Vintage Sunglasses

[Tomasso]

Porsche Carrera

I'm considering bringing these babies out of retirement.

 

[Wil Tam]

wayfarers

had these for years still my favorite


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Now playing: Everclear - Kicks
via FoxyTunes

 

[Charlz]

My video sunglass reviews

Check out my Youtube reviews of sunglasses. I am focused on "vintage style" sunglasses.

Shuron review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfT9-ietz7M

Check out my YouTube channel for more sunglass reviews:
Wayfarers, American Optical, Randolph Engineering, and others.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Charlz9mm
I hope you like it.

 

[PADDY]

Persols...

Lovely shades, they've caught my eye before. But just so expensive, sadly.[huh]

 

[scotrace]

Have we identified these?

 

[Oat]

persol 714 re-issue

I've been wearing the Persol reissue of the 714 folding sunglasses McQueen wore in Thomas Crown Affair

http://www.eyegoodies.com/Persol-714-Custom-pr-16551.html

Best sunglasses I've ever owned!

They are the best I've ever owned too. I had some dark dark blue lenses installed in a pair of black 52mm 714s, not the lighter shade blue that are being marketed by an Internet concern. I tried those lighter blue ones, and they actually hurt my eyes in sunlight. They were great on overcast days, but in sunlight they just didn't cut it. Not functional enough for me, although the light blue lenses look cool. But these dark blue ones look cool too. Like Rick Ocasek or Roy Orbison.

These are great, they are quite comfortable on the face due to the articulations and flex joints. They up the contrast in foggy/overcast/twilight conditions, and they do a great job of protecting against bright sunlight, save for with snow on the ground or on the open water. And even then, they are sufficient enough that I could take them on vacation as my only pair and not worry about it, unless I was going to be skiing or deepsea fishing with bright sunlight.

 

[Tomasso]

they are quite comfortable on the face due to the articulations and flex joints.

And I returned my 714's (for the polarized 649's) because they felt sloppy.[huh]

 

[stephen1965]

Presenting: my (new) vintage RAF MkVIII sunglasses.

I am

Just have to say that they really do look good. Wish I had them. Plus they came with case.

 

[Oat]

And I returned my 714's (for the polarized 649's) because they felt sloppy.[huh]

I have the 52mm ones, and they fit my face comfortably, and stay comfortable longer than other sunglasses. IMHO, the only point which could use improvement is the bridge of the nose. I like the comfort of simple pads-connected-to-wire nosepieces used with sunglasses like RayBan Aviators. The 714 frames rest directly on the nose, and the articulation joint has caught short "unibrow" hairs that grow in-between the times I shave them lol lol but otherwise I feel the comfort level is enhanced, not diminished by the articulation and flex. So Frida Kahlo, Bill Berry from REM and Bert should choose another pair of shades...

 

[Justdog]

Gatsby?

I just picked up these on eBay and was wondering what people thought. Are they vintage-looking? I was shooting for something along the lines of those worn by DiCapprio in The Aviator, and to add some diversity my meager collection (wayfarers and current USAF spec pilots sunglasses).

:eusa_clap

 

[Justdog]

Gatsby?

 

[Chad Sanborn]

here are some places to get glasses and goggles

http://www.eyeglasseswarehouse.com/goggles1.html
http://www.squidoo.com/vintagegoggles
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousexpeditions/sets/72157601534110163/detail/

 

[univibe88]

Why green lenses on vintage shades?

It seems that green is a very common lens color on vintage sunglasses. But it also seems to have fallen out of favor. It seems that what many modern sunglasses refer to as green is in fact green-grey or G 15.

I recently got some vintage style frames and I asked my optometrist to put in green lenses. She seemed a bit puzzled and wasn't even sure if she could get it. She said she that the only set colors she could get were grey, brown and green-grey. To get green they will start with clear lenses and dye them.

So what was the deal with green in the first place? Why was it commonly used? What is special about it? As in grey being color neutral, brown improving contrast, etc. What is special about green lenses? And why has it seemed to fall out of favor.

American Optical and Bausch & Lomb sure were proud of the green lenses when they first introduced them. But now neither one (well, neither AO nor Luxotica/Ray Ban) even makes a true green lens. AO only makes grey and Ray Ban makes G 15.

 

["Skeet" McD]

Seeing the World through Green-colored Lenses....

It seems that green is a very common lens color on vintage sunglasses.....What is special about green lenses? And why has it seemed to fall out of favor.

I imagine some historically-minded ophthalmologist or optometrist in the lounge will be able to provide the details on the perceived (and perhaps actual) logic behind it....but as someone who mostly has spent time in the 19th and earlier 20th Cs, all I can say is that the color green was believed to be restful to the eyes: that's why all the green accountant's eyeshades, the green lining on the bottom of cap visors, green billiard table covers, etc. etc.

It should also be noted that "sunglasses" as we think of them were (in the 19C, at least) often not that at all, but rather a medical device to protect "weak" eyes....

 

[Tomasso]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]but as someone who mostly has spent time in the 19th and earlier 20th Cs, all I can say[/QUOTE]Skeet, just how old are you!?!? The 19th century began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar.

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

These look green in the photo. I thought about these, but I need progressive lenses.
http://www.speleotherapy.org/glasses/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=510

 

[univibe88]

These look green in the photo. I thought about these, but I need progressive lenses.
http://www.speleotherapy.org/glasses/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=510

They do look green, and they are a great price!

But if you go to Ray Ban's website, the only lenses I see there are G-15. The old true green lens from Bausch and Lomb was called BL-3.

It's also very hard to tell online. Pictures of G-15 can look green online.

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

I'm glad you started this thread. It's time for my eye exam and I've been looking too. I'd like to get to get a pair when I get my new prescription.

 

[univibe88]

These are the frames I got. Very vintage. I just hope my optometrist's lab gets the lenses right.

http://www.allynscura.com/originaldesigns_index.htm

 

["Skeet" McD]

Skeet, just how old are you!?!? The 19th century began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar.

Yup. But as someone lucky enough to physically live in the late 20th and early 21st century, I have had the leisure and resources to backbreed myself into as close to a mid-19C person as you're liable to meet (this side of the dirt, at least). Total immersion in their culture, decades of living history, and a 5-year stint living as an Irish immigrant in a one-room apartment on Boston's Beacon Hill.