Fragrance comparison

No. III Swim vs Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 22 Oct 2026 87 ratings analysed

5 wins

No. III Swim

Gabar

4.3349 votes

Rank #12,790 GreenFruity

Full profile Similar & dupes

19%scent match

Clearly different

Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood

Tom Ford

4.1138 votes

Rank #31,735 WoodyWhite Floral

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

No. III Swim takes 5 of 7 categories.

No. III Swim
Choose it for a green and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.
Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood
Choose it for a woody and white floral character. Wins on longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.

No. III Swim5/7

Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood1/7

Ratings & consensus: No. III Swim
Community sentiment: No. III Swim
Longevity: Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood
Sillage & projection: Tie
Value for money: No. III Swim
Versatility: No. III Swim
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: No. III Swim

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

No. III SwimGabar

Reserve Collection: Arabian WoodTom Ford

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.33/ 5 · 49 votes

Have 10%Had 2%Want 87%

4.11/ 5 · 38 votes

Have 34%Had 7%Want 59%

Category winnerNo. III SwimRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

47%Love

41%Like

10%Ok

2%Dislike

0%Hate

49 votes

50%Love

26%Like

11%Ok

11%Dislike

3%Hate

38 votes

Category winnerNo. III SwimMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity69

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate83

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage55

♥ Love / hate78

Category winners

LongevityReserve Collection: Arabian Wood

SillageTie

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value54

¤ Price value11

Category winnerNo. III SwimBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

green100%

fruity90%

woody80%

aromatic70%

fresh60%

soft spicy50%

woody100%

white floral92%

earthy84%

mossy77%

floral69%

rose61%

Scent match19%Clearly different · both woody

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top15-30 mins

Currant budsGalbanum

Heart2-4 hrs

FigGreen TeaOrrisJasmine

Base6-8+ hrs

CedarPatchouliMuskAmberTonka Bean

Notes

MossBulgarian RoseMay RoseGardeniaLavenderOrrisWoodsy NotesHoneyGalbanumNeroliBergamotJasmine

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesGalbanum, Orris and Jasmine. Durations are only published for No. III Swim, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring90

Summer100

Fall21

Winter7

Day100

Night35

Spring20

Summer10

Fall60

Winter100

Day50

Night100

Category winnerNo. III SwimMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men5

Unisex62

Women33

Casual 42%Work 31%Date 19%Party 8%

Men25

Unisex55

Women20

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#12,790

PerfumerRuth Mastenbroek

Launched—

Reviews19

Overall rank#31,735

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews0

Category winnerNo. III SwimHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Gabar No. III Swim captures the crisp sensation of jumping into cold river water on a warm afternoon. It opens with a piercing snap of crushed galbanum resin and tart currant buds. The greenness bites hard. Within fifteen minutes, the sharpness yields to a lush, unsweetened wild fig note wrapped in earthy green tea le…

Reviews →

Tom Ford Arabian Wood from the exclusive Reserve Collection opens with a sharp, green bite of galbanum and bergamot before settling into a dense, classical woody chypre. The fragrance leans heavily on an intricate structure of oakmoss and patchouli, softened slightly by gardenia and Bulgarian rose. Unlike modern minim…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, No. III Swim or Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood?

No. III Swim takes 5 of 7 categories. No. III Swim is rated 4.33/5 from 49 votes; Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood is rated 4.11/5 from 38 votes. Choose No. III Swim for a green and fruity character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear. Choose Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood for a woody and white floral character. Wins on longevity. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, No. III Swim or Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood?

Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood lasts longest (Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood 73/100, No. III Swim 69/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, No. III Swim or Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood?

Projection is very close: No. III Swim 55/100, Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood 55/100 for sillage.

Do No. III Swim and Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood smell similar?

Clearly different: a 19% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody accords. Common notes include Galbanum, Orris and Jasmine.

Is No. III Swim or Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood better for summer or winter?

For summer, No. III Swim is the stronger pick. For winter, Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood is the stronger pick. No. III Swim suits daytime wear; Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in No. III Swim and Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood?

No. III Swim has top notes of Currant buds and Galbanum, heart notes of Fig, Green Tea, Orris and Jasmine, a base of Cedar, Patchouli, Musk and Amber. Reserve Collection: Arabian Wood features Moss, Bulgarian Rose, May Rose, Gardenia and Lavender.