Who can vet this article about The history of Aviator sunglasses?

[Barry Santini]

IN Yesterday's NY Times Magazine:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/ma...unglasses.html

B

[chip anderson]

Don't know about the validity of the NY Times tale. But I do know that B&L spent a lot of government money in WWII developing glasses for aviators and sailors. Of course they made a lot of government money making them after development. Especially after McArthur concidered them to be a trade mark along with his corncob pipe.

Chip

[finefocus]

The picture in the article shows a TrueColor grey lens, not a G15, and therefore is an AO not a B&L. By the way, "Rayban" originally was a color, not a brand of shades. Rayban was green, with AO's Calobar as the equivilent. The reason they liked green was that this part of the spectrum has the greatest absorption curve, where both rods and cones produce some data. The move to greater color accuracy, which resulted in TrueColor and G15, came (I believe) at the behest of the military. By the 50's, the classic B&L Large Metal (58 eye version) was supplanted by the Skymaster (was it the C54??) with its bayonet temples which slid into flight helmets easily. I'm unaware of the term for brown lenses from B&L, that which AO called Cosmetan. The clear glasses worn by Gloria Steinem may not have been classic Large Metals: I seem to remember a zyl-covered browbar, which would make them the Outdoorsman model (62 eye).

There may be holes in my memory, who else was around during those times?

[MasterCrafter]

I can't bring myself to ever read the NY times. The only thing I would do with it is let my dogs doo doo on it.

But I do know B&L developed the G-15 color lenses for fighter pilots during the war. So the article is probably right.... for once!!

[Darryl Meister]

IN Yesterday's NY Times Magazine

I would argue that the tear-drop shape of B&L's aviator styles was inspired by the earlier "Perimetric" and "Contour" shapes introduced in the late 1920 and early 1930s, which followed the natural field of view of the eye.

By the way, "Rayban" originally was a color

Yep. Although they eventually introduced two flavors of green-ish colors that absorbed UV and infrared under the "Ray-Ban" brand, including G-15 (gray-green, 15% luminous transmittance) and G-31 (gray-green, 31% luminous transmittance), as well as basic Green 1, 2, and 3.

I'm unaware of the term for brown lenses from B&L

Probably Kalichrome.

Best regards,
Darryl

[Mick]

Probably Kalichrome.

Kalichrome C was B&L's yellow lens. They also offered a Kalichrome A, a much lighter yellow, but it was rarely used. B&L didn't have a brown lens until the 70's, marketed as B-15

[Darryl Meister]

Kalichrome C was B&L's yellow lens

That makes sense. I have some old B&L and AO glass sample tints buried somewhere, maybe I'll get a chance to dig them up later.

Best regards,
Darryl

[Barry Santini]

The picture in the article shows a TrueColor grey lens, not a G15, and therefore is an AO not a B&L. By the way, "Rayban" originally was a color, not a brand of shades. Rayban was green, with AO's Calobar as the equivilent. The reason they liked green was that this part of the spectrum has the greatest absorption curve, where both rods and cones produce some data. The move to greater color accuracy, which resulted in TrueColor and G15, came (I believe) at the behest of the military. By the 50's, the classic B&L Large Metal (58 eye version) was supplanted by the Skymaster (was it the C54??) with its bayonet temples which slid into flight helmets easily. I'm unaware of the term for brown lenses from B&L, that which AO called Cosmetan. The clear glasses worn by Gloria Steinem may not have been classic Large Metals: I seem to remember a zyl-covered browbar, which would make them the Outdoorsman model (62 eye).

There may be holes in my memory, who else was around during those times?

Yes! I took another look at the photo, and carefully viewed the nose-pad attachment. Definitety AO!

B

[Judy Canty]

According to my "Drew", AO's brown lens was Cosmetan introduced in the mid-1950's.

[harry a saake]

According to my "Drew", AO's brown lens was Cosmetan introduced in the mid-1950's.

