VIEUX Versailles Sunglasses, Cubano

The Versailles is drawn from the countersunk archways of the palace, the recessed stone that makes a doorway look deeper than the wall. VIEUX took that stepped edge and sculpted it into the front of a square frame.

It sits differently from the other VIEUX shapes because of the bridge. At 25mm it is wider than the Moda or the St Jean, so the lenses sit further apart and the square reads broader across the face.

Cubano is a deep tortoiseshell with a brown lens. The acetate is hard density cellulose over a beta titanium wire plated in 24k gold, with seven-barrel COMOTEC hinges and Japanese CR-39 lenses. VIEUX make no more than 100 frames in each colour and number every one.

On a Friday the drive down runs south out of the city late in the afternoon. For the last stretch the sun sits low in the driver's window and stays there.

Spec

• Hard density cellulose acetate
• 24k gold plated beta titanium wire core
• Japanese CR-39 lenses, anti-reflective and hard coated
• 100% UVA and UVB protection
• Seven-barrel COMOTEC hinges, Italian engineered
• VX signature inlaid temple tips
• Laser-etched frame number
• Lens 47mm, bridge 25mm, temple 145mm

Fit. A square frame with a 25mm bridge, wider than the Moda or St Jean. The titanium core inside the acetate holds the shape and takes an adjustment.