u/supersymmetry

I will just preface by saying I’ve generally had a good experience with Ethan. I’ve bought two watches from him and I always had good communication from him.

I received a VSF 126500 panda in May from Ethan. The watch works but there’s some issues with the movement. Ethan said he would cover it under warranty and gave me his US watchmaker contact to send it to. The watchmaker was on vacation for a while so I didn’t get feedback from him on the movement issues until the beginning of June. In June the watchmaker said the whole movement needs to be replaced. Ethan said no problem and ordered a DD4131 and said it will take a week to come in. It’s now almost been 3 months and the movement still isn’t in.

Last week I asked Ethan (I kept following up every few weeks or so) what’s going on because I saw someone else got a DD4131 replacement in 1.5 months from Ora and he said he would inquire about a new parts factory because it’s taking long to procure. Now this week I asked him multiple times on the status and he just reads them and doesn’t respond. It’s been a pain in the ass because it’s taking forever to get the watch fixed.

Here’s a personal ranking on a scale of 1 to 5 and notes for 30+ decants (and one other non-Montagne Aventus Absolu dupe: Vanguard). 4-5 means I would buy it, 3 means I appreciate it but it isn’t my thing, 1-2 means it smells bad.

I covered most of the summer catalogue but also added in some winter/autumn ones. Am I missing any summer ones that I should try?

- Pineapple frais: 5 (more fruity than pineapple intense, dry down is more green than pineapple intense.)

- Pineapple intense: 5 (very close to frais, a little more birchy/oak moss on opening and dry down)

- Vanguard (non-Montagne): 5 (smells so close to Aventus Absolu)

- Mojave spirit absolu: 3 (don’t love the dna, too feminine)

- Elysian cologne: 3.5 (airy and crisp, slightly fruity smell, has a horseradish smell at the end, dry down smells like a staples store)

-Chilly pacific: 4 (minty/grassy/coriander opening is a bit nauseating, minty coriander fruit bowl, chill scent for summer)

- Galilean: 2 (smells sterile like a dental office)

- Buko intense: 4 (coconut lime, can wear very casually in the summer)

- God of fiery: 4 (sweet candy mango opening with some subtle cedar/green-ness)

- Tigris: 3.5 (zesty slightly sour grapefruit, very linear, the grapefruit is a bit harsh and sour, can smell a bit like BO)

- Image 45: 4 (identical to image)

- Image: 4 (very floral, very clean laundry softener and dryer sheet smelling)

- Palisade: 3 (mango and tomato leaf, a bit too green in the opening and dry down which is a little harsh and peppery, god of fiery is better for mango)

- Meteorite: 4.5 (clean laundry with soap vibe, like -
imagination with laundry, I prefer the imagination take of the soapy dna so might be redundant)

- Another 14: 1 (just smells like clean creamy subtlety sweet skin, like white chocolate in a bag)

- Gentle silver: 4.5 (clean, inoffensive, smells like sparkly juniper and like clean laundry)

- Herb garden: 4.5 (soft herbs and citrus, gives a soapy vibe)

- Eau Matcha: 2.5 (creamy herbal tea, just don’t love the dna)

- Eau Bergamote: 3.5 (citrusy, very linear, a subtle green smell, very basic, nothing special)

- Afternoon dive: 4.5 (oranges with soapy undertone, good for casual day in summer)

- Immensity: 4-4.5 (opens with a bit of ginger but dried down quickly to a slightly stingy aquatic airiness, similar aquatic vibe to Acqua di Gio Parfum but less smooth)

- Alcantara: 4.5 (similar to Missoni wave but more fruity and less creamy in the opening, the dry downs are similar but the Missoni wave is softer/creamier)

- Torino 21: 4 (very minty citrusy opening, maybe a bit too minty)

- Port D’Azur: 5 (mango and coconut, very similar to god of fiery but creamier, god of fiery is more sugary, it also lasts forever)

- Azonto Absolu: 4.5 (candy sweetness with a leathery undertone, a bit feminine)

- Imaginary: 5

- Vanille Fraiche: 4 (not as good as the 5’s, a bit too light for a spicier scent for winter)

- Monkey special: 3 (smells a bit like an older lady)

- Amber Elixir: 5 (smells similar to boss bottled Absolu)

- Bobcat: 3 (too much leather and frankincense, smells like a church)

- Sicilian tobacco: 5

- Cognac d’Ange: 5

My TD ordered a new DD4131 movement for me under warranty but it’s taking a long time (2 months so far). I was wondering how long it usually takes?

