(In this post, we will examine vintage Cartier fragrances, produced since 1981. All pictures provided by friends from all over the world: if any image is copyrighted, please let us know and we will remove it immediately.
Text: raw handwritten notes, dated early 2016)
(.....) Saunders gives me a few contacts:
- about Cartier perfumes: M.Mortier (Saunders says Mortier speaks Italian too, having worked in perfumes distribution in Milan. Perfect. It will be an easier conversation with phone calls). He can provide a lot of informations about vintage Cartier fragrances.
-Mr. xxxxxxx, for Kenzo, Issey Miyake, Shiseido, other brands? Saunders doesn't remember it. He speaks Japanese and English.
-M. xxxxxxx, a guy who knows a lot about Yves Saint Laurent perfumes and could tell interesting stories. He speaks italian very well so there won't be too many difficulties. Perfect.
Ok, let's go and start with Cartier perfumes...
Here is monsieur Mortier. He is friendly, and very surprised that I want to write an article about Cartier perfumes, how to recognize them, how to assign a date, how to recognize old batch codes, anecdotes, etc., but he is very helpful. Mortier has wonderful memories of his early years with Cartier, there was a lot of enthusiasm in those times. He stopped working in perfume distribution in 2003 and after that, he devoted himself to cosmetics only. Ok. He talks at same speed as a machine gun, explaining different facts in the same time, anecdotes, it's hard to keep up with him. I'll try to summarize by putting together the various pieces of the speech.
Here is the story, according to Mortier: Cartier perfumes began -quite oddily- thanks to another French jeweler: "Van Cleef et Arpels" (VCA). That's because in 1976 VCA was the first jeweler to launch a perfume: it was "First", a big-seller. Cartier watched it with curiosity, thinking perfumes could be a source of income and prestige, but only after Van Cleef et Arpels released its second perfume, "VCA Pour Homme", in 1978, it was clear that the time had come and there was no need to wait any longer.
At this point, it is necessary to take a step back: in the early 1970s Cartier launched an iconic item on the market: a golden cigarette lighter. It was an immense success. Therefore, it was immediately decided that the future Cartier Perfumes would have the shape of a lighter, and sold -as usually- in very refined and exclusive jewel boxes full with leather and velvet: in other words, perfumes dressed as jewels.
A curious fact: the cigarette lighter was launched with the advertising slogan "Must de Cartier." It was exactly the English word, not a French one. "Must de Cartier" sounded great and they used it: a "must", something you have to own. The cigarette lighter was a Must, and perfumes would have been too!
The most ingenious and brilliant idea was to use the example of refillable cigarette lighters to make perfumes with "refillable" bottles. In practice, there were cases with perfume bottles that could be put in and taken out when they ran out, and replaced with new full bottles.
Another curious fact is that Cartier wanted to launch three fragrances at the same moment: a male scent ("Santos de Cartier", inspired by a famous wristwatch) and two different female perfumes: a "Daytime" fragrance and an "Evening" one. This seemed original, but in the end these two different female perfumes created many problems.
The development and fine-tuning of the perfumes, especially the "Evening" fragrance, took almost two years, from 1979 to 1981.
Well, during year 1981, the "Evening" fragrance was ready and launched with much fanfare as "Must de Cartier Parfum". In the same days, the "Daytime" fagrance was quietly released, absurdly, as "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette". This caused perplexity among buyers, who had always been accustomed to considering an Eau de Toilette as a softer variant of Parfum... but this was a completely different scent instead! So, "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" was doomed since its first day.
It would have been much better if they had used two different names!
The solution to this problem was, if possible, even more unusual: twelve years later, in 1993 the "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" (i.e. the "Daytime" fragrance which had never had much success) was renamed "Must de Cartier II" and relaunched in three different variations: Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, and Eau Fraîche.
And, some time later, a softer version of "Must the Cartier Parfum" was (finally!) released under the same old name: "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette".
So briefly:
from 1981 to 1993: you will find "Must de Cartier Parfum" and "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" (these are two different and unrelated fragrances).
Then in 1993: the old, doomed "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" changed its name in "Must de Cartier II"; sold as EdT, EdP, and Eau Fraiche.
