Wayfarer: The timeless glasses from the 50s

Wayfarers have long reached cult status. Used primarily as sunglasses in the ’80s, the glasses graced the noses of Wall Street bankers, rockers and women alike. In recent years, she is experiencing a renaissance, both as optical as well as chic sunglasses in different colors.

No less popular than the well-known aviator sunglasses

The original Wayfarer comes from the hands of the American brand „Ray Ban“. It was also the iconic „aviator“, one AviatorsDesigned in the middle of the 20th century. The original Wayfarer frame appeared on the market for the first time in 1952, designed by Raymond Stegeman at the time and made completely of plastic – which was already a special feature for those days. Especially in the middle of the 20th century, glasses were mainly made of heavy and thin metal frames. The thick temple of Wayfarer This was just as much a contrast as the larger glass width and the striking bridge. For the past seven decades, the Wayfarer then go through new developments and changes again and again. The most well-known variant appeared in the 80’s, whereby after the turn of the millennium again a fundamental adjustment took place, with which the Wayfarer Overall, a little smaller and slimmer.

Today the Wayfarer Although still associated with the Ray Ban brand, but the name has long since emerged as a general description of the form – similar to the drink „Cola“ just not just the „Coca Cola“ is meant. Consequently, eyewear enthusiasts can be a chic Wayfarer meanwhile buy from many different brands and even for a small price. Because these do not come directly from Ray Ban, you will not find the succinct logo on their temples. At the same time, of course, the exact dimensions differ. In addition to the pure frame interested people should also pay attention to the glasses, especially if it is a pair of sunglasses. Not all cheap Wayfarer models work forcibly with high-quality UV protection glass, as one is used to from renowned brands.

What should be considered when buying a Wayfarer?

First of all, the succinct form naturally has to fit the face. Here several factors play a role so that the glasses actually sit well. First, it should be considered that this has no nostrils, but the bridge of the glasses is directly on the nose. Men and women with thinner running noses should therefore opt for a model with a narrow bridge, otherwise the glasses could quickly and annoying back and slide. The original model works with a 2.2 cm bridge bridge. Anyone planning to use optical lenses in a Wayfarer model must be aware that this model is not suitable for vision levels above 3 to a maximum of 4 diopters. This is due to the long bridge and the considerable height and width of the glasses. High-power glasses would become very thick even when heavily refracted, throwing unsightly glass rings.

If you only want to wear them as sunglasses, you must ensure that you have adequate UV protection. High-quality glasses protect against both UVA and UVB radiation. The quality of the glasses can be attested, among other things, by complying with the prescribed DIN standards. For sunglasses, these would be EN 1836 and EN ISO 12312-1: 2013. With a built-in polarization can be further reduced glare reflections, which is advantageous if you want to use the wayfarer more often when driving. The color of the sun glasses depends on your own taste. The classic wayfarer uses black or black / green glasses with a gradient. Cheaper models usually use single-color lenses, while Ray Ban still uses this gradient on their wayfarers.