Persol ⚠️ With reservations

Italian handcrafted sunglasses since 1917. Patented Meflecto system, crystal lenses, exceptional finishing. Steve McQueen's glasses became a cultural icon.

Turin, 1917. Giuseppe Ratti is an optician. He makes eyewear for pilots and racing drivers between the wars. No brand yet - just Ratti, the Turin optician who makes lenses that stay on at speed.

In 1938, after twenty-one years of innovation, the brand takes the name Persol. From 'per il sole' - for the sun. The Meflecto hinge, flexible and patented, becomes the technical signature. The Arrow, that small silver arrow on the temples inspired by ancient swords, becomes the visual hallmark that everyone copies.

Model 649 is born in 1957. Designed for Turin tram drivers who needed large glasses to shield against dust and wind. A utilitarian object, not a fashion accessory. Marcello Mastroianni transforms it into an icon by wearing it in 'Divorce Italian Style' (1961).

Then Steve McQueen adopts the folding 714 in 'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1968). Jack Nicholson follows. Daniel Craig wears them in James Bond films. Each decade, a new face, the same object.

Acquired by Luxottica in 1995 (now EssilorLuxottica). Plastic frames are still made in Italy, in cellulose acetate, at the Lauriano factory in Piedmont. Production remains artisanal for iconic models.

The Persol paradox: a brand owned by the world's largest eyewear conglomerate that has kept the DNA and production of an Italian workshop. Rare.