Vintage FAHRENHEIT: marvelous memories from the past (Christian Dior, 1988)

[Andrè Moreau]

VINTAGE FAHRENHEIT ("Burning red planet version"), by Christian Dior

I found an old bottle of vintage Fahrenheit "After Shave" in a store ("No one wants it, no one use aftershaves anymore..") and I bought it at very good price, because it was in a mint condition after so many years.
I am very fond to old Fahrenheit, it was one of the most famous perfumes in my school and university days, and it's still one of the best box ever created IMO, full of science-fiction rememberings...
What a memories!

Let's go and examine thoroughly this old gem!!

Vintage Fahrenheit is easily spotted because you can clearly see the "Red Planet" on the box, and the old letterings "Christian Dior", instead of "Dior" .Modern versions miss the "Red planet", sporting a generic red color.










NOTE: you can see the bar-code, this means "produced after 1996" (this is year 1997 bottle)


Ingredient list (brief and concise, still no restrictions/regulations at the time)


The opening


The internal brochure, in almost all the existent languages.




The bottom of the box


NOTE: the "After Shave" (or "Eau de Toilette") and "contents" are always in GOLDEN LETTERS; "Cristian Dior" always in white ones.




The beautiful "double surface" (dark red VS light red) of the Red Planet (it's a painting)



Note: the "Black part of the box" ...is not really black: it's a dark blue painting of the night sky!


Here's to you the famous "vintage bottle"






The Cap: upper part is ROUND, lower part is STRAIGHT



Screwing the cap.


Without the cap.


Bottom of the bottle (no address "avenue Hoch, etc.." is reported)


NOTE: the bottle is RED-ish in the upper part, YELLOW-ish in the lower part.
IMPORTANT: you can notice it only if the background is clear white



HOW TO SPOT FAKES?

The word "Fahrenheit" is always EMBOSSED: you can feel it with your finger.



the words "Aftershave/Eau de toilette" on the contrary are CARVED in the box


Batch code on box and bottle should be the same:

[hednic]

A True classic IMO.

[Spoombung]

Cool. Gret info.

I know where an indentical vintage version is displayed in a chemist's cabinet in south London. I haven't bought it because I think the modern version is just as good, if not better...

[David Ruskin]

There were IFRA restrictions and guidelines when Fahrenheit was launched, it just wasn't obligatory to print them on the side of the bottle. When this fragrance was launched it contained more Methyl Octine Carbonate than IFRA recommended. I still don't know how IFF got away with it for so long.

[alexwagner]

Nice find! Congrats

[Jack Hunter]

Great find as I think the current one is wonderful and long lasting so I can only imagine how good the vintage is. Enjoy!

[Odorloader]

That was so well done it should be sticky'd.

[Bigsly]

From what I understand, if the box has an "e" symbol, usually next to where the amount is listed in ml, that means it is from early to mid 90s or later. If anyone knows if that estimate symbol came to be used by all companies during a particular year, please let us know.

[Andrè Moreau]

The Estimation Symbol -at least in Europe- became mandatory in 1976. This is a formidable way to date very old perfumes

From what I understand, if the box has an "e" symbol, usually next to where the amount is listed in ml, that means it is from early to mid 90s or later. If anyone knows if that estimate symbol came to be used by all companies during a particular year, please let us know.

[Bigsly]

The Estimation Symbol -at least in Europe- became mandatory in 1976. This is a formidable way to date very old perfumes

Good to know but quite confusing. Does this mean that only scents marketed to both US and European markets would get the symbol printed on the box by the early to mid 90s? I have a bottle of Rochas Moustache, for example, with no "e" symbol and yet it doesn't look 1975 or earlier.

[sjg3839]

Great catch. Enjoy!

[Andrè Moreau]

Good to know but quite confusing. Does this mean that only scents marketed to both US and European markets would get the symbol printed on the box by the early to mid 90s? I have a bottle of Rochas Moustache, for example, with no "e" symbol and yet it doesn't look 1975 or earlier.

If it's the cylindrical glass bottle with small round silver cap, I had too, and it exists since 1955

[Ken_Russell]

Congrats on a great find and thanks for the extensive post, perfectly combining insightful, informative, detailed knowledge with an extensive, aesthetically enjoyable and equally detailed photo coverage.