I decided to just spend a couple hundred on 30 decants to figure out which ones i want full bottles for. Seemed like a smarter idea than blind buying based on recommendations.

I currently have Imaginary and Pineapple Intense and I’m thinking of grabbing a few more summer scents. I’m looking for something that has decent longevity and projection. I’ve narrowed it down to 4:

1. Afternoon Dive (waiting for restock)
2. Torino 2021
3. Tigris (waiting for restock)
4. Buko Intense

I was also considering the following but I don’t know if they’re any better than the 4 I chose. Not sure if there’s anything else that tops the above 4 and is a must try that is in the list below or other ones I haven’t considered.

- Port D’Azur
- Bleu Talisman
- Spirit of Peace
- Gentle Silver
- Palisade

I got my bottle of Pineapple Intense last week and I was surprised how birchy and smokey it was so I wanted to try the OG to compare. To my untrained nose they smell identical. I was surprised how birchy and smokey the OG is, I thought the Montagne was just off because I expected it to be a more juicy pineapple.

I just got my Pineapple Intense and I can’t get any pineapple notes from it. It just smells like smoke and wood. Does it need to sit for a bit?

Recommend me 3-4 summer scents to get next. I currently have imaginary and pineapple intense. I have the following on my list:

- Afternoon Dive (LV Afternoon Swim)
- Torino21 (Xerjoff Torino21)
- Chilly Pacific (LV Pacific Chill)
- God of Fiery (SHL God of Fire)
- Tigris Cologne (Bvlgari Tygar)
- Immensity (LV L’Immensité)
- Meteorite (LV Météore)
- Buko Intense (Creed Virgin Island Water)
- Pineapple Frais (Creed Aventus Cologne)
- Elysian Cologne (Roja Elysium)
- Herb Garden (Guerlain Herbes Troublantes)
- Port D’Azur (Loumari Porthole)
- Port of Neroli (TF Neroli Portofino)
- Bleu Talisman (Ex Nihilo Blue Talisman)
- Palisade (Mind Games Blockade)
- Gentle Silver (MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver)
- Perceval (PDM Percival)
- Eau de Montagne (Creed Silver Mountain Water)
- Eau Matcha (Le Labo Thé Matcha 26)
- Pineapple Absolu (Creed Aventus Absolu)
- Image (Amouage Reflection Man)
- Alcantara Supreme (Chanel Allure Homme Sport Superleggera)

I just got my bottle of Imaginary and I decided to wear it today because I had to do a couple of errands. I did two sprays on my neck and one on my chest. I went to the barber to get a haircut and near the end of him cutting my hair he stopped and asked me what I was wearing because it smells amazing. He said he could smell it projecting off me the second I walked in and could smell it the whole time. I asked him if he knew Imagination by LV and told him this is a dupe of that. I gave him the Montagne website since he was really impressed by the cologne.

This is the first compliment I’ve ever received by a stranger so just wanted to share.

I just started getting into colognes and bought a few designer fragrances:

- BdC EDP
- ADG Parfum
- Montblanc Legend Spirit
- Missoni Wave
- Armaf Hunter (Lacoste Blanc dupe that performs much better)

My list of fragrances I want to buy has been growing rapidly (I’m mainly building my summer and spring collection) and also realized I could never justify the cost of buying some of these niche fragrances.

I then discovered Montagne and bought Pineapple Intense and Imaginary. It made me wonder if the quality of these clones has made switch to exclusively buying Montagne over designer houses. Is the quality really on par with the designer houses?

One of the screws on the bezel of my DDF 5711 fell out. I found these on AliExpress but I’m not sure if they’re compatible or not: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005977961509.html.

Where can I buy a 2023 Signature interior door panel with the nappa leather and wood trim?

My TD is telling me to ship my watch to him under warranty. Just want to make sure he has a decent reputation.