Aviator Sunglasses

The aviator silhouette was developed by Bausch & Lomb for the US Army Air Corps in 1936, designed to replace flight goggles. Standard-issue aviators are teardrop-shaped, wire-framed, with double bridge and bayonet temples. The shape moved from military to civilian use in the 1950s, became cinematic in the 1980s, and is now a quiet workhorse silhouette across the eyewear category.

What is an aviator sunglass?

The canonical aviator has four traits:

Teardrop lens shape. Wider at the top, narrowing toward the bottom. The shape was designed to cover the entire eye socket from cockpit glare.
Wire metal frame. Traditional aviators are pure metal — no acetate. Modern interpretations sometimes use acetate temples or browpieces.
Double bridge. Two horizontal bars across the top — one structural, one decorative. The double bridge is the most identifiable aviator detail.
Thin temples. Often described as "bayonet" temples — straight, designed to fit under a helmet without curling around the ear.

Modern aviators include variations: square aviator, hexagonal aviator, browline-aviator hybrid. These keep the double-bridge structure but change the lens shape away from the strict teardrop.

What face shapes suit aviator sunglasses?

Oval faces. Aviators are the most universally flattering shape; oval faces wear nearly any aviator interpretation well.
Heart-shaped faces. The narrowing teardrop bottom complements a narrower chin.
Square faces. The teardrop softens angular features.

Aviators can read costume-y on very round faces if oversized. Stick to medium proportions (lens width 55-60mm) if your face is round.

HARO aviator sunglasses in the line

HARO has three aviator-family models, each interpreted differently — none is a strict 1950s teardrop, all keep the double-bridge structural element.

Sorrento Grand Tour — hexagonal aviator in metal with double bridge. Lighter than traditional aviator, with geometric lens shape. Named after the Grand Tour ending at Naples. USD 59.
Monte Carlo 1929 — oversized square aviator in acetate with double bridge. Drawn from the first Monaco Grand Prix on the Riviera. USD 59.
Saint-Tropez Pampelonne — square aviator in acetate and metal. Drawn from Club 55 on Pampelonne beach (opened 1955). The modern Riviera workhorse. USD 59.

Why HARO doesn't make traditional teardrop aviators

An honest note: HARO Eyewear deliberately doesn't make a strict 1950s teardrop aviator. The shape is iconic but heavily owned by Ray-Ban and Persol, and copying it would be both unoriginal and competitive with brands at higher price points. Instead, HARO interprets the aviator structural language (double bridge, wire frame, light construction) into geometric variations — hexagonal, square — that read aviator-adjacent rather than aviator-clone.

If you want a traditional teardrop aviator, Ray-Ban and Persol both make excellent ones. If you want aviator structural language with Italian acetate construction and Mediterranean naming, HARO is your alternative.

Materials and lenses

All HARO aviator-family sunglasses include:

Hand-polished metal frame (Sorrento Grand Tour) or Italian block acetate with metal bridge (Monte Carlo 1929, Saint-Tropez Pampelonne).
Polarized polycarbonate UV400 lenses (100% UVA/UVB).
Reinforced adjustable hinges.
No visible logos.

USD 59 across all three models. Free worldwide shipping in 12 markets. 60-day warranty.

Where to read more

For the Italian coast context (Sorrento, the Grand Tour, Monte Carlo Grand Prix), read: Italian Coast Sunglasses Guide.

For the French Riviera context (Saint-Tropez, Pampelonne, Club 55), read: French Riviera Sunglasses Guide.