Persol PO0649 24/57 Review

The Persol PO649's or 649's as they are more commonly known were originally popularized by the late Steve McQueen. Yes, the 'King of Cool'. As well as wearing the folding Persol 714's he was also photographed wearing the 649's.

I recently purchased a pair of the Persol 649's as I was in need of a good pair of high quality sunglasses. I was looking at Oliver Peoples also but eventually decided on the Persol 649's due to a personal preference in design characteristics and feel, having tried on the Oliver Peoples previously. I purchased the PO0649 24/57, these have a Havana frame with brown polarized lenses (Lens size 52mm - plenty large enough for most face shapes). The Persol 649's were originally manufactured in 1957. These are the current re-issue of those same glasses. 

Persol PO649's retail at approximately £240 however online they can be had between 170-200 from respected dealers. I had great difficulty finding a pair to try on before committing to buy these sunglasses and in the end, had to order them online with the reassurance of a free return should they not fit properly. It is worth noting that I am based in the UK and the place closest to me on the official stock-list was London which was inconvenient to get to at the time. I received my Persol's in the classic Persol grey textured box. Some fancy cardboard essentially, but it was certainly attractive. Contained was a small Luxottica catalog along with a brown Persol branded cleaning cloth and leather case containing the glasses themselves.

So far initial impressions were good and the presentation was pleasing. On to the glasses, which had cellophane sleeves on the arms to protect them in transit which was a nice touch. The glasses themselves were weighty when I first handled them, I put this down to the glass lenses as opposed to plastic seen in many popular sunglasses. They felt good in the hand and the hinges were heavy which gave the feeling of a solid construction.

Fit was questionable at first. I have a rather large head and whilst the frame of the lenses from the front fit my face well and complemented my structure the temple arms were too short. By this I mean they were curving before meeting my ear. To correct this problem I took them to my optometrist who used a hotbox to correct the acetate and bend the arms out to give a more skullfit to the sunglasses. 

Upon further inspection of the details, it is hard not to feel special with the 'Hand Made in Italy' inscription on the inside of the right temple arm.

Overall the 649's have a beautiful feel that I, personally feel justifies the outlay upon purchasing, compared to other brands of sunglasses. They have a timeless style that complements many facial structures and appearances, making them a solid choice for functional, stand-out eyewear without being a statement. 

I would feel more comfortable mentioning that I am in no way affiliated with Persol or Luxottica or any of their other affiliated companies and that this review is entirely independent and correlates directly to my personal experience.

Thanks for reading.