Luxury all-rounder Montblanc announced the upcoming release of a new fragrance at exactly the right time to capitalize on the unrelated buzz from the SIHH in Geneva. The timing also gives us the opportunity to get into the unique heritage and product mix at the Richemont-owned firm that the new Montblanc Legend Spirit, to be launched in the spring of this year, embodies.

Montblanc is to writing instruments as BMW is to luxury cars. The brand is also well known for its leather goods and, relatively recently, its amazing watches. Any fragrance the company launches has a lot to live up to but Montblanc clearly likes its chances here. The new Montblanc Legend Spirit joins the original Legend fragrance (launched in 2011) to deliver a message of strength, independence and authentic masculine character. The Legend Spirit adds a more relaxed, casual and even spontaneous facet to this story. If anyone has been keeping an eye on the menswear shows in London and Milan, this seems like the perfect time for a fragrance with exactly that mix of values.

This brings us to the packaging, which as you can see is indeed very cool. White – a signature choice for Montblanc – is also reportedly a source of inspiration for this fresh, woody, aromatic scent developed by master perfumers Nathalie Lorson and Olivier Cresp. Lorson is the nose behind the legendary Encre Noir and she worked on the Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium with Cresp (and Marie Salamagne).

According to an AFP report, the Montblanc Legend Spirit has top notes of pepper, grapefruit and bergamot, with an aromatic heart of lavender and cardamom, and an aquatic accord. This leads to a base of sandalwood, cedar and cashmere, blended with oak moss and notes of white musk. Of course only a sample can attest to the quality of the fragrance and you should allow yourself to be guided by your nose.

The AFP also reports that Montblanc Legend ambassador, British model Simon Clark, is set to star as the face of “Legend Spirit” in a campaign shot by John Balsom.