History of Luxury Brands: PARKER for Elegant Gentlemen

Parker pens have created many world firsts in the history of fountain pens. "Build a better pen" is always Parker's business philosophy.

George Parker, the founder of Parker Fountain Pen Company, is a telecom technical teacher. He was worried that he could not find a good hand and smooth water. In order to increase his income, George Parker used his spare time to sell a broker to a fountain company. His students became his main clients. Later, the pen that was sold by him continued to malfunction, and George Parker had to become an obligatory repairman again. In 1888, he founded the Parker Fountain Pen Company in Janesville, Wisconsin, and decided to produce high-quality pens.

In 1889, George Parker patented his first fountain pen. Two years later, he found an investor for the growing company, the insurance broker WF Palmer. Palmer bought half of Parker’s patents and asset ownership for $1,000, and the company has since entered formal business operations.

In 1894, Parker made its first major technological breakthrough, inventing the "Lucky Curve" ink injection device. Its function is that when people put the pen upright in the pocket, the ink can be automatically returned to the storage tank by capillary action. Until 1928, Parker used this technology in many of his best-selling pens, which made Parker a leader in the fountain pen industry.

In 1898, Parker registered patents for easy-to-install pen holders. The following year, it produced the first pipeless seamless pen. This was considered perfect at the time because the ink in the pen would not leak out under any circumstances. Before World War I, Parker announced several technological innovations, including the production of "Black Giant" in 1905. This pen has a water-absorbing capsule that is large and stylish and is the prototype of Parker's famous “Century Series”.

Unlike most other U.S. companies, the outbreak of World War I did not slow Parker’s pace of development. Part of the reason is that Parker accidentally invented a "Trench Pen." There is a small ink ball in the pen holder of this type of pen. When it is filled with clean water, it becomes ink. This one-of-a-kind design greatly facilitates the soldiers so that they can solve the problem of ink filling in the absence of war. At that time, the United States Department of War and Pike signed the procurement contract for this trench warfare pen, so that the company avoided financial trouble during the war.

As a successful inventor, George Parker also understands the importance of market development. As early as 1903, he had traveled around the globe, hoping to establish an overseas sales network, and took the lead in establishing a Parker pen distribution agency in Northern Europe. In 1914, George Parker let his oldest son, Russell, be responsible for the company's production and partial management. Five years later, his second son, Kenith, also began to participate in the company's marketing business. In 1918, Parker's annual sales reached 1 million US dollars. In the same year, the company built a new factory building and office building in Janswil. Until 1986, this was Parker's headquarters. In 1986, due to a global acquisition, Parker's business center was transferred to Newham, England.

In the 1920s, Parker pens have been exported to Europe, Australia, India and East Asia. In 1921, Parker introduced the "Duofold" pen that laid the foundation for its pen industry. This extremely stylish pen, with a 25-year factory warranty, was the most expensive pen on the market at a price of $7 each. Later, this series also developed green jade, Chinese red, Shilan, pearl, black and other varieties. The pen is very strong and durable. The pen is a durable plastic instead of the previously fragile vulcanized rubber. In order to demonstrate its sturdiness, Parker dropped the pen from the Grand Canyon and the 3000-foot-tall plane. The result was still well written, which caused a stir at the time. }

In 1933, artist Joseph Pratt designed the famous Huijian symbol for Parker pens, and it has since become a symbol of high-quality writing instruments. In 1937, George Parker died in Chicago at the age of 74. Fortunately, Parker has continued to develop after the founder’s death and has been respected throughout the world.

Parker's pen craftsmanship is superb. Now there are several series from high to low such as Century, Parker 100, Yenli, Zall, Jade, Fengcai, Parker 45, Yunfeng and Weiya. To this day, Parker has been regarded as one of the most perfect pens.