Vintage Eyeglasses and Modern Eyewear.

Every time I list vintage Ray-Bans I end up writing half the freakin' history of Bausch & Lomb in the description. A silly effort for something with only a week to live. Ray-Ban was a trademark of Bausch & Lomb for over 50 years, and the name is established as one of the leaders in quality sunglasses. Ray-Bans have been made in a zillion styles and colors. The Wayfarer alone (Blues Brothers) has been made in dozen of color combinations and several sizes. The original mainstays of the line, dating from mid-century America, are the Wayfarer and Goggle (pilot) styles. The Wayfarer is the classic Blues Brothers look, and is probably the most copied frame in history. It originally came in black only in a 50mm eye size, with B&L's G-15 grey/green glass lenses. Over the years, the Wayfarer II came out as a larger, deeper version of the original. In the 1980's and nineties all manner of silliness rolled out the door in Rochester, as the StreetNeat collection showed up with striped and colored frames, and new lens treatments. Then came leather coverings, crystal frames, signature editions, and whatever else B&L could dream up to stave off heavy competition from newer products like Bolle, Vuarnet, Suncloud, Maui Jim, Serengeti, and others. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold Ray-Ban to Luxotica, the largest ophthalmic optical corporation on earth. Based in Italy, they own, well, everything. From Ray-Ban to LensCrafters to Pearle, Luxotica holds a large chunk of the eyeglass industry. So Ray-Ban is now disconnected from its original roots in upstate New York, and is made at various factories in Asia and other countries. The real vintage Bausch & Lomb Ray-Bans are now becoming more collectible. When we get them, we spend extra time bringing them back to the best possible condition. Sometimes we are able to produce a restoration that is better than new in some ways. For example, the finish we can create with hand-polishing, and with tumbling in maple pegs, gives a shine and silky feel that is at least as good as new. The Wayfarer will probably always be a staple of the sunglass industry, and as long as we are operating Clearlight Optical, we will bring back as many as we can to as fine a condition as possible. If you have an old pair that needs help, please contact us. There is no part of the Wayfarer that cannot be rebuilt. While our greatest specialization is in old round Windsor frames, Ray-Bans are worth preserving and restoration, and we are in a good position to help - from special tools to thousands of discontinued OEM parts to decades of experience in frame repair, I doubt there are many better sources to get your old B&L sunglasses in shape.