A pair of American Ray-Ban Caravan sunglasses with small, silver-colour frames and Bausch & Lomb G-15 glass lenses. New old stock.
What's for sale?
This is a pair of "new old stock", original American Ray-Ban sunglasses with high-quality Bausch & Lomb glass lenses.
Similar to Aviators but squared-off, this unisex frame is called Caravan and was introduced in 1957. This pair has silver-coloured frames and is smaller-sized, with a 135mm temple arm length. The thin metal arms are finished on the outside with an engraved pattern and the drop forms a loop.
The lenses are coded "G-15". These are the non-polarized, grey-green lenses introduced in 1953. They block 85% of visible light and 100% of Ultraviolet light. They're also colour-neutral: all colours are transmitted equally, so your colour perception is unaltered.
Included is the original Ray-Ban case with hardened front.
Their condition is categorised as new old stock: they were manufactured in the 1980s or 1990s and have never been retailed. This is an opportunity to purchase great quality sunglasses that are no longer available. Bausch & Lomb sold Ray-Ban in 1999 and they're no longer made in America or with these lenses.
Who made them and when?
These are American Ray-Bans made by top optical manufacturer Bausch & Lomb. Both lenses are etched "BL". The nose pads are also stamped "BL". They're probably from the 1980s or 1990s.
The right frame arm is printed:
What condition are they in?
Please remember when viewing the photographs that some have been taken at a greater magnification than normal vision.
- New old stock (they're old but are unused and haven't been retailed)
- Very good condition
What are the measurements?
- Each lens is a maximum 49mm wide and 34mm high
- The frames are a maximum 125mm wide and 37mm high
- The bridge is 22mm
- The temple arm length is 135mm
- They weigh 23 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 millimeters (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.
