MMXXVI VOL21 No.937

ASMR Day

COLUMN II 1$

col2.com

Sunglasses that never go out of style

The historical bestsellers of sunglasses. The most timeless, classic and iconic designs
Gear - 1736669 views -
51 votoes 1 Star
- Spanish version
Sunglasses that never go out of style

Sunglasses are an essential accessory for eye care but they are also subject to transient trends in design.

Good sunglasses do not usually come cheap, so it is neither desirable, nor practical, nor wise to buy new shades every year, as dictated by these fads.

The best case scenario would be to buy a pair of glasses to last a lifetime or at least ones that will last a long time.

This is a guide to buying sunglasses that won’t go out of style or even go against the grain, depending on what those often ridiculous “fashion” standards are dictating.

First, we present in chronological order 10 of the models that historically have not stopped being produced and sold since they first appeared on the market.

Some of these models are themselves historical bestsellers in the world of sunglasses. Their designs are considered timeless, classic and iconic.

To conclude, we list some common features that follow timeless sunglasses.

1752 Round and oval

These are the most classic shades and reading glasses design of all, ever since James Ayscough began experimenting with tinted-glass spectacles in 1752. The ones Ayscough developed were oval.

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
John Lennon had a collection of round sunglasses. Ray-Ban RB3447 are an identical copy to the ones he is wearing in the photo on the right.

Although there were also rectangular ones, the rounded/oval were the most common glasses until the first two decades of the 20th century.

The round ones became very fashionable in the 1960s, irremediably associated with John Lennon. As a fashion accessory, round design always come and go.

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
A classic mountain glacier from the manufacturer Northern Lights. Leather side shields are detachable.

Round and oval sunglasses are the design that least pragmatically covers the eyes, but for a long time they were the norm. For activities such as high mountain or skiing, side shields were added to these goggles to block more light.

This style was called “glaciers”. The French manufacturer Julbo has in its catalog some of the longest glaciers on the market, the Julbo Vermont Classic, since 1888.

Timeless sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
Similar in concept to the glaciers, these shades were fitted with rigid side shields. In the image, the Matsuda 2809H of the character Sarah Connor in the film Terminator 2. Matsuda is a Japanese super-luxury manufacturer. Although the 2809H were quite expensive and had been discontinued, they had to reissue them due to high demand.

Following the same concept as the glaciers, there were safety goggles for work where there was a risk that some material would hit your eyes. For example, when sawing metal. In these safety goggles the side shields were rigid, made of a plastic or metal compound.

1930 P3

Today we would associate this style of glasses, both sunglasses and specs with the looks of some classic businessman. They were actually a British military design that appeared in the 1930s and became extremely popular.

The lenses were a variation of oval lenses with 3-angled ellipses. They were created with this shape so that they could fit under the regulation gas mask worn by the British Army.

The U.S. Army copied the design and called them P3, being the regulation prescription glasses (in military slang the “RPG – Regulation prescription glasses”) until the late 1970s.

Timeless sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
P3s worn by James Dean manufactured by Randolph. James Dean’s originals were Liberty Optical P3s, which are no longer made.

Before World War II the P3 frames were made of metal. After the war were acetate frames.

The fashion twist with the P3 came when in the late 1940s, an accessory came out to convert the prescription P3s with clear lenses into sunglasses by adding over the plastic frame, a detachable metal frame with dark lenses.

The most famous user of the P3 with the clip-on was James Dean. According to the museum dedicated to the actor that preserves his original glasses, these were Liberty Optical P3s. Others claim they were Tart Optical Arnel 55, which are still in production.

The New York-based manufacturer Moscot specializes in P3 sunglasses and clip-ons.

1937 Ray-Ban Aviators

Ray-Ban Aviators are the bestseller worldwide of sunglasses. If you were looking for a pair of glasses that will never go out of fashion and that will not be discontinued, these are the ones for you.

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
The Ray-Ban Aviators in their most classic format, have been on the market as they are since 1937. They were once again a sales hit after the film “Top Gun”.

The Aviators were patented on May 7, 1937 by “Bausch & Lomb”, the company that originally created Ray-Ban brand.

Timeless sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
Almost all celebrities, whether actors, musicians, athletes, models… have posed at some point with Ray-Ban Aviators. The bestseller of sunglasses worldwide, perhaps because these glasses have the virtue of looking good on almost everyone.

One could have bought a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators in 1937 and wear them in the 21th Century without being out of style, since they are practically identical to those sold today.

The most classic would be the Aviators with gold or silver frames and green G15 or dark gray lenses.

1947 Shuron Ronsir

Probably – and very unfairly – nobody knows what a Shuron Ronsir is, while almost all sunglasses manufacturers have some copy or variation of this model in their catalogs.

