(This page revised September 9, 2012)
[ Reference Info Index | Glossopedia ]
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| This Waterman advertisement from the May 9, 1942, issue of The Saturday Evening Post features the Commando. |
In 1940, about a year before the United States entered World War II, Waterman began to restyle its product line, doing away with the out-of-date Art Deco look and featuring a new, robust, modern silhouette. The Hundred Year Pen was first, and all the company’s other models followed. The most dramatic change was a new military-style clip that was inexpensive, easy to install (with a rivet through the top of the cap), and strong. When the U.S. entered the war toward the end of 1941, Waterman’s line offered models ranging from the Hundred Year Pen at the top down to the relatively plain Model 352, with a price tag of $3.50, with the Model 515, priced at $5.00, filling the middle of the range.
The 515 is the one that interests us here. Its maiden appearance saw it clothed in the same amazing new material (Lucite®) that Waterman had introduced a year earlier for the Hundred Year Pen. Shown here is a blue Lucite $5.00 pen:
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Patriotic fervor reached unheard-of heights as Americans went to war to defeat the Axis. Marketing people, never slow to jump on a fast-moving train, boarded this one and set their sights on things military. Waterman, with the 515, was in the perfect position to capitalize on the trend; and very early after America’s entry into the war, the Lucite pen appeared under the Commando name. The “new” pen immediately began appearing in advertising: a Saturday Evening Post advertisement (not the one shown above here) features a Lucite Commando over the following copy:
Military men prefer Waterman’s — because all Waterman’s have top military clips — and the Inquaduct feed for instant writing. This is the great Commando ‘built to take it and never fail.’ Blue, Jet, Maroon or Amber, $5
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Soon thereafter, Waterman reverted the Commando to celluloid, and by far the greater portion of Commando production was in celluloid. Most extant Commandos are celluloid, like the black example above. Close examination of the shape of this pen’s cap will reveal that it has lost the keg shape that characterized both Lucite models, the Hundred Year Pen and the Commando.
Waterman was renowned for its nibs, and even at the bottom of its line nibs were excellent. The Commando was fitted with a large No 5 nib in the customer’s choice of point style, and Waterman didn’t take any shortcuts — these are superb nibs, and Waterman’s pens are well balanced and light in weight. Collectors who use their pens will find the Commando a delight.
Waterman produced the Commando in men’s and ladies’ sizes, with a solid body color or with a clear or translucent barrel end. With such a limited range of styles and only four basic colors, a complete Commando collection isn’t beyond the means of most collectors, although many of these variants (especially the Lucite ones) are not easy to find.
Of passing interest to history-minded collectors is the Commando’s short life span. The end of World War II brought with it a desire to put away the things of war, and the Commando didn’t survive long; by 1946, Waterman had discontinued it as a named model.
As with celluloid Hundred Year Pens, Taperites, and other contemporaneous Waterman models, clear-ended Commando barrels are almost always found with their ends crystallized, often — as illustrated by the Maroon Commando shown here — with nothing remaining except the “plug” that fits into the open end of the colored barrel segment. Also, the sections in some Commandos sections in some Commandos are also made of celluloid and can deform badly under the stress of the press-fitted nib and feed. The pen here is shown as it actually exists today and with its end “restored” in Photoshop to illustrate the original appearance.
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But even a pen with a damaged barrel can be an excellent user. Posted, the Commando shown above becomes an attractive and excellent-writing pen — and there are restorers who can restore the end of a Commando using clear acrylic, which gives an excellent result although not one that is identical to the appearance of the original celluloid.
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The following table shows the colors Waterman chose for the Commando. Because the U.S.A. was in the middle of World War II and because the Commando’s marketing encouraged home-front purchase for military officers serving overseas, the company limited the Commando’s colors to only four, all of which are relatively dark — but there’s no Olive Drab, a color that was of course officially military but was, well, drab. Blue and Burgundy Commandos tend to be darker today than they were originally due to age-related discoloration.
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| Colors of the 515 and the Lucite Commando | |
| Color | Name |
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Jet |
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Maroon (transparent) |
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Army Amber (transparent?) |
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Navy Blue (transparent) |
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| Colors of the Celluloid Commando | |
| Color | Name |
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Jet |
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Jet with Clear End |
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Maroon |
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Maroon with Red End |
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Amber |
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Amber with Amber End |
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Blue |
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Blue with Blue End |
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The information in this article is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative or complete. If you have additions or corrections to this page, please consider sharing them with us to improve the accuracy of our information.
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