Nautica Competition

The original NC pictured above was released in 1997 and contained- TOP:green apple, bergamot and spearmint HEART: jasmine, amber and moss BASE: vetiver, oakwood and musk This was when I wore a few colognes but had yet to become a true collector so this one is one of the few that escaped me from this House. I knew people who wore nothing but this and must admit it was a soft,light fruity, very green scent with hints of florals and a very earthy drydown but at the time I was dousing myself in Drakkar and Calvin Klein stand-bys so either it was not spicy enough for me or never intrigued me enough to hunt it down... NAUTICA Competition (relaunch), on the other hand, was released in 2003 and has the notes mentioned above and packaged in a flacon that resembled a water-bottle and was colored bright yellow with black NAUTICA,cap and square on it with "competition" written sideways in grey letters. This is the one I have and absolutely adore... This was given to me by an ex who said,"Do you want this? I just can't wear it anymore." It was a mostly full 1/2 oz travel spray he got with a Nautica watch and keychain. I used this all up and saved the empty bottle to remember the warm sexy aroma until I got a 2.5 oz bottle of my own after it was discontinued... This begins with the green, sharp scent of juniper and the bitter freshness of bergamot. They combine in a bright almost sweet refreshing way that is at the same time sexy and clean.The heart warms with rosemary's herbal pungency and nutmeg's smooth spiciness. This scent is quite invigorating, not unlike the feeling(not the scent) of warm trade winds rushing past your face and through your hair as your yacht cuts through the waves. It could be descibed as sporty in that it is an active type of scent that would complement being outdoors and exerting one's self. The drydown (not shown here) is sandalwood and something zingy and quite aromatic I can't put my finger on but it reminds me of walnuts and fresh cut or sanded wood and is slightly sour (ambergris, perhaps?). This goes from citric green to spicy herbal to woody/mysterious yet is all of these and something else entirely. Maybe I'm biased because of who it came from and the intense feelings and interactions we had but this is one of my most favorite fragrances despite the fact it is a mass-maket/department store brand. It lasts forever on me and I get a ton of compliments and it was relatively inexpensive...Triple Threat! Sillage: okay to moderate Longevity: great Overall: 4.75/5 For Nautica this is very different and spicier than most of their releases. It is weaker than Nautica Classic but is nontheless super. No one who has ever smelled this on me has complained or said they did not like it, and that's says something right there.The original was more "nautica" oceanic and the re-launch is more "competition" sporty if you know what I mean...

I'm fortunate enough to own both versions. For me, the original blue bottle is a nostalgic trip down high school memory lane, coupled with revisited feelings of 1997 teenage excitement. Original Nautica Competition is Mom waking me up on a chilly October morning, shaking me in bed while reminding me to get my ass up every 7 minutes, as I finally trudged out of bed with a sore throat, thowing my clothes on and racing to school in my hand me down Chevette, while feeling awkward, but also with a feeling that I was starting to see a pinpoint of light in terms of actually graduating (even though I was still a Junior, lol). A simple but fun, green and citrus whose main rival was Polo Sport at the time. Of the two, this one is slightly darker, thanks to the rosemary, and can even come off slightly brooding, or slightly pissy on some rare occasions when the planets are perfectly aligned, but maybe this is due to my aging bottle. If that's the case, then it's for the better of the composition in my opinion. To be honest though, I can't remember for sure. I'm so thankful that I found a cool Ebay seller who sold me a mint condition bottle for a steal of a price! If you're feeling nostalgic with some disposable income to burn, and can track down a new 4.2 oz bottle for around 120 bucks, do it, because as for as I'm concerned, this relic is a bargin at that price point, plus, it makes for cool conversation when your old high school buddies drop by...."Hey, dude...remember this!?" (I'll review Yellow Relaunch next time)

First off, fragrantica should get a few things right with this, it was produced in 1997 not 2003. & the list of ingredients they have are all wrong. Here are the list of notes. Top: Apple, Bergamot, Spearmint. Middle: Jasmine, Amber, Moss. Base: Vetiver, Oak, Musk. I have fond memories of this tied up with my high school days, such good times. Now on to the fragrance, this is IMO the ONLY frag from the house of Nautica that stands out above all the other typical aquatics they produce. This is not an aquatic.. THANK GOODNESS! Its rather a nice take on a oriental fresh fragrance. The spearmint & apple is what I get from the beginning which creates a nice feel, then about 15 minutes later the middle notes appear & it becomes fresh, I detect no base notes except for the musk. This is a EDC which will not last a long period of time, I wish it came in a stronger strength. I suggest getting the shower gel & or bar soap to layer it with, I have both. All in all Nautica did a decent job with this 1, it's a pitty it is discontinued. Its great for jogging, errands, working out etc.. I will always have a bottle of this because it takes me back to a point in my life I can never go back to.

completely biased review. this was one of my favorite scents when i entered high school - and i wore it often. i have such good memories with this - anything i say will be tainted. Believe it or not - Nautica used to be kind of cool. At least in the mid 90's. Nautica was trendy for youngsters like myself. The smell is far from special - but the memories i have with this are very special. I ponied up $160 for a 72ml bottle. Not a great investment...but like i said - it means more to me than the smell itself. 7/10

My first fragrance. I'm pretty sure I was in middle school and probably oversprayed it. No clue about longevity or sillage since this was almost 30 years ago (that's a wild thing to type), but I know I LOVED this scent.