Armaf kept its biggest Club de Nuit reveal for the last day of its Beautyworld Middle East showcase in Dubai. After two days of launches, the house closed the event with Club de Nuit Precieux II, a new 55 ml Extrait de Parfum for women and men. Because this is Armaf, the first question people are already typing into Google is the usual one: what is it a dupe of?
The short answer
Nobody knows yet, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing from a note list.
Precieux II has only just been unveiled. Bottles have barely reached reviewers, Armaf has not named any inspiration for it, and there is no settled community verdict. What exists so far is a verified note list, an official bottle photo, and a small amount of early speculation. This post separates those three things, because with a launch this fresh, mixing them up is how wrong information spreads.
What we know for sure
Precieux II is an aromatic woody extrait, and it looks nothing like the first Precieux. The original Precieux from 2024 came in a black bottle and built its name on pineapple, caramel and oakmoss. The new bottle is clear glass with black lettering, a grey metallic cap and the small chain pendant with the ARMAF name that the Precieux line uses. The Roman numeral II sits under the name, which matters more than it sounds: several retailers are already showing the black Precieux I bottle on pages that mention Precieux II, so check the numeral before you buy anything.
The notes, taken from the Fragrantica database entry for the perfume, are as follows.
Top notes: bergamot, grapefruit, lavender, saffron
Heart notes: nutmeg, cardamom, liquorice, smoky notes
Base notes: cedarwood, sandalwood, caramel, patchouli, labdanum, amber, oud
Read as a whole, that is a very different recipe from the first Precieux. There is no pineapple at all. In its place there is a bright citrus and lavender opening warmed by saffron, a spiced heart where liquorice and smoke do the interesting work, and a woody base that keeps a thread of caramel sweetness running from the heart into the drydown. Armaf describes the scent as a personal signature built on contrast: citrus freshness against warm spice, and smoky liquorice against smooth woods.
So, is it a dupe of anything?
Here is where the launch rules matter. The inspiration for Precieux II is not confirmed, and this magazine is not going to present a guess as a fact.
What can be reported honestly is the early talk. On Fragrantica, one early commenter read the published note list and suggested the perfume looks like an inspiration of Dior Sauvage Extrait, but with a twist, adding that it would probably wear easier and more mass appealing than the original. That is one person reading notes on paper, not a wear test, and other readers have pushed back on early Precieux II chatter in general, pointing out that almost nobody commenting has actually smelled the bottle yet. Treat the Sauvage Extrait idea as an unconfirmed first guess, nothing more.
One confusion is worth clearing up now. The first Precieux is widely linked to Creed Absolu Aventus, and that link is well documented. It does not transfer to Precieux II. The note lists share almost nothing beyond caramel, and a sequel number on the bottle does not make the new scent a version of the same original. If you want the Absolu Aventus direction, that is still the first Precieux. Precieux II is its own recipe until wearers prove otherwise.
Who it suits, and when
On paper this is an evening and cool weather perfume. Saffron, smoke, liquorice, oud and labdanum are not summer notes, and an extrait concentration usually wears rich rather than fresh, whatever the citrus opening promises. The lavender and citrus should keep it from turning heavy, which is probably the point of the recipe: a dark woody scent that still opens clean. It is listed for women and men, and the note list supports that, since nothing in it leans strongly in either direction. Autumn and winter evenings are its obvious home, and November is a sensible month for Armaf to launch it.
Longevity and sillage
Too early to call, and we will not invent numbers. The extrait strength and the resin heavy base suggest it should last, but suggestion is not evidence. Once bottles have been worn for a few weeks and real wear reports exist, we will update this post with what people are actually getting.
The price
Armaf has not published a US retail price for Precieux II yet, and we could not find a confirmed listing at the time of writing. For a rough sense of where it should land, the first Precieux extrait sells in the region of 43 to 60 dollars for the same 55 ml size. Expect Precieux II in a similar band once discounters list it, and be careful in the meantime: listings using the black Precieux I bottle photo are selling the older perfume, whatever the page title says.
Verdict
Precieux II is interesting precisely because it does not look like a copy of anything obvious. Armaf built the Club de Nuit name on famous inspirations, but this recipe, with its saffron, liquorice, smoke and oud, reads like a house trying to write its own signature in the premium corner of its own line. Whether it smells as good as the note list promises is a question only wear tests can answer. For now, the honest answer to the question in the title is simple: it is not a confirmed dupe of anything yet, and the first people who tell you otherwise are reading the same note list you just read.
