Collection: Essel

Essel embodies a French optical tradition rooted in scientific rigor and industrial precision. Unlike fashion houses, the brand develops primarily functional frames, designed to meet prescription and vision protection standards, while maintaining the care given to materials and finishes. Vintage Essel frames are distinguished by their formal simplicity, quality fit, and discreet details—interior engraving, visible rivets, and muted colors.

Essel was founded in Morez, in the Jura region, at the beginning of the 20th century. It specialized in the manufacture of optical lenses and frames. By the 1950s, Essel had become one of the major players in the optical industry in France. In 1972, the company merged with Silor, a manufacturer specializing in organic lenses, to form the Essilor group, now a global player in the optical industry. Essel frames manufactured before this date bear witness to a time when French manufacturers developed their own lines of frames, alongside their glassmaking activities. These glasses were distributed through optician networks under their own brand, often stamped “Essel France.”

Vintage Essel sunglasses are often made of full acetate, with panto, oval, or soft rectangular shapes. The style remains classic, sometimes inspired by American models of the time, but with finishes specific to the French tradition: riveted hinges, sculpted bridge, curved temples. We also find models in gold or silver metal, particularly in the collections of the 60s, with wire temples and curved sleeves. The sun lenses, often mineral, have a uniform tint, gray or brown, sometimes slightly gradient. The engraving “ESSEL” appears on certain temples, in discreet capitals.

Essel is one of the two French manufacturers behind the creation of the Essilor group in 1972. Essel frames, produced mainly between the 1950s and 1970s, reflect the technical and functional approach of post-war French optics, focused on reliable materials and ergonomic fit.

Vintage Essel sunglasses represent an important part of French optical history, before the merger that would create Essilor. Their appeal lies in the quality of the materials, the precision of the assemblies, and a sober aesthetic, far from the logic of fashion. They offer an interesting alternative to couture pieces, for lovers of well-designed utilitarian objects. Finally, their increasing rarity on the secondary market, particularly in good original condition, makes them sought-after objects by collectors interested in French industrial history.