The answer is Gillette reused parts originally intended for the Executive adjustables when they switched the Fat Boy from the Toggle style base plate adjustment of the Red Dot to the Executive style base plate adjustment. You have the same issue with Red Dot Fat Boys being dated coded D1 because of reusing parts for Toggles even though they didn't come out until the second quarter of 58 for Father's Day. With that said it doesn't rule out the possibility of an earlier release in a foreign market but I never did any research on the adjustables outside of when they were sold in the US. https://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/gillette-adjustables-1958-1960.65501/ This is the Fat Boy sold in the US between May of 58 ahead of Father's day until May of 59 ahead of Father' Day which was 1 of 2 major holiday's Gillette liked to introduce new, upgraded, rebranded models, etc. The standard Fat Boy regardless of date stamps supercedes the Red Dot in the US for Father's Day of 59 and it also coincides with Gillette rebranding it as the '195' adjustable for the first time.
The 2nd gen British Aristocrat is maybe the most aggressive 1pc TTO razor Gillette produced in England. The Executive is more akin to a 4th gen British Aristocrat from a shave stand point.
Until I started researching out the sales history I always thought the same. Just goes to show you can't take the dates codes as the final say on when the razor was made or sold. Another case in point is the Toggles, they actually came out nationwide in 57, either end of October or early November ahead of Christmas yet you don't see any C4 dated coded Toggles. All the earliest known ones are date coded D1. They also sold them continously between late 57 until the end of 60 yet there is no E coded Toggles either.
Far as I know they did the production run(s) and stamped them all D1 except for the F4 date coded ones.
https://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/gillette-adjustables-1961-1988.65703/ Father's day 1962. Anything date coded earlier was originally intended for the Aristocrat adjustable which came out in time for Christmas of 61. I'd have to measure both but I am pretty sure the base plates on a slim are not as wide as a Fat Boy so they would definitely not have been reused if that is the case.
fair enough.leftover aristocrat parts on the slim then.though it doesn't make sense that the date coded d-1 toggles were sold during the c-4 quarter of 57..
Maybe so but it isn't a question of whether Toggles were sold in 57. If there are any C4 dated coded ones, none are known to exist.
I finally got around to The President and the Seaforth Lime. I can't believe it's been a month since that post! Loaded up the President with a Brand New Feather, and it was a great shave. I typically do a three pass shave, and never try to get my neck perfect, so I ended up BBS on the face, DFS on the neck, which is normal for me. Maybe it was the placebo effect, but that thing is a smooth shaver. No nicks or weepers, just an easy glide with every stroke. I believe these are considered to be on the milder side? If so, the feather was a good choice, as I like to pair them with mild razors like my fat handled tech. I think I like it better than even the British HD Rocket.