Ray Ban: Original sunglasses by B&L USA


In 1937, the American eyewear brand Ray-Ban was founded in Rochester by Bausch&Lomb and sold to the Italian eyewear manufacturer Luxottica in 1999. Many glorious years of sunglasses history, with numerous patents and many famous spectacle wearers, lie in-between.
The difference between an old pair of USA Ray-Ban vintage sunglasses from Bausch&Lomb and a new pair of Luxottica Ray-Ban sunglasses from Italy is no longer known only to connoisseurs and collectors. Meanwhile, more and more glasses lovers are interested in the exciting history of the old Ray-Ban sunglasses.
Bausch&Lomb, a manufacturer of medical-optical products, was originally commissioned by the US Air Force to develop aviator goggles. Quality, functionality, and design were adapted to the needs of the pilots, which led to the first "Aviator sunglasses" in 1937. As it was initially exclusively a military product and not a fashion accessory, the name "Ray-Ban" (stands for "radiation protection") originated incidentally at this time.
Other models followed in the
The unique variety and fabulous quality of the old US Ray-Ban sunglasses can still be explained today for, as a consequence of the high investments of the military, real research was carried out on how to optimally protect pilots’ eyes.
Later, thanks in particular to some prominent sunglass wearers in the 1960s, the actual military sunglasses came increasingly into public focus. For example, John F. Kennedy wore Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses during the 1962 "missile crisis", which have since become the best-selling model in the world.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Bausch&Lomb recognized the commercial value of the pilot sunglasses which had been developed and succeeded in making a niche product world-famous with
The Blues Brothers made the Ray-Ban Wayfarer their trademark in 1980, as did Don Johnson in "Miami Vice" and Tom Cruise in "Risky Business".
Peter Fonda wore Ray-Ban Olympian I Deluxe glasses in the movie "Easy Rider" (1969), Clint Eastwood wore Ray-Ban Balorama sunglasses in the movie "Dirty Harry" (1971). Not to forget the legendary Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses from the 1986 film "Top Gun".
All these product placements led to the annual sales figures skyrocketing from a few thousand to several million units.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Bausch&Lomb, like many other renowned eyewear manufacturers at that time, experienced a dramatic drop in sales. Consumers were suddenly no longer prepared to spend a lot of money on quality
Although Bausch&Lomb rebelled with new Ray-Ban sunglasses models and Olympic collections, in 1999 they decided to sell the "Ray-Ban" brand to the Italian eyewear manufacturer Luxottica.
Only years later did the US realize which child of the country it had given up. Luxottica masterfully combined the American image of Ray-Ban with modern production processes and made Ray-Ban the number one sunglasses brand.
Optically, an old pair of USA Ray-Ban sunglasses hardly differs at first sight from a new Luxottica-Ray-Ban, but the differences become clear at
All old original Ray-Ban sunglasses have "B&L USA Bausch&Lomb" engraved in the frame as well as the legendary "B&L" engraving on the lenses. In addition, the glass lenses of the old Ray-Ban Bausch&Lomb sunglasses are made of hardened mineral glass, which makes the entire model heavier and more valuable than the new reproductions.
There are some other, further differences in the individual model series.
For these reasons, there is still a large fan base of sunglasses lovers who pay close attention to these differences and almost adore the quality of the old USA Ray-Ban glasses from Bausch&Lomb.