Persol Mens Sunglasses

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Persol has been making sunglasses in Italy since 1917, and the silver arrow on the temple is the mark to look for. The range here covers the 649 and the folding 714 in its Steve

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About Persol sunglasses

Giuseppe Ratti was a photographer who owned an optician's shop in Turin, and in 1917 he started making glasses in a small courtyard on Via Caboto for pilots and racing drivers — round smoked lenses with rubber edges, held on with an elastic band. The Italian air force adopted them, then several others including the Americans. The name came in 1930 and it is simply a contraction of per il sole, for the sun.

Two things from that period still define the brand. The Meflecto system, patented in 1934, was the world's first flexible temple — cylinders threaded onto a steel core so the arms adapt to the head rather than gripping it, which is why a pair of Persols can be worn all day. And the silver arrow on the hinge, taken from the swords of ancient warriors, which is how you identify a genuine pair from across a room.

The Persol 649 and 714

The 649 was designed in 1957 for the tram drivers of Turin, who needed something large enough to keep dust and wind out of their eyes on open trams. Marcello Mastroianni wore a pair in Divorce Italian Style in 1961 and it stopped being workwear. It still uses the three-notch flexible bridge developed in the 1930s.

The 714 is the 649 made to fold — at the bridge and at both temples. It takes more than ten extra production steps, which is why it costs more than the fixed version. Steve McQueen wore a pair on the set of The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968 and the association has never gone away; the Steve McQueen edition stocked here is the direct descendant.

Choosing a Persol frame

The model numbers look impenetrable and are worth decoding, because they tell you what you are getting. The first part is the model — 649, 714, 3019S — and the numbers after it are the frame and lens colour code and the lens width in millimetres. So a 52 is a narrower frame than a 55, which matters more than the shape does if you are buying without trying on.

On lenses, several pairs here are polarised, which cuts reflected glare off water, roads and glass. Persol's crystal lenses are mineral glass rather than plastic — heavier, more scratch resistant, and optically sharper. The product page states which a frame uses.

Browse all sunglasses at Yards Store, or see what we have in our Manchester and Sheffield shops.

Persol FAQs

Persol's flexible temple, patented in 1934 and the first of its kind. Small cylinders are threaded onto a steel core inside the arms, so the temples flex and adapt to the shape of the head rather than clamping it. It is the reason Persol frames tend to stay comfortable over a long day, and it is still fitted across the range.
The 714 is a folding version of the 649. It hinges at the bridge and at both temples so it packs flat, which takes more than ten additional production steps and is why it costs more. Otherwise the shape is the same. The 649 was designed in 1957 for Turin tram drivers; the 714 is the one Steve McQueen wore in The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968.
It is the Silver Arrow, the brand's trademark since the 1930s, set into the hinge on the temple and modelled on the swords of ancient warriors. The current version is called the Supreme arrow. It is the quickest way to identify a genuine pair.
In Italy. The company started in Turin in 1917 and the acetate frames are still made in Italy from cellulose acetate. Persol is now part of the Luxottica group.
The first part is the model — 649, 714, 3019S and so on. The digits after it are the colour code for the frame and lens, and the final two are the lens width in millimetres. A 52 is narrower than a 55, which is the most useful number if you are buying online and unsure about fit.