American Optical can credibly claim to be the ‘oldest and
greatest optical company in American history.’ Founded in 1833 by trained jeweller William Beecher to fulfil his ambition of bringing high-quality eyewear to the American masses, we revolutionised glasses over the following century with innovations ranging from the first steel-framed spectacles to the
first rimless lenses.

Trailblazing is in our DNA. We not only pioneered polarised
lenses with our revolutionary ‘Cool-Ray’ sunglasses; we were also the first company to supply pilots’ goggles to the US Air Force.  We were later contracted by the US Army Air Corps to develop specially designed sunglasses for aviators, producing the now-iconic
and often-imitated aviator style, currently embodied in the General and Original Pilot models that adorn the faces of fighter pilots and US presidents to this day.

Still made in the USA, American Optical sunglasses remain a
byword for a combination of supreme build quality and classic yet unpretentious style. Its range caters for both rugged, adventure-seeking types and the more refined or rakish gentleman (or lady).