ABOUT WINDSOR EYEGLASSES

With the new Harry Potter movie out, we are once again getting many requests for the type of old-fashioned round spectacles worn by Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".

How to tell a Harry Potter type frame

The two key things to look for are completely round lenses and a nose area(bridge) that rests right on your nose with no nose pads or nose pad arms. This style is most commonly called a "Windsor". They are metal wire rims, often covered with tortoise or cordovan trim. Wrap around, or "cable" temples were most common originally, although "regular" temples were available in various colors.

The Windsor style was first popular in the late 1800's, and stayed that way until nose pads took over eyeglasses in the 1920's and 1930's.Since then, many famous people have chosen it for the simnplicity of the look, including John Lennon and Gandhi.

New vs. Antique

Today, you can get brand new official Harry Potter licensed Windsor eyeglasses for under five bucks at online auction sites. As you would expect,they are costume glasses that come in blisterpak. They are made of soft "metal" and have lousy lenses, prone to distortion. They are meant for events like Halloween.

You can also find a dwindling number of real antique Windsors at estate sales, garage sales, and of course online. If you buy real antique or vintage Windsors, you will likely find they are 1/10 12K gold, although many different materials were used including steel, sterling silver, coin silver, nickel-plated brass, 10k and 14k solid gold.
Bargain Hunting

At garage sales or online you might get lucky and find a great Windsor at a really low price. Maybe. If you are planning to put lenses in them, you may be disappointed. Many, maybe half, have acid etching between the lens and frame, where skin oils have been sitting for 100 years or more. Gold resists this, but 1/10 12k gold fill (most common) will often be gone inside the eye wire, exposing the base metal of the frameto be etched away by skin acids. If you see any green around the lens edge, the frame has probably past its prime. This can happen on the outside of the eye wire too if the frame has trim covering the metal. The next thing is stripped or frozen screws. Another common issues is acid-etching of the temple coils on cable temples. If you wear cable temples, sealed shrink wrap tubing will at least triple the life of your temples. Lastly, some Windsors may have areas where the gold fill has worn away on the bridge. This can be hard to spot without a jeweller's magnifying loupe.If you do get a garage sale frame and are taking them to your optician for lenses,give the hinge screws a little shot of WD-40 a day before you take them in. Trust me here. :-)

Vintage Opticians Online

As an alternative, you can buy an antique Windsor online that has been at least inspected by an optician. If you use a company with a 100% guarantee that the frame is ready to accept lenses and is returnable for a full cash refund , you are likely to get a good frame. Used examples in 1/10 12K gold range from about $50.00 to about $200.00, depending on condition. New Old Stock in uncirculated condition, now few and far between, fetch anywhere from $100.00-$400.00 depending on size, materials, and manufacturer.

Vintage Optical Stores

There are a growing number of optical stores carrying or specializing in vintage frames in major cities around the world. There are also many vintage clothing shops now featuring vintage eyewear. Expect to pay quite a bit more here.

Size

During most of the time Windsors have been made, most of them had lenses 40mm (1.57") in diameter. This is small by today's standards, and many adult Windsors may look like children's frames. They aren't. The standard sizes for adult Windsors were 38mm, 40mm, and 42mm. 36mm frames were produced as a child's size. The way they are worn, the eye should (roughly) center in the frame. So how did large adults wear these frames? The frames had wider nose (bridge) areas and longer temples (ear pieces). While a standard bridge was 19-21mm wide or so, bridges up to about 26mm were made. Temples - the wrap around cable kind - were 6"-6 1/2" in the standard adult range, but temples up to 7" were made for larger adults.Temples are measured from one tip to the other, stretched straight or measured following the bend.

Sources

WindsorEyewear.com - Vintage / antique specialist (that's us!). Thousands of happy customers in 48 countries. 100% positive Ebay Feedback (Classic Eyeglasses)

Ebay - There are several other selers on Ebay with good products. Look for eyeglass-only vendors with guarantees.

Retail - We know only a few of these vendors well. We can suggest:

Holywood Vintage (apparel & glasses) in Portland, Oregon. Great shop! Ask for William.

Nadar Zadi - New York - High end Manhattan boutique. Pricey, but exceptional product. He has a true love of fine vintage pieces and knows his craft.

Charlie Mosa - Paris - You can reach him at [email protected] - great guy, with a keen interest in optical history.

This should get you started in where and how to search out the best "Harry Potter" glasses. Good luck!





 

In a few days, Warner Brothers will release "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in theaters everywhere. Whenever a new Hayy Potter film hits the screen, we get lots of questions about the glasses he wears.

The round, classic spectacles that Harry Potter wears are Windsor style glasses - completely round and lacking nose pads. The glasses sit right on your nose. This was one of, if not the most popular eyeglass style for both men and women for about twenty years either side of 1900.

Windsors come in all kinds of different dress, colors, materials and sizes.

SIZE
Normal adult Windsors ranged from 36mm-44mm in lens diameter, with 40mm being by far the most common. The wrap-around, or "cable" temples Windsor frames were usually fitted with ranged (usually) from 6" to 6 1/2" in 1/4" steps.
TIP: LONGER IS BETTER.

MATERIALS
These eyeglasses were made in all kinds of materials, including steel, aluminum, brass, nickel-plated copper, 1/10 12K gold, and solid 10k or 12k gold.
TIP: Frames without gold content can react with skin acids, turning the frame green and deteriorate - it depends on your Ph though. Many people are OK with steel, etc..

Colors
The metal of these Harry Potter type frames appeared either silver or gold. Many of the silver frames are actually white gold. Many pieces came with plastic (zyl) trim. The trim could be on any combination of temple, lens eye wire, and bridge. All kinds of colors were made, although tortoise shell, black, and cordovan were by far the most popular.
TIP: The trim on some Windsors is removcable around the lens. With care, you can wear them with or without trim.

How to Buy Windsors
Authentic vintage Windsors can be found at garage and estate sales, online auction sites, and vintage eyewear sellers with physical retail store fronts. There is a huge variance in the quality and price of product. At vintage retailers, these spectacles can get quite spendy, sometimes costing thousands of dollars. At other sources, quality is a very unpredictable thing. Even a frame that looks good can have hidden damage from a century of facial oils slowly eating away the frame in the "nooks and crannies".
We strike a balance, selling quality Windsor eyeglasses of the type and style worn by Harry Potter, John Lennon, and others at reasonable prices. Thanks for looking! If we can help you find that special Windsor, please give us a call at 415-251-2851.

Round Tortoise & Gold Spectacles