Ok, the real story, as most of you know i worked for B@L from 65 to 76
the original pilots glass came out in 1933, and was the 58 eye size with no brow bar, and had the G-15 lens
Simply put G-15 only means it transmits 15 percent of light, and blocks out 85 percent, G-31 which came out later, transmits 31 percent and blocks out 69 percent
The famous rayban name came from the marketing dept., and was simply the words turned around, it BANS RAYS, well bans rays did not sound to good, so they turned it around and thus was born raybans.
After they became enormously popular, in the ensuing years, many other colors were made, and became available as did other eye sizes, we had cosmetan, which was your brown, kalichrome, which was yellow and became an instant hit with hunters and shooters, so much that a famous shooter by the name of Decot invented a different shape frame and B@L named it after him, and i made many of them in rx,s
In 1965 they were selling so well that B@L, up in the rochester plant, use to work three shifts around the clock at least 5 days a week
with this popularity B@l realized that they had to make different sizes to accomodate the population, and thus we saw the 62 eye size followed by the small 52 eyesize that B@l figured would go over with kids and small ladies. he last size made by them was the very large 64 eye size
OF course with all of this in later years had B@L trying all sorts of lens colors, in fact G-15 was once made polarized and was one good lens.

One more for you history buffs, B@L actually made a lens never distributed here in the states, which was called a G-50, and was made mostly for the italian market, i have actually seen and had these in my hands

[Darryl Meister]

Great stuff, Harry!

Best regards,
Darryl

[Chris Ryser]

In the 1950s in Europe we used to sell sunglasses with Zeiss Umbral (brown) lenses which was the tops at that time, until the Ray-Ban Aviator hit the market with their green lenses, and became the sunglasses of the ones that could afford to pay the 115.00 (Swiss Francs) for these gold filled good quality frames. They became 10K electro gold plated in the late 1960s, then 5k and probably painted these days.

[Jim Schafer]

when we were in the pilot plant for the sunlens projects of the early 1980's, we were told that the Ray Ban G-15 color space was developed in the early 1930's by B&L from government funds through the Army Air Corp. The term G-15 supposedly was for Government 15 (someone had corrected us about that term when we referred to it as Gray 15) Like Harry said, the 15 was for 15% transmission. Harry's dates of the 1933 introduction match the time line of the story we heard.

B&L scientists hit it right out park with the G15 color space. I love that lens.

I remember Ray Ban doing a retro promotion using WWII art of pilots and aircrews with the aviator frames,...probably when Top Gun came out and refueled the aviator craze... the images were very cool and were suitable for framing!

i believe there are pix of Ted Williams wearing his aviators sitting in a Corsair

[Mick]

Ok, the real story, as most of you know i worked for B@L from 65 to 76
the original pilots glass came out in 1933, and was the 58 eye size with no brow bar, and had the G-15 lens
Simply put G-15 only means it transmits 15 percent of light, and blocks out 85 percent, G-31 which came out later, transmits 31 percent and blocks out 69 percent
The famous rayban name came from the marketing dept., and was simply the words turned around, it BANS RAYS, well bans rays did not sound to good, so they turned it around and thus was born raybans.
After they became enormously popular, in the ensuing years, many other colors were made, and became available as did other eye sizes, we had cosmetan, which was your brown, kalichrome, which was yellow and became an instant hit with hunters and shooters, so much that a famous shooter by the name of Decot invented a different shape frame and B@L named it after him, and i made many of them in rx,s
In 1965 they were selling so well that B@L, up in the rochester plant, use to work three shifts around the clock at least 5 days a week
with this popularity B@l realized that they had to make different sizes to accomodate the population, and thus we saw the 62 eye size followed by the small 52 eyesize that B@l figured would go over with kids and small ladies. he last size made by them was the very large 64 eye size
OF course with all of this in later years had B@L trying all sorts of lens colors, in fact G-15 was once made polarized and was one good lens.

One more for you history buffs, B@L actually made a lens never distributed here in the states, which was called a G-50, and was made mostly for the italian market, i have actually seen and had these in my hands

I also worked for B&L form 64 till 77 in the Dallas and Oklahoma City branches. I had many of these same experiences. We once recieved some G-50 lenses, a very light green (green 1) in kryptok bifocal. I was told these were for the South American market.

