American Optical, a.k.a. AO. The original aviator. In 1958 they win the government contract to supply aviators with sunglasses and become the category generic “aviator” who would later be imitated by countless brands, high and low, from east to west.
American Optical has quite the impressive history, beginning with William Beecher’s desire to improve on a pair of imported glasses he encountered in 1826. Shortly after, the American Optical Company was born. They were active in supporting the war effort during World War I. During World War II, they once again supported the military and supplied the US Government with many new products including gun sights, bomb sights, aviation goggles, sunglasses and other useful items. As products continued to improve, as early as 1940, American Optical was offering prescription polarized sunglasses. In 1958, the Original Pilot Sunglasses was produced for US military pilots. Many years later, American Optical is still producing quality products like our General Aviator Sunglasses.
We chose these because they are the best. Amazingly they slide in on the low side at $89. Yes, knowledge is power gents.
It was a meeting with a French optician which in 1959 has led to the creation of the legendary brand VUARNET. During this meeting, the optician Roger Pouilloux offered to the French ski champion the 02 sunglass model as a token of his admiration. There sunglasses, equipped with the luminous Skilynx mineral glass lenses, enabled Jean Vuarnet to further improve his performance. They highlighted contrasts and enhanced depth perception, a major asset when competing in downhill ski racing. Several months later, during the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, Jean Vuarnet took home the gold medal.
Following this victory, the two men, who shared a common passion for performance, forged a friendship and decided to join forces in creating a brand that embedded their vision : innovation, high-performance, and French elegance. The brand VUARNET was born.
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