many fountain pen users; tends to feel a slight waxy on any fountain pen to my experience. The Carène puts lines on the page easily, with an easy, generous, smooth consistency. The internal ink feed for the Carène is a very long generous feed (You can’t disassemble it; but you can watch YouTube videos or pictures of people who have cracked the barrels open). In other words, when refilling the cartridges it’s good to prime the feed with ink since it will hold a little bit more ink for you between refills than what you see in the cartridge. I have not experienced any dry out issues even with the pen uncapped for an hour. A pen you can enjoy writing with at work, at home, or to sign that important document.