Matthew Wild
Gillette NEW from the 1930s or early ‘40s
Look at all that blade above the "open comb" teeth - you just know this machine kills whiskers!
I took this shot to illustrate how much blade you can see - and feel on your face. It's a revelation as it manages to be both an aggressive but smooth shaver. I’m very impressed with it – the first pass leaves your face as smooth as three passes with most other razors.
It is a made-in-England Gillette NEW from the 1930s or early ‘40s, but it’s hard to establish an exact year of manufacture as there is no apparent date code or patent number anywhere on the razor. But it’s safe to call it World War II era, as I understand these were made between the late 1930s and late ‘40s, so it’s got to be somewhere around 70 years old.
The handle is 3 ins. (7.6 cm) long and completely hollow. It appears to be one-piece – as opposed to three items press fitted together, as were many of the early Gillette designs. The underside of the head includes the Gillette diamond and states Made in England. The top plate attaches with two small tabs, whereas most of the NEWs used a positioning bar.
This particular Gillette looks exactly like examples referred to by collectors as the French service set, which was manufactured for the French military in the late 1930s (and presumably continued after the fall of France, with Free French forces fighting across North Africa and other campaigns.) However, the French Service Set was marked "Importe D'Angleterre," while mine states "Made in England."
In addition, it looks like the UK arm of Gillette at the time manufactured the same product under a number of different guises: branded Gillette (like mine, seen here), Minora and 7 O’clock. Minora and 7 O’clock seem to have been budget brands owned by Gillette in this era – I guess to give them both ends of the market.
So, it looks like my razor is original, and possibly even came in the chrome plated box. This still opens and shuts with crisp snap, and is stamped underneath: chromium plated made in England.
I posted about this over on the wetshave forum Badger and Blade: badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=202678
If you want to use my pictures, or talk about communications matters, reach me at Wild West Communications.
Gillette NEW from the 1930s or early ‘40s
Look at all that blade above the "open comb" teeth - you just know this machine kills whiskers!
I took this shot to illustrate how much blade you can see - and feel on your face. It's a revelation as it manages to be both an aggressive but smooth shaver. I’m very impressed with it – the first pass leaves your face as smooth as three passes with most other razors.
It is a made-in-England Gillette NEW from the 1930s or early ‘40s, but it’s hard to establish an exact year of manufacture as there is no apparent date code or patent number anywhere on the razor. But it’s safe to call it World War II era, as I understand these were made between the late 1930s and late ‘40s, so it’s got to be somewhere around 70 years old.
The handle is 3 ins. (7.6 cm) long and completely hollow. It appears to be one-piece – as opposed to three items press fitted together, as were many of the early Gillette designs. The underside of the head includes the Gillette diamond and states Made in England. The top plate attaches with two small tabs, whereas most of the NEWs used a positioning bar.
This particular Gillette looks exactly like examples referred to by collectors as the French service set, which was manufactured for the French military in the late 1930s (and presumably continued after the fall of France, with Free French forces fighting across North Africa and other campaigns.) However, the French Service Set was marked "Importe D'Angleterre," while mine states "Made in England."
In addition, it looks like the UK arm of Gillette at the time manufactured the same product under a number of different guises: branded Gillette (like mine, seen here), Minora and 7 O’clock. Minora and 7 O’clock seem to have been budget brands owned by Gillette in this era – I guess to give them both ends of the market.
So, it looks like my razor is original, and possibly even came in the chrome plated box. This still opens and shuts with crisp snap, and is stamped underneath: chromium plated made in England.
I posted about this over on the wetshave forum Badger and Blade: badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=202678
If you want to use my pictures, or talk about communications matters, reach me at Wild West Communications.