School me: should I buy modern or vintage Persols?

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post #1 of 7

8/26/11 at 11:41am

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streetwaves

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Alright guys, so I'm looking into buying either some Persol 649s or 714 folding glasses. But I have read that since Persol is owned by Luxottica, their quality may have gone down. My question is this: should I not worry about the Luxottica connection and just buy some modern Persols (which apparently still say "handmade in Italy"), or should I seek out some vintage "Ratti" Persols instead. I can find some NWT modern Persols for $200 or less, but I don't know how much a classic pair would cost.

Also, do the vintage Ratti Persols use the same model numbers? Because I look for Persol 649 on ebay and find what seems to mostly be the new ones. Thanks!

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post #2 of 7

8/26/11 at 12:18pm

bourbonbasted
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I bought 714s new for under $200. They are awesome sunglasses, extremely well made and you get the warranty from Luxottica with them. I have handled a pair of vintage Persols and they seemed to be very well made and classic. However, you obviously sacrifice warranty and, because they are of the "ever-cool" vintage persuasion, they can be difficult to hunt down at a reasonable price IME.

post #3 of 7

8/26/11 at 2:30pm

rnguy001

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Just bought a pair for Persol Aviators for about $265 which is a lot for me. Gotta say they're amazing

R

post #4 of 7

8/26/11 at 2:36pm

ArliHawk`

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I've got some ones I bought last year and they seem to be well built.

I did notice Sunglass Hut has a lot of vintage frames for sale, but it's hard for me to justify the premium.

post #5 of 7

8/27/11 at 8:11am

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streetwaves

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Thanks for the replies guys. I didn't know this but my friend has a pair of new 714s and I checked them out yesterday. They seem quite nice, but I don't have any Rattis to compare them to.

What about the difference between the vintage models and new ones looks-wise? Are they pretty close or are there major differences?

post #6 of 7

9/2/11 at 7:38pm

kubunggo

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Vintage 714s are difficult to find and costs a premium compared to the Luxotica re-issues. They also have slight differences in the shape of the frames. They also have the supreme double arrow on the earstems since they fold inwards toward the lenses and not top-to-bottom, like the Luxotica reissues. The closest re-issue 714 to the vintage ones are the 714SM (Steve McQueen), but the frame still looks like it was cut from the re-issue pattern.

The 649s pretty much stayed the same all throughout with slight differences.

While the vintage havana/light havana/tortoise frames are most sought-after by collectors, the black-framed ones are much harder to find.

Of course, the vintage ones say "RATTI" and the "Persol R" lens marker is on the interior of the glasses on upper corners of each lens, unlike the re-issues where "Persol" is on the upper corner of the right lens like rayban.

post #7 of 7

9/2/11 at 9:03pm