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ICONS
Late Summer 2012 | p2p Magaz i ne |
31
www.binfo.co.uk
Parker pens
Parker has been changing
people’s lives through its
innovations in the fine writing
category for more than 120
years. Teacher, George Safford
Parker patented his first
fountain pen in 1889 and in
1892 the Parker legacy began.
Pen of choice
Other icons include the Parker 51,
manufactured using Parker’s cutting edge
filling system known as the Vacumatic
(later replaced by the enhanced
Aerometric system).With its unique
hooded nib that ensured a smooth flow
of quick drying ink, the Parker 51 enjoyed
unprecedented success and was the pen
of choice among royalty and influential
leaders such as HRH Princess Elizabeth,
John F Kennedy and General Eisenhower
– whose Parker 51 was used to sign the
peace treaty ending the SecondWorld
War – one of many treaties on which the
‘Parker signature’ can be found.
The Parker 75, launched to celebrate
the company’s 75th anniversary in 1964
included the Parker 75 Spanish Treasure
Fleet – the first ever limited edition
pen, created using salvaged silver from
a sunken Spanish galleon that had been
carrying gold and silver treasures from the
NewWorld to Spain back in 1715.
The Jotter
Parker dedicated nine years to developing
a ballpoint pen of a quality that far
exceeded any other ballpoint on offer at
the time – able to last more than five to
six times longer than standard ballpoint
pens, the Jotter enjoyed success over the
next fifty years, selling more than 750
million pens worldwide.
In 1962 Parker won the Royal British
Warrant and in 1966 launched the Touche
pen, a smooth fibre tip pen that marked
the company’s move into new writing
solutions. This was followed fourteen
years later by the Parker Vector roller ball,
which remains one of the brand’s best
sellers even today.
The Parker Company celebrated 100
years of success with the launch of
the Duofold Centennial pen, endorsed
by British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher on her visit to Parker to mark
the occasion. This was followed in 1993
by one of the flagships of the Parker
brand today – the Sonnet. 2003 saw the
company commission a limited edition of
the Sonnet pen used by Nelson Mandela
to sign the Codesa peace agreement
ten years earlier. Only 27 of these
pens are available worldwide, each one
representing a year of Mandela’s captivity
from 1964 to 1990.
And it wasn’t just in pens where
innovation was rife – Parker’s
revolutionary new, quick drying Quink ink
launched in 1931, is still used throughout
the world today.
Parker 5TH Technology
Parker is now attempting to gain a new
generation’s interest in fine writing by
creating a pen that is as beautiful to use
as it is to look at. The latest innovation,
born out of extensive research into
consumers’ needs consists of a cutting-
edge refill tip and an engraved metallic
hood – Parker 5TH Technology.
The innovation behind Parker 5TH
Technology combines the ease of
writing with a stylish, high-end design,
creating the perfect on-the-go pen that
can travel with you anywhere and as
featured on page 21, Parker is expanding
its revolutionary new writing mode into
three of its most desirable collections;
Sonnet Feminine, Urban Premium and IM
Premium.
www.parkerpen.com
In 1888 – an age in which a reliable
pen was not easy to find; teacher
George Safford Parker started selling
pens as a means of supplementing
his income but, with much of his time
taken up repairing the faulty pens that
he was selling, he resolved to make
a better pen that would prove to be
reliable. By the time of his death in
1937, the Parker brand was established
as a world leader.
Parker’s early inventions included
the creation of the unique Lucky Curve
ink feed system – a technological
breakthrough that enabled an
unparalleled flow of ink from the barrel to
the pen and the first jointless pen; where
the components were seamlessly encased
inside the barrel of the pen, thereby
eliminating leakage.
The Trench pen, launched in 1917
could transform pellets into ink when
added to water, enabling First World
War soldiers to maintain contact with
home from the front line and in the
1920s Parker’s Duofold Fountain pen was
deemed to be the first genuine luxury pen
on the market.