They may not be barely there, but Oakley’s new Jury sunglasses are made from aerospace aluminum alloy to create a lightweight metal pair of shades. “We wanted Jury to be made of metal but still provide the comfort of a lightweight design,” said Oakley CEO Colin Baden in a company statement. “The grade of aluminum used by machine industry mills was nowhere near our targeted profile, so we turned to the aerospace industry.”
The company sees the material as achieving Oakley’s goal of blending science and art. The aerospace aluminum alloy was originally engineered to “take the punishment that aircraft and space vehicles endure,” said Baden.
Custom engineering was necessary to achieve the spring hinge mechanisms. The challenge Oakley faced was that milling and machine tolerances had to be within a thousandth of an inch. The frame is enhanced with Unobtanium (created by Oakley) stem sleeves that increase the grip when you perspire. This is designed for a Three-Point Fit that optimizes for comfort. The frame makes contact only at the bridge of the nose and the sides of the head. The Three-Point Fit also holds the lenses in precise alignment.
The optics of the dual-lens frame follow a continuous contour, which requires the equivalent of cutting each lens from single toric shields. Oakley employed Polaric Ellipsoid lens geometry, which was used to maintain sharp, accurate vision for all angles of view. The Jury also features High Definition Optics, which allows the glasses to exceed all Z87.1 standards for optical clarity and precision established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The glasses meet all ANSI Z87.1 standards for high mass and high velocity impact resistance.
Plutinite lenses of the Oakley Jury filter out 100% of all UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light up to 400nm. You can choose to get optional Iridium lens coating to balance light transmissions and reduce glare.
That’s a lot of elements in the new Jury glasses. For a limited time, a special edition of Oakley Jury sunglasses will be available at Sunglasses Hut with a special finish called “Distressed Silver.” While these are available, Oakley will feature a special exhibit of Jury along with the lineage of Oakley design innovation eyewear at the Sunglasses Hut on 5th Avenue and 48th Street in New York.
