Oakley Jawbone

The greatest innovations are almost always the simplest. And so it is with the Switchlock system in Oakley’s new Jawbone glasses. While hardly an ordeal, wrestling lenses into stiff clips in sturdy frames isn’t the easiest of tasks. But with Switchlock it allows you to swap lenses quickly without having to manhandle them into place. You simply unclip each side of the nose bridge and the bottom of the frame hinges open like a jawbone to release the lens.

We tested the black frame with red iridium polarised lenses (lenses £89.99 on their own), which also came with a set of persimmon (yellow, light-enhancing, £39.99 on their own) lenses. In use it was close-fitting yet comfortable, solid and entirely rattle free. You’ll notice the frames if you’re used to blade-style glasses that only have a brow, but they don’t obstruct your field of vision, even when you’re low down and tucked up.

Oakley has been pricing its eyewear high for so long that it’s just accepted, and the Jawbone range stays true to that tradition, running from £179.99-£239.99 depending on lens options. Oakley justifies these prices on the grounds of material (the lightest and strongest), the manufacturing (each lens is cut from its own lens plate) and the testing criteria (firing ball bearings at 150mph). So you could argue that, spread over their lifetime, they’re actually quite reasonable! But, love it or loathe it, style as overt as Oakley’s can quickly become old.

Contact : Oakley 01462 475400 www.oakley.co.uk