Men's Sunglasses

Aviators, wayfarers and wraparound sport frames:

the shape settles most of the fit. A metal aviator is light, has thin temples and comes in more than one lens width, so the same model can look neat on one face and oversized on another. Acetate wayfarers and square frames such as the Oakley Holbrook sit flatter, weigh more and suit a broader face, while sport wraps curve round the eye to block light from the sides. Fishing glasses are a group of their own, polarized and usually wrapped. On the boats that leave Puerto San José after sailfish, that lens cuts the surface glare enough to see a fish rise behind the lures, and a wide brim from men’s hats and caps takes care of the light coming in over the frame.

Polarized lenses, helmets and phone screens:

polarization strips the glare off water, wet asphalt and windscreens, but it comes on top of UV protection rather than replacing it, so the label should say UV400 either way. Guatemala has more motorcycles than private cars, plenty of riders follow a phone clamped to the handlebar, and at some angles a polarized lens turns that screen black: try a pair against your own phone before you settle on it. Under a full-face helmet, thin metal temples slide in easily, while thick acetate arms start pressing on the head well before the ride is over. The darkest lens grade carries a marking that says it is not for driving.

A used Ray-Ban against a new one:

new Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses run from about Q1,500 to Q2,700 in Guatemala, while an unbranded fashion pair is around Q100. A used branded pair lands somewhere between, and the lenses decide where. Clean lenses, the case and the receipt keep it close to new; scratches across the line of sight pull it well down, because genuine replacement lenses cost a real share of a new pair and a buyer prices that in.

Temple codes, lens etching and heat crazing:

start inside the left temple. Ray-Ban codes begin with RB and Oakley sunglass codes with OO, followed by the model number; search the full code on the brand’s own site and check that shape and colour match. The small RB etched into a Ray-Ban lens is worth finding, but good copies reproduce it, so a missing etch rules a pair out more than a present one proves it. Oakley works the other way round: an O on a non-prescription lens marks a copy, and genuine lens markings are etched, never printed or stuck on. Crazing, a web of fine cracks in the coating that shows when you hold the lenses to the light, comes from heat, usually a parked car’s dashboard. On fishing glasses salt dries into the hinges, so open both arms and feel for play. To confirm polarization, look at a phone screen and rotate the glasses slowly: a polarized lens darkens it.

Listing a pair with the temple codes in shot:

photograph the front, both inner temples with the codes readable, the lenses held against a light and the case if you kept it. Say whether the lenses are polarized or prescription, mention scratches or a loose screw, and call a replica a replica. A watch you are letting go at the same time belongs in men’s watches. A buyer writing from Quetzaltenango or Retalhuleu wants to see those codes before making the trip, and a rider will want to know whether the frame fits under a full-face helmet, so if you wore it under yours, say so.

FAQ:

• Can my prescription go into a used frame?

  Usually, if the frame is straight and the hinges are sound; an optician cuts new lenses to your prescription. Deeply curved wraps limit what can be fitted.

• Do photochromic lenses work as sunglasses in the car?

  Not well. They darken under UV light, and a windscreen blocks most of it, so behind the glass they stay pale.