1903
by J Peterman

A great scent which gets me a lot of compliments. A little goes a long way, and has great longevity. I almost don't want anybody to know about it, like it's my little secret. However, too many people ask me what it is, and I'd rather it be popular so it stays in production.

Not exactly what I was expecting given the reviews. This has a raw, undoubtedly sexy feel to it, though not much above a drugstore staple. I wish it seemed that all the layers were made with quality ingredients. I wish it didn't come off as somewhat cheap. To be fair, I need to give this a few wearings, get a few opinions, and reserve final judgment until I have more experience with this frag.

Distinctive. Classy. Those two words sum up 1903. This will forever remind me of Italy. I ordered it off the J Peterman website for my trip to Italy and it was the perfect choice. This smells like something you'd imagine a rugged pioneer or adventurer such as Teddy Roosevelt could have worn in a top coat and tails at a ball. Very British or Early American. It has a strong mossy, almost pine scent blended with other rich elements. It is a very masculine and powerful scent but remains very classy. Think Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No. It seems to have strong mossy and pine elements and leather and frankensence are present as well. I'd have to say I've never smelled another cologne like it and it is well worth the price. I like the spray bottle better than the more expensive bottle because it travels better and is easier to apply. I highly doubt the whole story of Peterman finding the cologne in a case he bought that hadn't been opened in a hundred years because of the whole glamorized catalog description thing he has going on but its very worthy to have in your collection. A little goes a long way with this cologne and it has unbelievable staying power. One night in Venice, I put it on in the afternoon and even after a night of drinking in the local bars, I smelled it the next morning when I woke up. And I am sure she did too before she left. Which is probably why she was there in the first place.

I first smelled this scent in the early 90's at one of J. Peterman's mall stores. Simply amazing. Like nothing I had ever experienced. But my then girlfriend did not like any scents at all. Fast forward to 4 years ago - different girlfriend different reaction! Still amazing. Starts out with clean citrus, moves quickly through the green note and clary sage to get to the amazing drydown. The pyramid says it all . Smoky, woody, leather and incense. My favorite Autumn scents. Just like ratri my
girlfriend cannot remove herself from my neck when I wear this. Thank you J. Peterman for taking a chance on that fitted leather train case

Very nice green woody fougere that reminds me greatly of Patou pour Homme or Van Cleef & Arpels PH. Sort of the poor man's version of these two. The price is exceptional for a fragrance of this quality (available on the j peterman web site). Has that special drydown that is clean mossy woods that I swear is identical to these other two great ones from the 1980's. It is a little more playful at the opening and definitely less overbearing in strength, but smells really good. Don't see iris, patchouli or pepper in the frag note pyramid, but it smells the same on drydown anyway. Nice leather combination base note too.

My first blind buy of 2007, not bad since it is May, and my New Year's resolution was to give them up entirely. Anyway, Peterman's 1903 is a very nice light man's fragrance. Doesn't really smell "vintage" to me. I think it is very contemporary very early 21st century - subtle, lean, and "atmospheric" rather than full-bodied and rich, which are adjectives that I apply to older fragrances. In any event, it is very enjoyable. You have to put quite a bit of this to get much projection and complexity. I love the citrus and tobacco elements here. The tobacco evolves from a dry, straight forward ,mild burley to a sweet cavendish aromatic. Lovely. This is a good fragrance for spring and summer,and it reminds me a bit of Il Profumo's G-11, which has a lot of the same notes but more of them. It only lasts about 2.5-3 hours on me, but those are nice hours. Could they come out with a "extreme" version of this? Enjoy!