What's for sale?
This is a pair of "new old stock", original American Ray-Ban sunglasses with high-quality Bausch & Lomb glass lenses.
These frames are the Traditonals Style C in Blonde Tortoise colour scheme.
The lenses are coded "G-15". These are the excellent, non-polarized, grey-green lens introduced in 1953. They block 85% of visible light and 100% of UV light. They're colour-neutral, so all colours are transmitted equally and colour perception is unchanged.
Included is the official B & L Ray-Ban soft case with bridge support.
Their condition is classed as new old stock: they were manufactured in the 1980s or 90s and have never been retailed. This is significant because Bausch & Lomb sold Ray-Ban in 1999 and they're no longer made in America or with these lenses. During the 1990s Ray-Ban sales declined, so this is an opportunity to buy high quality sunglasses that are no longer made.
Who made them and when?
They are American Ray-Bans made by Bausch & Lomb with both lenses engraved "BL". They're probably from the 1980s or 1990s.
The frames carry the codes:
- B&L III D TOR 140
- 140 BAUSCH & LOMB USA
- B&L 55[]19
What condition are they in?
Please remember when viewing the photographs that some have been taken at a greater magnification than normal vision.
- New old stock: i.e. they haven't been retailed, are unworn and unused
- In very good condition
- The case shows storage and handling marks
What are the measurements?
- Each lens is a maximum 55mm wide and 50mm high
- The frames are a maximum 140mm wide and 53mm high
- The bridge is 19mm
- The temple arm length is 140mm
- They weigh 42 grams
How are glasses measured?
- Some frames have their sizes printed on the arms
- Look for a pair of numbers separated by a square and a three-digit number on its own (e.g. "52[]19 ... 140")
- The first two numbers are the lens and bridge widths. The three-digit number is the temple arm length
- Lens widths are from 40 to 62mm, bridges 14 to 22mm and arms 120 to 150mm
- The bridge is measured where the gap between the lenses is narrowest (not the frames)
- The arm is measured from the hinge along its full length, including around the bend
- It's easiest to compare online measurements with similarly-shaped glasses that you already have
- The key measurement is the frame width. Rest a ruler on the bridge of your nose, level with your eyes and measure the width between your temples in millimetres (we'll call this A). Take the frame width of the glasses and subtract 6mm (we'll call this B). If A and B are within 2mm of each other, the glasses are more likely to fit.
If you have any questions, just send an email to help@3bcshop.com.