The old "Must de Cartier Parfum" remains the same.
After that, a new "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" was released, as the softer version of Parfum.
(So, keep in mind that there are two "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette" with the same name and released in different times, but they are different fragrances).
Very odd, but you can identify all fragrances with clues as boxes, bottles, and batch codes.
What about batch codes?
Mortier says this is a irritating and complicated issue. From 1981 to 2000, you can find two different batchcodes: a long batchcodes (6, 7 digits) and/or a short one (just 2 or 3 numbers). You can know the year of manufacture only if you have the long batchcode. If, on the contrary, you find only the short code (usually printed on the bottles) then it is impossible to know the year.
Mortier says to be careful, because many people can make mistakes and give a completely incorrect interpretation of the batch code.
Your only hope is to have the box, because on the box there is always the complete batch code with the necessary, Otherwise, you have to go by guesswork.
Unfortunately, on the bottles you will almost always find the short batch code, which is completely useless. And this is exactly what causes errors of interpretation: people look at the 2/3 numbers batchcodes on the bottle... and think that those are the years of production. Big mistake.
In a very few cases, if you're lucky (very lucky!) you will find the long batchcode printed on the bottles too, in this case you can determine the year.
Remember: this issue could only affect bottles from 1981 to 2000. After year 2000 the batchcode will be simplified.
Ok. Then, Mortier says to look for long batchcodes: the important numbers are the first three. First one is the year, second and third are the months (i.e. 01= January, 02= February, 03= March, until: 12 = December). Sometimes you will find a letter before numbers, in this case simply do not consider it. That's ok.
Example : 303XXXX means 1983 (or 1993), March.
512XXXX means: 1985 (or 1995), December.
707XXXX means 1987 (or 1997), July.
Example:
Obviously, you have to use other different clues to assess correct year (i.e: type of box? barcodes? greendots? releasing year?)
Remember: Barcodes appear roughly in 1990/1991, and Greendots roughly in 1992/1993.
Just a few examples:
| The short batchcode ("35") printed on the bottle: unfortunately, it's useless. |
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| Batch 302xxx = Year 1983, February |
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| Long batchcode on the bottle 304XXX= 1993, April. |
| Batch 407XXX on the box = 1994, July |
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| Batch 509xxxx = year 1995, September (don't consider letters) |
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| Batch 612xxxx = year 1996, December |
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| Batch 709xxx = year 1997, September. |
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| Batch 702xxx on the bottle = year 1997, February |
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| Batch 807xxx = year 1998, july |
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| Batch 912xxxx = year 1999, December |
| Batch N007XXX on the bottle = year 2000, July (don't consider letters) |
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| Batch H009xxxx = year 2000, September |
Another problem...
Mortier says sometimes it's very difficult to see long batch codes. You have to check boxes and bottles under a bulb light because in many cases they used a black ink almost invisible on dark bottles.
Remember: when a "removable" bottle is fitted inside its case, you must first remove the bottle to be able to see the code printed on the glass.
| Very difficult to read: you need a bulb light batch H608xxx on the box, with barcode and greendot = Year 1996, August. |
| Very difficult to read: you need a bulb light to read batch 906xxx on the box = year 1989, June |
| Very difficult to see and very rare: long batchcode on the removable bottle. You can see it only under a bulb light |
An useful tip about batchcodes on "Panthère" :
Mortier says batchcode is hard to find: you have to remove the bottle from the case, and then carefully lift the rubber ring. The batch code is written on the glass! Example:
| Panthère: batch code hidden under the rubber ring 210XXX = year 1992, October. |
Batchcodes after year 2000?
During year 2001, batchcodes changed in short, traditional 4 digits style, and the first number is the year.
2ABC = 2002
5DEF = 2005
8IAF = 2008
It's a lot easier.
Examples:
Very important clue: the boxes.
Mortier says: By looking at the type of box, you can roughly guess the production date!
There are FOUR main different cardboard boxes:
1 - Jewel-type cardboard boxes (since year 1981)
2 - "Sidebands" boxes (introduced in 1992, discontinued in 2000);
3 - "C" boxes (introduced in 2000, discontinued in 2011)
4 - "Squared logo" boxes, since 2011.
