History of Ray-Ban Aviators

[Chandler]

Pretty interesting, if not really verified, article.

The History of Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses | Cool Material

Aviator sunglasses have always been tied to military gear. But they're also inextricably linked to the height of menswear. We decided to figure out why.

coolmaterial.com

 

[ausreenactor]

Would have rocked goggles every time. Aviators fly and die by fire!

Do have a pair somewhere!

 

[Pa12]

Speaking of rockin goggles. Check out this bitch!

 

[ausreenactor]

Speaking of rockin goggles. Check out this bitch!View attachment 77465

Tanks...

 

[mulceber]

Check out this bitch!

I...see what you did there.

 

[Smithy]

Speaking of rockin goggles. Check out this bitch!View attachment 77465

Nice pair of Triplex. Those would have gone nicely with that SE5a you had

 

[johnwayne]

Interesting the article claims aviators being aimed at outdoorsmen - my personal favourites are my vintage RB Outdoorsman’s due to the larger lenses and Ive always liked the brow bar with the ‘plastic’ strip!
Not sure if still the case but Aviators were produced in 3 different lens size options? My only issue now is how aviators have been hi-jacked by the world and his wife (can i say that these days?) so tend to opt for my Randolphs or Persols more often!!!

 

[Pa12]

Nice pair of Triplex. Those would have gone nicely with that SE5a you had

Yes. Friend of mine is selling his Se5a now too. Same as me, novelty wore off. 28000 if anyone is interested.

 

[Pa12]

Interesting the article claims aviators being aimed at outdoorsmen - my personal favourites are my vintage RB Outdoorsman’s due to the larger lenses and Ive always liked the brow bar with the ‘plastic’ strip!
Not sure if still the case but Aviators were produced in 3 different lens size options? My only issue now is how aviators have been hi-jacked by the world and his wife (can i say that these days?) so tend to opt for my Randolphs or Persols more often!!!

Like Harley’s , tattoos and everything else. Oops, did I say that out loud? And yes , the ray bans still come in 3 sizes. In fact, a few years back they even came out with kid sizes.

 

[Ed Rooney]

I've had about 15 pairs, but for real military flying I tended to use a visor or HGU-4 sunglasses.

I was issued Randolph's, and we could get American Opticals at the Military Clothing Sales for about $12. These square shaped (as worn by Dennis Quaid in the Right Stuff) were a little more practical when on duty. You could stick the straight temple into your flight suit sleeve pocket and they would stay put pretty well. Ray Bans tended to be more fragile in that environment.

I got this pair of "Ray Bans for Driving" at the Ft Rucker Shopette (kind of a convenience store on base, closer to your barracks than the main PX) during Desert Storm, when we were in the Night/NVG phase. I still have them.

 

[B-Man2]

$12.00 AOs … from Clothing Sales….. those were the days. Prices are well over $100 these days. Randolph’s have gone through the roof since being put on the GSA procurement list. Commercial price for Randolph military sun glasses is $339.00 on the Randolph website .

 

[Pa12]

Wow! That’s crazy. Although, complimenting a 1500 dollar jacket? Maybe not that crazy. I bought Randolph’s for 80 bucks a few years ago , but I never wear them. I’ve got a collection of sunglasses and my favourite are my ww2 vintage AO hands down. Better then the B&L imo.

 

[Rutger]

Never liked the droopy "hide the bags under my eyes" Ray Ban glasses, nor the image that comes with it. The Randolph and American Optical USAF sunglasses look more bussineslike, less "look at me, I'm so cool".
Hardly ever wear them, very much prefer natural light and colours. Unless I got a head ache...

 

[Chandler]

I bought my first pair of Ray-Ban Aviators about 30 years ago. Yeah, I had my trepidation because of the perception of the style, but I actually liked how they (and I) looked.

Over those years I bought a couple more pairs -- after Ray-Ban was sold to the big Italian conglomo. Funny thing is, the only pair that have survived are the original B&Ls... that I'm now afraid to wear!

Today I wear a cheap pair of Sunglass Hut wraparounds and a sale pair of Ray-Ban wraparounds (not the Predator 1s I had for 20 years and finally lost. ). But I still have a pair of Randolphs as backup in the car. A gift from an old Army friend back in 1985. I'm just not enamored with the square style these days, but the lenses are great.

 

[Ed Rooney]

I bought my first pair of Ray-Ban Aviators about 30 years ago. Yeah, I had my trepidation because of the perception of the style, but I actually liked how they (and I) looked.

Over those years I bought a couple more pairs -- after Ray-Ban was sold to the big Italian conglomo. Funny thing is, the only pair that have survived are the original B&Ls... that I'm now afraid to wear!

Today I wear a cheap pair of Sunglass Hut wraparounds and a sale pair of Ray-Ban wraparounds (not the Predator 1s I had for 20 years and finally lost. ). But I still have a pair of Randolphs as backup in the car. A gift from an old Army friend back in 1985. I'm just not enamored with the square style these days, but the lenses are great.

I’m happy to swap ya a nice pair of wraparound Ray Bans for those Randolphs. I had to turn all of mine in.

 

[Chandler]

I’m happy to swap ya a nice pair of wraparound Ray Bans for those Randolphs. I had to turn all of mine in. View attachment 77540

Sorry, not my kinda' wraparounds. Look up the RB Baloramas -- same as the Predators, only with a gloss black frame.

Besides, my old friend wouldn't be happy if I gave them up.

Wait -- I missed your last part -- they made you turn in issued shades? That's cold. My friend was buying them up at the exchange.

 

[Chandler]

$12.00 AOs … from Clothing Sales….. those were the days. Prices are well over $100 these days. Randolph’s have gone through the roof since being put on the GSA procurement list. Commercial price for Randolph military sun glasses is $339.00 on the Randolph website .

Yeah, what the heck is that about? A pair of sunglasses for the same price as my Red Wings? Yikes.

Them suckers better be freaking rugged.

 

[Pa12]

Have you guys ever checked out an online store called the sunglass museum? Big variety, all knock offs but not bad quality. I have no problem wearing my 3 or 400 dollar sunglasses if I’m in a controlled environment and can carry the case. Like flying or driving. But if I’m working or on a boat, tractor etc, I wear the cheap ones. 30 plus years of working nights and sleeping when the sun is out has turned me into a bit of a vampire. My eyes are super sensitive to the light so I wear them a lot.

 

[Ed Rooney]

My 1991 PX Ray Bans were cheaper ($35) than my 1985 Sunglass Hut Ray Bans ($50), but they are still pretty reasonable at about $150 on the RB site. I like Randolphs, but they are grossly overpriced for a design that they did not invent. Afaik, AO was the original square pilot style made famous by the astronauts.

 

[Pa12]

The AO ones were nicer imo. I had a pair in the 80’s and have no idea what happened to them. Now they’re too expensive to replace.