It began in 1957 in Roger Pouilloux’s workshops on Paris’ rue Boissy d’Anglas. This avant-garde optician and ski enthusiast would revolutionize the world of sunglasses by inventing an exceptional lens capable of both protecting him on the slopes and the streets by offering superior depth perception in overcast weather.
It would take a meeting for the story to become legend and the Skilynx lens to become the ultimate benchmark in eye protection. This meeting took place between Roger Pouilloux and Jean Vouarnet in1959, when the optician offered the French ski champion the 02 frames as a token of his admiration. It was with these glasses featuring the famous lenses that Jean Vouarnet would win the downhill skiing gold medal several months later in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. Following this victory, the two men, who shared a common passion and vision, forged a friendship and decided to join forces to create a brand that reflected their character: innovative, high-performance and elegant. Vuarnet was born.
VUARNET, A HALLMARK OF AUTHENTICITY
Vuarnet is today the only brand to produce its mineral lenses in its own Vuarnet factory in Meaux, on the aptly named rue des Freres Lumiere in France. Quality is ensured by unique know-how and continued small-scale production. One week’s work is required to craft a Vuarnet lens: selection of high-quality mass-tinted raw materials, exclusive lens coatings, the strict control of each of the seventeen steps in the manufacturing process, a host of requirements that guarantee optical clarity that can be seen at first glance. Each Vuarnet lens is engraved with a discreet signature representing the Brand’s initial on a ski, which guarantees its authenticity and prevents counterfeiting.
UNEQUALLED PRECISION
Vuarnet exclusively uses natural mineral glass. Due to its purity of origin, natural mineral glass does not distort the vision and guarantees high-resolution precision, far beyond the performance of plastic materials also known as organic and used by most brands.
MAXIMUM PROTECTION
Vuarnet’s natural mineral glass guarantees 100% protection against UV rays. This protection remains entirely unchanged over time thanks to its mass-tinted shade. Vuarnet glass is the only one in the world designed to absorb up to 98% of infrared rays, whereas the majority of sunglasses on the market do not absorb any. The brand’s signature mirror double gradient-tinted coating (LYNX) varies the intensity of the shade according to the area of the lens: the mirrored upper part of the lens is darker to counter the glare of the sun’s rays, the non-mirrored central section is slightly less tinted to preserve optimal clarity of vision, the mirrored lower part of the lens is darker to counter reverberation from the rays reflected by the ground, water or snow.
EXCEPTIONAL DURABILITY
Vuarnet natural mineral glass is scratch-resistant, thanks to the inherent hardness of the mineral glass and shock-resistant due to the glass’ safety treatment performed by chemical tempering.