4711 - keep it always handy ('immer dabei haben')

What a classic: 4711 'echt kölnisch Wasser'. This is probably one of the oldest and best known brands but the original eau de Cologne was manufactured in 1709 by Johann Maria Farina, in Cologne, Germany. Its inventor concocted a blend of fragrant essential oils, including bergamot, lime, grapefruit, and orange. 'I have discovered a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, just after the rain', enthused Farina. It wasn't his blend, however, that became famous round the world as 4711.

(source: Focus Magazin;

(German ad for 4711 from the 60s; in German only).