In details:
1- "Jewel-type boxes"
In most cases, there are two boxes: outer and inner ones. The inner boxes are a sort of jewel boxes made of leather and velvet. Outer boxes are made with cardboard. You have to check the outer ("cardboard") boxes. The jewel outer ("cardboard") boxes were used from the moment of their launch (1981) then gradually used less and less, until disappearing completely at the end of the Nineties.
Must Parfum: color night blue
Must Eau de Toilette: color bright red
Santos: color white
Panthère: color red
Must II: color red
The inner jewel boxes, made with leather and velvet, were used at least until 2000s.
| "Must de Cartier Parfum", (the Evening fragrance) outer box (cardboard).
|
2-"Sidebands" boxes (1992-2000)
During 1992, with the launch of "Pasha", the outer boxes get "sidebands", usually in silver and/or gold.
"Sidebands" outer boxes ended in 2000.
Examples:
3 - "C" boxes (2000-2011)
During year 2000, with the launch of "Must de Cartier pour Homme", the "Sidebands" boxes disappeared. Now boxes have a big, large "C" in the front side, the boxes are in various colors.
In details:
From 2000 to 2003-4: in grey/silver color.
The first scent to use grey/silver color was "Must de Cartier pour Homme", followed by all the others.
From 2003-4 to 2011: red color (less used: white, blue)
First scent to use red color was Le Baiser du Dragon, followed by all the others.
During year 2011 all the "C" boxes were discontinued and replaced by "squared logo" boxes.
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| Typical Grey/Silver box with the big C it was used from 2000 to 2004 |
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| Typical Grey/Silver box with the big C it was used from 2000 to 2004 |
During 2003/2004 with the appearance of the mandatory long list of "ingredients"/allergens, many boxes (not all boxes!) turn RED, always with the big "C" on the front side;
A minor clue: starting in 2007, the address began to appear on the red boxes: "Cartier, rue Boissy d'Anglas".
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| First scent with RED "C" box: Le Baiser du Dragon |
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| Typical Red box with the big C. it was used from 2003-2004 to 2011 |
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| Since 2007, on all boxes: address "rue Boissy d'Anglas" |
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| Last "C" box: Cartier de Lune, color Night Blue, year 2011 |
4- "Squared logo" boxes (since 2011)
A GREAT and REALLY useful clue: the fonts.
Mortier says: if you are in desperation, if you have no clues to use, simply take a look at the "fonts". The "rounded" characters were used from 1981 until 1995. So, if you find a bottle with "rounded" names (i.e: Must, Must II, Pasha, Santos, Panthere) you can assume it’s "before year 1996". This quick clue is really useful in case you want to know if a perfume is really "vintage", at a glance.
(Please note: it happened that bottles with the old fonts were put in boxes with the new fonts, and vice versa.)
Example:
I ask Mortier more info about every single perfume, he doesn't remember it now, he has to check his personal bottles, he asks me to call again in a couple of weeks providing more info.
Here's a second call: Cartier perfume-by-perfume.
TIMELINE
1981: Must de Cartier Parfum
1981: Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette
1981: Santos de Cartier
1987: Panthère
1992: Pasha
1993: Must II de Cartier
1995: So Pretty
1998: Dèclaration
2000: Must de Cartier pour Homme
2001: Eau de Cartier
2003: Le Baiser du Dragon
Must de Cartier Parfum, the original ("Evening fragrance", 1981)
("...it was most famous perfume by Cartier, an unmistakable, luxurious oriental scent. Sold in the same shape of the famous golden cigarette lighter, with removable bottle inside a gold case. Few people know it, this perfume is a variation of Guerlain's Shalimar, with the addition of a generous dose of galbanum that gives it its characteristic tone. Even fewer people know that this perfume was the starting point for two other famous scents in the following years: Obsession by Calvin Klein, and Dune by Christian Dior. I tell you with great regret that it has been reformulated several times and today's version is very different. Still in production.")
