American Optical Hudson Prescription Sunglasses Unboxing

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American Optical his a rich history, and was founded in 1833 by William Beecher in South Bridge, MA. They were the first to produce a pair of eyeglasses from non-precious metals, using thin steel wire, which lowered the cost of glasses. They created the first rimless glasses in 1874, and in 1892 they became the largest optical company on the planet, with 800 employees producing 2M pairs of glasses and 3M pairs of lenses. In 1917, they set of military field units to perform eye exams and fit soldiers with glasses, and in 1918 they were the first company to supply flight goggles to US military pilots using a design that would later evolve into the first Aviator sunglasses (1935). In 1930, Jimmy Doolittle wore AO Flight Googles on a record-breaking transcontinental flight. In the same year, AO debuted the Ful-Vue frame which moved the temple from the center to the top of the lens, giving better peripheral vision and revolutionizing eyewear. It was a rimless design that weighed as much as a paperclip. In 1942 AO partnered with Polaroid and launched Cool-Ray sunglasses, which were the first polarized lenses in eyewear history. In 1943 Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower and General Mark Clark both wore AO sunglasses while leading the military through key moments of World War II. In 1958, AO launched the FG-58 for American Military Pilots, which they still make today as the Original Pilot, which were also the first sunglasses on the moon, worn by the entire Apollo 11 crew. They featured bayonet-style temples designed to easily fit under pilot helmets and head gear (as opposed to the skull temples most people are familiar with). JFK gave a speech at the AO factory. He was a loyal AO customer throughout his life, wearing the iconic Saratoga sunglasses which you can still buy today. In 1976, the Original Pilot is worn by Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver. In 2019, they moved their headquarters to Chicago, IL. The following year AO re-released the Original Pilot, the General, and Saratoga and also started production on a range of new styles, like the AO1004.

Hicks G Brunson managed a shop for American Optical in Tulsa, OK. In the late 1940’s, AO began selling their optical shops off around the country, and he purchased the shop that he had been managing and renamed it Hicks Brunson Opticians in 1952. Daniel Brunson is his grandson.

AO makes their sunglass lenses from nylon, which have superb visual clarity while being much more lightweight than other lens materials. Each pair of sunglasses come with an amazing leather case the snaps shut, as well as a signature oversized cleaning cloth. For the vintage models, the cloth has the original blueprint for the sunglasses you purchased.

This Hudson offers a bold aesthetic with this Gray Travertine acetate sunglasses made in a classic, rectangular, larger men’s size (57-19-145). It is easy to wear, and has all of AO’s signature vintage touches, such as the classic spearhead decor, a subtle keyhole bridge for style and enhanced comfort, a 7-barrel hinge that is probably one of the most sturdy hinges in the eyewear industry today, all for a very affordable price, in keeping with the AO Founder’s vision. Despite their size, they are very well balanced, so they are surprisingly light on the face, and offer all-day comfort for the wearer.

I replaced the original sunglasses lenses with Zeiss ClearView single vision freeform prescription trivex lenses with UV protection. I chose an Urban gradient grey sun tint that starts at 90% at the top of the lens and fades to 40% at the bottom (Zeiss EDI Code 469). I added a Zeiss Duravision Gold Anti-reflective (AR) coating to the back of the lens. I chose the Gold AR instead of Platinum (which is the newest one), because Gold has a blue flash mirror effect on the front of the lens, whereas Platinum shows up as green. The blue flash mirror effect goes great with the grey tint and travertine frame.