While a lot has been said about the modern tragedy of American pen legend Parker — from the closure of its US factory in Janesville, to the demise of its final holdout in New Haven, UK — the brand is still alive and kicking in France, albeit with much less charm and more than a touch of cheapness.
I had basically given up on the France-made Parkers until recently when I spotted a particular Jotter that had first came out in 2016. Yeah, 10 years and I’d only now given it any thought: the Premium Edition Jotter in Carlisle Brown.
What caught my eye? It was the simple pinstripe grooves that ran down its steel lower barrel, a detail that, to me, harkens back to the Jotter’s beginnings in 1954. The very first version of this classic had 4 colorful nylon plastic barrels with this very same type of grooving, with no metal reinforcement ring at the tip (that came later).
The ‘first year’ Jotters also sported a distinctive 'v’ trough clip, which soon evolved to the now familiar ‘arrow’ style clip. Seeing the Carlisle next to the originals is a wonderful contrast in design.
And because Parker was so successful with the design of its ‘G2’ ballpoint refill, there is practically no difference between a modern iteration with the originals from 1954. Quite amazing and a real tribute to the ingenuity and industrial design prowess of the Parker team.
That meant I could easily convert the Carlisle pen into a mechanical pencil just by dropping in one of Parker’s own Japan-made 0.5mm cartridges, making it the perfect sepia-toned companion to my original quartet of Jotters.
