Ray-Ban Aviator
The pilot’s sunglasses with teardrop lenses, made for airmen and worn by the whole world.
The US Army asked the optical company Bausch & Lomb for glasses to protect pilots from the sun’s glare at high altitude. The result was sold to the public in 1937 under the name Ray-Ban, glasses that ban the rays.
The green lenses filtered the light without distorting colours, and the form was so functional that it has been kept almost unchanged. Aviators have been worn by generals, police officers, rock stars and film heroes.
Materials: Thin metal frame, green mineral glass lenses, plastic nose pads
Manufacture: Made by Bausch & Lomb in Rochester from 1937; the Ray-Ban brand has been owned by Luxottica since 1999.
The teardrop lenses that cover the eye even when looking down at the instruments.
The double bridge with the brow bar over the nose.
The thin metal frame and the curved temples.
The thin metal frame has a double bridge across the nose, and the large teardrop-shaped lenses cover the eye even when the wearer looks down at the instruments.
The lenses have been made in green, grey, brown and mirrored finishes. The green G-15 lens appeared in the 1950s and is still the brand’s signature.