The Ronsir were created by Shuron’s director, Jack Rohrbachen, in 1947. Shuron was an optical company founded in 1865 in South Carolina.

Jack Rohrbachen’s idea with the Ronsir model was to offer sunglasses with all detachable and interchangeable parts, including the lenses, so that the user could assemble a pair of glasses customized to his taste, both for reading and sunglasses. The frame consisted of two plastic eyebrows, a metal bridge and plastic temples.

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
Shuron Ronsir. The original manufacturer of this style of glasses, Shuron, is quite unknown but still produces them. The most widespread copy is the Ray-Ban Clubmaster.

In 1947, this style of glasses was called “browline” because the most striking part of the frame was the eyebrows. They were such a sales success that they were copied – and continue to be copied – by numerous manufacturers. Shuron still sells them on its website shuron.com.

The most famous character associated with this type of glasses was Malcom X. They also appear on the Kentucky Fried Chicken logo wore by Colonel Sanders. Another notable wearer was U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

By 1971, Shuron had sold 16 million units of Ronsir but in this decade, they went out of style because in the prevailing hippie and disco culture, they were considered part of the conservative look.

Bruce Willis appeared in the TV series “Moonlighting (1985-1989)” wearing original Ronsir. The series, which was broadcast worldwide, again created international demand for these glasses, of which Ray-Ban took advantage, launching the Clubmaster, a copy of the Ronsir. Quite good and probably, the best known of all.

1952 Ray-Ban Wayfarer

The Ray-Ban Wayfarer were designed in 1952 by Raymond Stegeman. Not only were they an immediate success since they came out. They have been a bestseller of sunglasses worldwide, probably very close to the Aviators. You could say they have been “in” forever, except in the 1970s.

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is one of the bestsellers worldwide. On the right, John Belushi of the Blues Brothers.

In 1954 they were worn by actresses Marilyn Monroe or Kim Novak on the French Riviera. Wayfarers have been worn by many rock stars such as Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Debbie Harry, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer… and also by US 35th president John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

In 1970 they became outdated for the same reason as the Ronsir. Very briefly, as in 1980 the movie “The Blues Brothers” and then the 1984 “Miami Vice” series, broadcast worldwide, again boosted sales to a level of 1.5 million units per year.

1957 Persol 714

Persol is one of the great survivors in the sunglasses industry. The Italian company was founded in 1917. Today it is in the hands of the Italian multinational Luxottica.

The name Persol is a pun with the Italian word “per il sole – for the sun”. The most iconic model of this manufacturer appeared in 1957, with the number 649, originally created for drivers of the Turin tramway.

Persol was the inventor of several innovations in the world of sunglasses. One was the “Meflecto” system. Flexible temples that mold to all head sizes.

Timeless sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
Steve McQueen’s favorite sunglasses were the Persol 714 folding sunglasses. He wore them in several films and in his personal life.

The most striking innovation came in Persol’s most famous model, the 714. With a frame in the same style as the 649, the 714 was the first folding sunglasses to appear on the market.

Folded, the 714 fits in any pocket and allows you to carry a pair of sunglasses with you at all times without noticing them when stored.

The best known user of the 714 was the “king of cool” Steve McQueen. He wore them both in films such as “The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)” and off-screen, appearing with them on countless occasions.

1958 American Optical Aviators

The American Optical Aviators appeared in 1958, when the U.S. Army standarized eyewear for all its pilots, both Air Force and Navy.

It could be said that the military copied the design of the Ray-Ban Caravan, which had been launched a year earlier, in 1957. They are virtually identical with only a few slight variations.

The military specification number of these Aviators was MIL-S-25948 and the frame number was HGU-4/P. The production contract was originally awarded to American Optical (AO).

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
American Optical Aviators were the regulation sunglasses for U.S. pilots between 1958 and 2000. They were also used by many pilots from other countries, both military and civilian.

In 1978 Randolph Engineering snatched the military contract from AO, thanks to a significant improvement in the quality of the Aviators. They were the official manufacturer until 2000, when the US Army decided to definitively replace the MIL-S-25948 with another design, the “Air Force Spectacle Frame – AFF”, which was cheaper to produce and of lower quality.

Aviators continue to sell with great success in the civilian market, by both American Optical and Randolph.

Randolphs are the highest quality but are also more expensive since in the F-16 fighter era, a pilot would fly with a pair of Randolphs on. The American Optical are a more affordable option that don’t detract too much from the Randolphs in terms of quality.

1967 Ray-Ban Balorama

The Balorama are better known as the Dirty Harry glasses because they were worn by Clint Eastwood when he played this role in the first two films of the series, “Dirty Harry (1971)” and “Magnum Force (1973)”.

The Balorama style is known as wrap-around eyewear since they cover not only the eyes, but also the temples, to block more light.