| Must de Cartier Parfum in the Sidebands box and standalone bottle (1992-2000) |
| Must de Cartier Parfum with Sidebands box (1992-2000) sold as refillable/ removable bottle |
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| Must de Cartier Parfum, removable bottle, in the grey/silver "C" box, during years 2000-2004 |
| Very rare: Must de Cartier Parfum, "C" red box, (years 2004-2011), in a Jewel box with "sliding" doors |
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| A rare Cristal flacon Edition |
Must De Cartier Eau de Toilette ("Daytime fragrance", 1981-1993)
(then it was relaunched in 1993 as "Must II de Cartier")
("...even today, I don't know how to classify it. It was the "Daytime perfume," a green, very pleasant scent, completely different from the "Parfum". Sold as removable bottle inside a red/silver case. With a different name, it would probably have been a success. An attempt was made to revive its fortunes in 1993 by renaming it "Must II" and selling it in three different formulations, but nothing to do, it was unsuccessful. It was definitively withdrawn from circulation in 2003, if I remember correctly.)
| Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette (1981-1993) note the silver/red case. |
| Inside its Jewel box |
| The Jewel inner box |
"Must II de Cartier" (1993-2003)
(it's the old Daytime fragrance, i.e. "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette") discontinued in 2003.
sold as 1- Eau de Parfum, 2- Eau de Toilette, 3- Eau Fraiche.
| Must II de Cartier, Eau de Parfum, Sidebands outer box (1992-2000), Jewel inner box |
| Must II de Cartier, Eau de Toilette, standalone bottle with jewel box |
| Must II de Cartier, Eau de Toilette, sold as removable bottle |
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| Must II de Cartier Eau Fraiche, sidebands box (1992-2000) |
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| Must II, "C" box, years 2000-2003, then discontinued |
Santos de Cartier (1981)
"...it was my favorite Cartier scent. A strong and bold masculine without compromise. Some have said that Cartier wanted to make a more refined and elegant version of Caron's Yatagan, at the time the "dirtiest" male perfume in the world. Not true. Actually, Santos was intended as a tribute to a great male scent: Monsieur de Givenchy. Although heavily reformulated, Santos remains a magnificent fragrance today. Still in production. There was two flankers, Santos Concentree and Santos Eau de Sport, and obviously the after-shave". "
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| Santos EdT , Jewel boxes, removable bottles in silver case (1981-1992) |
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| Santos EdT Concentree |
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| Santos Eau de Sport, "Sidebands" box (1992-2000) (picture from Ebay) |
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| Grey/Silver "C" outer box and jewel inner box, (years 2000-2004) |
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| Grey/silver "C" box (2000-2004) and standalone bottle |
Panthère de Cartier (1987) discontinued in 2012
"Marvelous, marvelous...Perhaps the most beautiful bottle, an unforgettable work of art, with the two opposing panthers. This perfume, however, almost went unnoticed, and that was a shame. Created in the second half of the 1980s, during the height of wealth and opulence, it was created precisely with the goal of being even better than "Must de Cartier Parfum". In my opinion, a truly opulent and timeless women's perfume, on the same level as Must Parfum. Discontinued, like other Cartier scents, around 2012. A real shame. I return to it with great nostalgia.
Sold as Parfum, Parfum de toilette, Eau de toilette and even a rare "Eau legere."
| Panthère with "Sidebands" box, years 1992-2000 |
| "Sidebands" box, Parfum de Toilette (years 1992-2000). |
| Panthere Eau Legere, "sidebands" box with window (1992-2000) |
Pasha (released in 1992)
("...inundated with criticism when it came out, perhaps because it lacked a strong personality, it was a very formal perfume, but it always sold well. Then, as was the fashion of the time, dozens of flankers followed, and the original scent was drowned out by all the others. Honestly, the original Pasha wasn't that bad. Still in production.")
| Pasha, refillable bottle |
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| Pasha "Eau Gènèreuse" (pictur from Ebay) |
| "C" box color RED, years 2004 - 2011 |
| Squared logo box, since 2011 |
The new "Must de Cartier Eau de Toilette"
(it's the softer version of Parfum).
