The "feel" of a pen is as much a function of its thickness as its length, weight, and balance. The listings on this page should help you in selecting a vintage pen that best suits you. The measurements given here denote the outside diameter of the barrel at its widest point. The diameter at the point where the fingers grip the pen might have been a more useful indicator, but since that point varies from writer to writer, where to make the measurement would have been rather subjective. Note that these measurements are necessarily approximate, due to normal manufacturing variation.

Click here to download a more extensive list of measurements in .pdf format, compiled by John R. Gleason.


Aurora Optima 12.7 cm long 14.0 mm diameter
Lamy 2000 13.7 cm long 13.0 mm diameter
Montblanc 146 14.0 cm long 13.2 mm diameter
Montblanc 149 14.7 cm long 14.8 mm diameter
Parker 75 12.8 cm long 10.7 mm diameter
Parker Sonnet 13.3 cm long 11.0 mm diameter
Parker Duofold Centennial 13.7 cm long 13.2 mm diameter
Parker Duofold International 13.1 cm long 11.7 mm diameter
Pelikan 400 12.6 cm long 12.2 mm diameter
Pelikan M600 13.3 cm long 12.7 mm diameter
Pelikan M800   14.1 cm long 13.5 mm diameter
Sheaffer Legacy   13.8 cm long 12.7 mm diameter
Sheaffer Targa   13.6 cm long 11.4 mm diameter
Vanishing Point (old style)   13.7 cm long 12.0 mm diameter
Waterman Liaison 14.3 cm long 12.2 mm diameter
Waterman Phileas 13.5 cm long 12.0 mm diameter
Waterman Preface   13.3 cm long 10.7 mm diameter

 


Pen diameters at widest point on barrel, in millimeters:

Conklin 25P: 9.5
Conklin P5: 11.5
Conklin 75: 13.0
Conklin Senior Endura: 13.1
Esterbrook J: 11.8
Esterbrook LJ, SJ, CH: 10.5
MT Swan GF #2 Leverless: 9.7
MT Swan #2 size LF (1940s):  11.7
Montblanc 134: 11.6
Montblanc 644: 11.6
Montblanc 149: 14.8
Parker Duofold Junior: 12.1
Parker Duofold Senior: 13.2
Vacumatic Maxima: 13.2
Vac Debutante/Sub-Deb: 10.7
Vac Major/Junior (1940s): 12.0
Parker 51: 11.7
Parker 61: 10.9
Parker 75 (silver) 10.7
Parker Slimfold: 10.3
Parker 50 Falcon: 10.3

Pelikan 100: 11.5
Pelikan 100N: 12.0
Pelikan 400: 12.2
Sheaffer Oversize Flat-Top: 13.0
Sheaffer Oversize Balance: 13.0
Sheaffer 1949 Touchdown: 11.3
Sheaffer Touchdown/Snorkel: 10.5
Wahl HR roller-clip, #2 size  10.7
Wahl Oversize Signature: 13.7
 Wahl Eversharp Bantam: 8.4
Eversharp Skyline (full-size): 11.5
Waterman 12: 9.5
Waterman 42 1/2V: 10.5
Waterman 0552 1/2: 10.0
Waterman 52: 11.0
Waterman 55: 12.0
Waterman 58: 14.5
Waterman Patrician: 13.2
Waterman 3V: 11.0
Waterman 5 (celluloid): 11.8
Waterman CF (French): 10.4

 


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