Parker Vacumatic

The Parker Vacumatic fountain pen was launched in 1933, displacing the Duofold as Parker's top-of-the-line product. The pen was originally named the Golden Arrow, a reference to the new arrow clip which would go on to become a Parker trademark, appearing in some form on almost all of Parker’s subsequent pens. After it was called the Golden Arrow, Parker changed the name again to Vacuum Filler, sometime before 1935

The Vacumatic featured a brand new filling mechanism—instead of the collapsible sac all Parker self-fillers up to that point had used, the Vacumatic featured a diaphragm that expanded into the barrel of the pen. Upon release of the diaphragm a vacuum was created, drawing ink into the barrel. Because the entire barrel could thus be filled, the Vacumatic boasted a much higher ink capacity than the Duofold it replaced.

Although the pen came in many sizes and colors, the most widely recognizable Vacumatics featured alternating horizontal bands of pearlescent and clear celluloid. These clear bands allowed the user to see the level of ink in the barrel.

Several generations of Vacumatic were produced. Early patterns found without the typical latitudinal stripes often command increased collector attention.

The pen remained Parker’s top-of-the-line product until the launch of the 51 in 1941, but remained in production until 1953. The English-market Duofold used the same basic design up until the 1970s.