[Surfacing]

Congrats on a great find and thanks for the extensive post, perfectly combining insightful, informative, detailed knowledge with an extensive, aesthetically enjoyable and equally detailed photo coverage.

^ What Ken said. Thank you Andre. I really want to give Fahrenheit another chance. I swapped away my bottle before, but quite enjoy the random wafts I sometimes encounter in public.

[MonkeyBars]

So thorough. The counterfeiters hate you. Good job homey.

[Bobster]

thank you for posting and reminding us of a true classic.

[mdclx]

Hi Andrè,
Today I bought my Fahrenheit Vintage After Shave, this stuff in wonderful!!







and now the family is complete...

[osoblanco]

Hi Andrè,
Today I bought my Fahrenheit Vintage After Shave, this stuff in wonderful!!

Your pictures provide some useful information! Now I know that the change from old style box and white batch codes to the second style box and black batch codes happened from 2001 to 2002.

[mdclx]

Sorry, but how do you arrive at that conclusion?

Your pictures provide some useful information! Now I know that the change from old style box and white batch codes to the second style box and black batch codes happened from 2001 to 2002.

[perfaddict]

Brilliant!

[osoblanco]

Sorry, but how do you arrive at that conclusion?

Because I know that the 2002 version came in the second box design (blue top, red bottom) and has black batch codes. I recently bought one from eBay, just in case you're wondering.

[Andrè Moreau]

Hi Andrè,
Today I bought my Fahrenheit Vintage After Shave, this stuff in wonderful!!

BRAVO !!

[nfn1983]

Hi Andrè,
Today I bought my Fahrenheit Vintage After Shave, this stuff in wonderful!!







and now the family is complete...

GREATTTTTTT!
Congratulation man!
Enjoy them from top to bottom...

[RoRo]

VINTAGE FAHRENHEIT ("Burning red planet version"), by Christian Dior

HOW TO SPOT FAKES?

The word "Fahrenheit" is always EMBOSSED: you can feel it with your finger.


the words "Aftershave/Eau de toilette" on the contrary are CARVED in the box

This is a wonderfully informative post, and I can definitely feel the love you have for Fahrenheit . That said, I am not sure the printing is always embossed and engraved on the "burning-red-planet" boxes. I have two bottles of "vintage" Fahrenheit EDT: a 50ml and a 100ml. On the 50ml box, the printing is as you describe, but the 100ml box is adorned with just simple printing with no embossing/engraving. And I can find nothing on the 100ml box or bottle (whose batch codes match, by the way) to indicate the product is counterfeit.

One more thing -- isn't your bottle older than 1997? Are you dating it based on something other than the bar code? I have reason to believe that all boxes* have had bar codes on them from the earliest batches.


*10ml minis excepted, probably because they were not intended for sale.

[Attila]

Not enough pics

[RoRo]

Not enough pics

I just reposted smaller versions of the OP's pics for reference. Your comment was directed at me, I assume?
What is it you want to see more pics of?

[Attila]

I just reposted smaller versions of the OP's pics for reference. Your comment was directed at me, I assume?
What is it you want to see more pics of?

I was just being sarcastic, lol
It took me 5 minutes to be able to scroll down
Great post. lots of info.

[RoRo]

I was just being sarcastic, lol
It took me 5 minutes to be able to scroll down
Great post. lots of info.

lol! I thought that might be the case.
I should take pics of the 100ml bottle and box I'm talking about. I just got it, and would like to figure out when it was produced. Batch code is 9M01.

[Andrè Moreau]

lol! I thought that might be the case.
Batch code is 9M01.
rob

Which color is the batch number printed on bottle? White or black?
Anyway, bar-codes were used since 1995-1996. Finding a box without bar-code is usually the most easy sign of vintage (any perfume)

[RoRo]

Well, I thought the batch code (100ml bottle) was white, but upon close inspection in good light with a magnifying glass, I see it actually silver. lol



And here are the 100ml and 50ml boxes together. The printing on the 50ml box is as you describe (embossed & engraved). But it has a bar code.