("...the long-awaited soft version of the Parfum. It arrived on the market in the mid of 90s. At last! Very good and still in production today.")
| Must de Cartier "Prestige Edition" |
So Pretty (released in 1995) discontinued in 2012
("...it was the perfume that marked a turning point in Cartier tradition, once made of very rich and opulent perfumes. So Pretty was a floral-fruity perfume, following the trend of the 1990s. Indeed, it was very elegant. This too was followed by several flankers, and then discontinued, again, in 2012.")
| So Pretty, Sidebands box, refillable bottle years 1995-2000 |
| So Pretty "Edition Prestige", year 1997 (picture from Ebay) |
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| "C" Silver/gray box (2000-2004) |
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| So Pretty "Ecrin Trois Ors" |
| So Pretty, refillable bottle in jewel inner box with "C" outer box (2000-2004) |
| So Pretty "Lumières" (picture from Etsy) |
| So Pretty Eau Fine (picture from Ebay) |
| So Pretty "Extrait" (picture from Etsy) |
| So Pretty "Eau Fruitèe" , in "C" silver box |
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| "C" red box , 2004- 2011 |
Dèclaration (released in 1998)
("...an all-time favourite. In my opinion, this was the last great, really great Cartier scent I encountered in my work. Masculine, but I'd say unisex. Extremely elegant, truly superb. Overwhelmed later by too many flankers trying to replicate its success. The first versions are the best, after that it was, say, watered down. Anyway, great sales and critics still applauding.")
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| Dèclaration Bois bleu, year 2001 |
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| Dèclaration "Eau Gènèreuse" (picture from Ebay) |
| "C" red box, years 2004-2011 |
| Dèclaration "Edition Cuir", year 2008. |
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| Dèclaration "Essence" |
| Squared logo box, since 2011 |
Must Pour Homme (2000) discontinued in 2012
("...a very strange scent indeed, it tried to combine the old opulence with the new trends of the 90s. It was not successful and was discontinued in 2012. Well, this is what we could call today a true “niche” perfume. In my opinion, it was a perfume that people didn't understand. It was worth a lot.)
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| Must pour Homme "Essence" (picture from Ebay) |
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| Must pour Homme Essence "C" red box, years 2004-2011 |
Eau de Cartier (released in 2001)
("Honestly, no one expected such a huge success. Still in production after so many years. A very subtle and refined eau de toilette, different from the usual ones. And unfortunately, even in this case, dozens of flankers have emerged, trying to replicate the success of the original.")
("...my last Cartier scent was a big question mark.... It was meant to be an oriental again, rich and opulent, but something went wrong and it was discontinued after a few years. It's one of those imponderable factors: when a perfume doesn't meet the public's tastes. I've never understood why. It was a good scent, I like it very much.")
Reformulations?
I ask Mortier if he knew anything about reformulations. He said that until he stopped working, in 2003, he never noticed any particular differences smelling perfumes. However, he happened to smell perfumes afterwards, and found them very different.
Advice for collectors?
I ask Mortier what advice he can give a collector. What are the most valuable perfumes? Mortier says that Cartier is a very famous brand and any Cartier-designed item always has a market. However, Mortier says that the first perfumes from the 80s, those sold in luxury "jewel boxes", with refined cases and "removable" bottles (i.e. Must, Santos, Panthère, Must II), certainly have a higher value and could reach high prices in the collector's market. If the perfumes are "mint in box", "never used", "like new", then their value is at its highest. Indeed, perfumes of this type still intact after so many years are rare, very rare. In this case, their collector's value reaches its highest levels: we are no longer talking about "perfumes", but about items of high collector's value.
For more recent perfumes, Mortier suggests keeping new bottles, with their boxes, never used and possibly the first editions that have not been reformulated.
Thank you, monsieur Mortier!
This article took about three months to write and edit.
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Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, visual guide (here)
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Keep in mind that it is nearly impossible to determine whether a perfume is authentic or fake, based on the description alone. It is extremely difficult to tell, even with photographs. Fake or counterfeit perfume manufacturers have reached such a high level of sophistication that it is impossible to determine the authenticity of a perfume without actually holding it in your hands.