Montblanc — Legend Special Edition 2013
Essence
Legend Special Edition 2013 is a discontinued summer flanker of Montblanc’s blockbuster Legend (2011), composed - like the original and most of the line - by Olivier Pescheux. It takes the familiar Legend aromatic-fougere DNA and infuses it with an icy, fizzy top of mint, ginger, lime and bergamot, marketed around a “high mountains and glaciers” theme in an ice-styled blue-green bottle. It is essentially “Legend, but fresher and smoother for warm weather”: the original’s harsher opening sanded down, with a cooling mint-ginger overlay that several wearers consider an improvement on both the original and the 2012 edition.
Scent Profile
Catalog facts list mint, lime, ginger, lavender and bergamot up top; white cedar extract, jasmine and rose at the heart; tonka, sandalwood and amber in the base (an editorial review adds the aroma-molecules Pomarose, Evernyl and Ambrofix to that skeleton). The wear experience reported by the wearers is coherent. The opening is the selling point: per Now Smell This quoting Montblanc, “this Special Edition features a surprising new duo of Frosted Ginger and aromatic Spearmint,” over lime and bergamot - “very fresh opening; ginger and mint make a great combination” - distinctly cooler and more effervescent than the original Legend’s fruity (apple/pineapple-tinged) start. The lavender ties it to the fougere tradition. As it settles, the heart and base revert to recognizable Legend territory: “middle notes are very aromatic just like the original Legend,” drying to the soft, slightly sweet tonka-sandalwood-amber base that made Legend a compliment magnet.
Performance
wearers performance reports are mixed-to-positive and notably better than the 2014 edition that followed. wearers aggregate scores it around longevity and 2.42/4 sillage - i.e., decent longevity, modest-to-moderate sillage. Individual wearers range widely: some report “smell lasts for hours and sillage is great” and “quite long lasting, generally 7 to 9 hours… sillage above average” with “many compliments,” while others find it “a nice average summer freg… with average longevity & sillage.” The fairest read: a solid summer performer for the price, stronger than the 2014 flanker (which wearers widely panned as near-nonexistent), with longevity outpacing projection. As a fresh summer scent, frequent reapplication suits its purpose.
Wearing Context
This is built for one job and does it well: hot weather and daytime. The icy citrus-mint-ginger character makes it a spring/summer office, errand, and casual scent - clean, inoffensive, and professional (“smells like a fancy business man,” “suitable for any season” per one fan, though the consensus leans summer). It is not an evening seducer or a cold-weather scent; its appeal is freshness and easy mass approval rather than depth or distinctiveness. Social perception is safe, clean, conventionally masculine - by design.
Comparisons & DNA
The natural comparison set is internal to the Legend line, and wearers make it directly. Versus the original Legend (2011), the 2013 is “a lot smoother,” trading the original’s harsher, fruitier opening for icy mint-ginger freshness. Versus the Legend Special Edition 2012, opinions split: some call them near-identical on paper (“practically identical notes… with the exception of oakmoss”), while others insist they “smell NOTHING alike,” with 2013 “fresher, like cut grass.” Versus Legend Intense (2013) and the Legend Special Edition 2014, the 2013 is generally considered the better-performing fresh flanker, with the 2014 widely regarded as weak. Within the broader market it sits in the fresh aromatic-fougere/“blue fragrance”-adjacent space, though it predates that explosion. Caution on sourcing: some web write-ups about this fragrance (e.g., narrative “insider” pieces invoking unnamed “sources at Montblanc headquarters” and even inventing nonexistent “EDP” and “Parfum” versions of what was only ever a 100 ml EDT) read as AI-generated content-farm material and should not be trusted; the EDT was the only concentration.
Reception
Among the Legend faithful, the 2013 SE is one of the better-liked flankers - repeatedly framed as a smoother, fresher, more wearable take on a beloved DNA, with some declaring it “better than the original and 2012 in performance.” General-audience reception is cooler, with the usual designer-flanker critique: “smells nice but just another same-smelling frag from designer brands who refuse to take any chances.” Because it is discontinued, much current discussion is collector- and nostalgia-driven. Net: a well-regarded summer flanker within its niche, unremarkable to outsiders.
Versions & Reformulation
This was a 2013 limited summer special edition of Legend, available only as 100 ml EDT, distinct from the 2012 and 2014 special editions and from Legend Intense (also 2013). It is now discontinued (wearers notes the Legend line was “last marketed by Inter Parfums”/Interparfums). No reformulation within the 2013 SE itself is documented, though batch-to-batch variation over a fragrance’s shelf life is a general caveat. Single special-edition composition, now discontinued.
Acquisition Notes
Legend Special Edition 2013 was a limited 100 ml EDT and is discontinued. It is mainly a collector or flanker-hunter purchase now; verify that the listing specifies the 2013 Special Edition, not the adjacent 2012 or 2014 versions. Expect age and storage condition to matter.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The fragrance’s intent was explicit and seasonal: Montblanc launched it in April 2013 as a fresh, energetic summer take on Legend “inspired by high mountains and glaciers,” with a bottle “designed like a piece of ice, reflecting the shades of blue and green.” Per Now Smell This quoting the house, the edition’s hook was “a surprising new duo of Frosted Ginger and aromatic Spearmint… developed by perfumer Olivier Pescheux.” It is part of a dense run of 2013 Legend activity (Legend Special Edition 2013, Legend Intense) that capitalized on the original 2011 Legend’s status as a genuine cultural blockbuster.
- Pescheux - also behind the original Legend, Paco Rabanne 1 Million, and others - created it, keeping the line’s signature consistent.
- Its main “lore” today is its status as a discontinued summer sleeper that the Legend wearers remembers fondly.