The Persol 714 is the folding version of the 649 — the same Italian acetate shape, hinged at the bridge and at both temples so it collapses flat into a pocket. We stock Persol at 342 Oxford Street, Paddington, so you can try the 714 on or have us order a size and colour in.
What the 714 is
Persol took the 649, its tram-driver shape from the 1950s, and worked out how to fold it. The 714 hinges in three places — once at the bridge and once at each temple — so the frame goes flat and small without giving up the proportions of the original. It was the first folding sunglass of its type, and the construction has been in continuous production since the 1960s because nobody has improved on it.
The 714SM is the Steve McQueen edition. He wore the model, and the reissues carry his name; the folding construction underneath is the same. Persol has also released the 714 in special series over the years, and those runs are small.
Materials, lenses and colours
The front is Italian acetate. The Supreme Arrow at each hinge is structural rather than decorative, which is what makes a triple-hinged frame stay square through years of folding, and the temples carry the Meflecto flexible cylinders so the arms give rather than grip. Lenses are crystal — mineral glass — in the usual crystal green, crystal brown and blue tints, with polarised versions available.
Havana with a crystal brown lens is the archetype; black with a green or polarised lens is the sharper choice. Sizes run in more than one eye width, and the 714 takes prescription lenses, which we edge in store.
How it fits and how it compares to the 649
On the face the 714 and the 649 read almost identically — the difference is entirely in the hinges. Choose the 714 if you actually fold your sunglasses into a jacket or a bag without a case, because that is the problem it solves. Choose the 649 if you do not, since a fixed front is one less mechanism and reads very slightly cleaner at the bridge.
The other decision is size. The smaller eye size sits neat and modern; the larger reads closer to the original and suits a wider face and a stronger brow. Put both on at once — it is a two-minute decision in the mirror and an expensive guess online.
Runs are small, especially on the 714SM and the special series. Ring us on 02 9331 4650 with the model number, the size and the colour and we will check the cabinet and the order book.