A vintage pair of original American Ray-Ban sunglasses with metal, "John Lennon" frames and Bausch & Lomb G-15, grey-green, glass lenses. Second-hand.
What's for sale?
This is a pair of original American Ray-Bans with high-quality, Bausch & Lomb glass lenses.
These have minimal, thin metal frames, a curved brow and round glass lenses. This style will probably forever be associated with the 1960s, 1970s, actors and musicians alike.
The lenses are the Bausch & Lomb "G-15", non-polarized, grey-green introduced in 1953. They block 85% of visible light and 100% of UV light. They're colour-neutral and all colours are transmitted equally, without altering colour perception.
Included is a new, modern Ray-Ban case with hardened front.
These round metal Ray-Bans are hard to find without some sort of wear but they're worth searching for. Bausch & Lomb sold Ray-Ban in 1999 and they're no longer made in America or with these lenses. Pairs in perfect condition are very expensive, so this is the opportunity to buy a pair in reasonable condition, at a reasonable price.
Who made them and when?
From 1937 to 1998 Ray-Bans were made by the American optics manufacturer Bausch and Lomb. This is such a pair, with both lenses etched "BL".
The maker's mark is shown on the nose bridge reads:
What condition are they in?
Please remember when viewing the photographs that some have been taken at a greater magnification than normal vision.
- Second Hand
- In fair to good condition
- The frames and hinges are good, with patches of green surface corrosion on the back of the lens holders
- The right lens is perfect.
- The left lens has a tiny, 0.5mm chip, resembling a speck of dust, but felt with the finger nail. It's not noticeable to the wearer
- As cool as they look
What are the measurements?
- Each lens is a maximum 52mm wide and 48mm high
- The frames are a maximum 132mm wide and 50mm high
- The bridge is 21mm
- The temple arm length is 140mm
- They weigh 33 grams
How are glasses measured?
- Some frames have their sizes printed on the arms
- Look for a pair of numbers separated by a square and a three-digit number on its own (e.g. "52[]19 ... 140")
- The first two numbers are the lens and bridge widths. The three-digit number is the temple arm length
- Lens widths are from 40 to 62mm, bridges 14 to 22mm and arms 120 to 150mm
- The bridge is measured where the gap between the lenses is narrowest (not the frames)
- The arm is measured from the hinge along its full length, including around the bend
- It's easiest to compare online measurements with similarly-shaped glasses that you already have
- The key measurement is the frame width. Rest a ruler on the bridge of your nose, level with your eyes and measure the width between your temples in millimetres (we'll call this A). Take the frame width of the glasses and subtract 6mm (we'll call this B). If A and B are within 2mm of each other, the glasses are more likely to fit.
If you have any questions, just send an email to help@3bcshop.com.
