Collection: Cebe

Cébé is historically associated with sports optics and high mountain sports. Its frames are designed with performance in mind: high sun protection, robust materials, and ergonomics tailored to active use. The design, often angular or enveloping, reflects a priority given to functionality. Vintage Cébé models adopt simple but effective lines, sometimes with side shields, reinforced bridges, or curved temples, directly linked to their initial use in extreme environments.

The Cébé brand was founded in Morez, in the Jura region, in 1892 by Jean-Louis Crestin-Billet, whose initials gave rise to the name “Cébé”. Initially specializing in optical equipment for high-risk professions (mountaineers, military personnel, pilots), Cébé established itself at the beginning of the 20th century as a manufacturer of technical sunglasses, particularly used in the Alps and on high-altitude expeditions. From the 1960s to the 1990s, the brand developed complete ranges for skiing, mountaineering, and outdoor sports, produced in France, with mineral or polycarbonate lenses, side protection, and reinforced structures. Some frames from this period have now become emblematic in the world of outdoor optics.

The most recognizable models are glacier glasses with side shields, sometimes made of leather, sometimes of injected plastic, like the Cébé 4000, produced in the 70s and 80s. There are also sporty wraparound frames with a single or double lens, widely used in winter sports and cycling. The materials vary depending on the use: acetate, injected plastic, lightweight aluminum. The temples are often curved, sometimes equipped with grips or cords. Some frames, although utilitarian, have a strong visual identity, with bright colors or matte finishes adapted to high-altitude light.

In the 1980s, Cébé equipped several Alpine expeditions, including those of mountaineer René Desmaison, and supplied glasses specifically designed for altitudes above 6,000 meters. The brand then became a reference in professional circles, at a time when few manufacturers offered sunglasses adapted to extreme conditions of light, cold, and glare. Some of these frames are now preserved in private collections or museums linked to the history of mountaineering.

Vintage Cébé sunglasses are of interest to optical enthusiasts for their functional as well as historical value. They bear witness to a time when French eyewear was developing high-end technical products for professional or sports use. Their utilitarian, sometimes brutalist design contrasts with fashion models from the same periods and embodies an aesthetic born of constraint. Their production in the Jura region and targeted distribution make them rare pieces on the second-hand market, particularly when they retain their original elements (lenses, shells, cords).