They were launched by Ray-Ban in 1967, based on an earlier design from 1965, the Olympian, which had a gold-colored metal frame. The Balorama were a sort of evolution, with plastic frames, even more wraparound.

The Balorama became part of the image of the “men in black” even before the movies of the same name appeared.

Timeless sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
Dirty Harry’s Ray-Ban Balorama.

Baloramas are the great survivors among all the wrap-around models that have appeared since the 1960s. Many, including Ray-Ban’s own catalog, at some point have been discontinued, to name a famous case as an example, the Persol Ratti 58230 worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2, still in demand.

Ray-Ban, on the other hand, has kept the Balorama in its catalog since 1967. Today it also has available the Olympian and a plastic frame version called Predator II.

One downside to keep in mind about the Balorama is that they are large. The lenses are 62mm. They are for big-headed people, like Clint Eastwood, or for those who like to wear big glasses.

1980 Maui Jim Stingray

Maui Jim Stingray is an alternative model to the Balorama, for smaller heads. They are Maui Jim’s most popular glasses, consistently present in its catalog over the years.

The Hawaiian manufacturer is the youngest on this list, producing since 1980 a line of classic sunglasses with more than 125 models.

Maui Jim is considered one of the best manufacturers of sunglasses on the market. Luxottica was trying to buy the company every year until 2022 when the Kering Eyewear group, the owners of Gucci, took it off its hands.

Sunglasses that never go out of style timeless sunglasses
Maui Jim’s Stingray, a classic wrap-around style, looks like something straight out of the 1960s.

The company was founded by Jim Richards in Lahaina, on the island of Maui in Hawaii, where they have the laboratories and create the designs, of unmistakably Hawaiian flavor, although they moved the production to Italy..

Maui Jim offers frames of classic design with the latest technology in their optics. The lenses are glass, polarized, made with materials called “rare earths” to reproduce colors.

Tips for buying sunglasses that will not go out of style

This is a series of features that sunglasses should meet in order not to go out of fashion.

The optics must be impeccable. The lenses should not create any distortion when looking through them because in the long run, they will damage our eyesight. It is not worth skimping on money when it comes to preserving your eyesight. On the other hand, the right lenses don’t have to be expensive.

UVA rays damage eyesight

The daily limit of visual exposure to UVA rays is 15 minutes. Any longer than this will cause eye problems in the long run.

The limit is applicable to cloudy days. Clouds do not block ultraviolet light, which also reflects off pavement, rocks, sand, snow…

UVA/UVB ultraviolet protection. These are the filters that block 100% the 400 nanometer light frequencies, which is where the harmful UVA/UVB rays are. Today all sunglasses are labeled “UVA 400 CE/ANSI”. CE means that the filter is approved in Europe; CE EN1836. The US equivalent is ANSI Z80.3.

Polarized/Non-polarized; Polarized reduce more glare but are more expensive. Polarized lenses work by absorbing horizontally oriented glare. For instance, they allow you to see the bottom of the sea by absorbing the reflection of light from the water surface.

Generally, polarized ones are the best option, but there are a number of situations in which they are not recommended. When driving on an icy road, they do not allow you to notice ice patches on the asphalt. Same in high mountain situations. You won’t be able to see ice blocks.

Lens colors; The most classic are dark gray, green G15 (Green 15%) and brown or bronze.

The manufacturers try every year to market different colors. Those who follow trends are compelled to buy new sunglasses every year. One year all shades are mirror orange, the next year matte blue. And many times, those fashion colors are just a finish on the outside layer of the lens. The lenses are actually gray.

Mirror effect or not; a slight mirror effect does not hurt because they reflect excess light. A 100% chrome mirror effect is more a matter of taste.

Frame size; the right size for the user, i.e. not too big, not too small. Exaggerated frames become outdated as soon as the trend passes. In general, any design reminiscent of the 1970s, is bad in this respect.

Color of the frame; in plastic frames the two most classic colors are black and tortoise brown.

The most timeless metal frames are gold and silver, both shiny and matte. As a general rule, stay away from fashion colors in frames and transparent frames because they do not block the light.

The ruins whisper of lost paradises. Support col2.com so their voices are not lost in the abyss of time.

Est.1875 

Nolumus credere, velimus scire

 Column II

Col2.com is free and independent media. We do not collect, store or sell personal data. This site sets no cookies and uses no Ggle Analytics or third party trackers. Ads may be served by external networks, which follow their own policies. If you see a Ggle consent pop‑up, it is because an ad slot on this site is filled by Ggle and Ggle requires user consent before displaying their ads. By using this website, the user agrees to the terms established in our privacy policy. These are our principles; should you not like them, we have others. Designed by Col2.com with WPress. We don’t want to believe, we want to know. Contact.
➜