[kat]

Never worked for B&L but I do have a pair of Outdoorsman Ambermatics in my collection of "goodies"

[Mick]

As I understood it, Ambermatic was a photogray that was exposed , under pressure and heat to a rare gas.

[kat]

Ambermatics are a photosensitive Amber colored lens that changes to a deep brown hasn't been available since B&L days

[Browman]

Ambermatics are a photosensitive Amber colored lens that changes to a deep brown hasn't been available since B&L days

Had something similar to this in high school (this is going back a decade)-- a yellow lens that turned into a dark amber/brown in the sun. The yellow was much deeper than most opthalmic tints, leaning away from highlighter yellow towards a goldenrod. I want to say they were the Transitions Splitz but I don't recall my OD's office carrying Transitions.

[finefocus]

Splitz came in three color combo's, none of which were like Ambermatic. They resulted from (or were byproducts of, really) research Transitions did looking to improve the breed. They were goofy colors, more novelty than useful product. As I remember, they were blue-turns-to-green, pink-turns-to-purple, and yellow-turns-to-orange. They were never released in a broad range of lens types/materials, and didn't last long in the marketplace.

[Browman]

Splitz came in three color combo's, none of which were like Ambermatic. They resulted from (or were byproducts of, really) research Transitions did looking to improve the breed. They were goofy colors, more novelty than useful product. As I remember, they were blue-turns-to-green, pink-turns-to-purple, and yellow-turns-to-orange. They were never released in a broad range of lens types/materials, and didn't last long in the marketplace.

That sounds about right-- I had a blue-to-green pair, as well. As I recall, they were actually quite functional. The green and orange were much closer to G-15 and a standard Brown 3 than to "novelty" colors; and the indoor colors were a nice touch for an awkward teenager adjusting to the idea of wearing glasses. I'm surprised they didn't survive as a niche product, rather than going out completely.

[chip anderson]

Actually the Ambermatic was a favorite with hunters and shooters as the yellow filtered out haze in the morning on hazy days and the darker brown was good for mid or bright days. I cannot remember (only use it every five years or so) but there is a similar product available still.

Chip

[harry a saake]

Mick, since you worked up in another division, i don,t think i know you, i was in the ne div and then the se division. I had the pleasure of working for the dean of all lab managers, who at the time we started working together, had been with B@L for 50 years, and that was Harry Jesco, wonder if you knew him. We opened up and ran the first high speed safety glass only, lab in newburgh , NY, back in 1969. We had the latest in coburn equipment including the first coburn automatic generator. We thought we was in hog heaven, it was so easy to do procedures, until the equipment broke down and we had to wait for buddy Cohen to show up.
There is another optiboarder here who also worked in in the same time period, and that is JRS, surprised we have not heard from him by now as he could also ad a lot to this time period

[Chris Ryser]

We thought we was in hog heaven, it was so easy to do procedures, until the equipment broke down and we had to wait for buddy Cohen to show up.
There is another optiboarder here who also worked in in the same time period, and that is JRS, surprised we have not heard from him by now as he could also ad a lot to this time period

I opened up a fully Coburn equipped lab on 1965 in Montreal, a time when the machinery business was totally controlled by the big corporations which refused to sell their equipment to independent newcomers. Even the bevel edger was Corburn, whith the latest technologies, the chuck was working with air pressure.
2 years later we got the first automatic Weco edger which had a diamond roughing wheel with a ceramic finishing wheel that made the nicest hide a bevels.

[Mick]

Growing up in the biz @ B&L Dallas, we were relatively close to Muskogee, so we saw Bill ? Coburn from time to time. The old timers knew him when he was peddling his rocket lens blocker out of his Olds Rocket 88, hince the coburn Rocket logo. We had the 108 generator, then got a 113H. which was a dream, because you didn't have to stand over the grinding chamber inhaling the pella oil. We also had the air driven diamond edger. What a giant leap forward after the Shuron ceramic edger.