Square Wire (Gen 1) Leather Wrapped

[headpatrolman]

I am starting to get into vintage wires and think by far one of the absolute best is the gen 1 square wire / leather wrapped gold / gold iridium. I am also a huge gold iridium fan so it's one of my grails in a wire frame.

I was curious to see if anyone here had one and how well the leather wrap holds up on these. I know they tend to fade and stain if they get worn a lot. Also what is the going rate for one of these? I saw one on ebay for 89.99 but the lenses were trashed. I know getting new lenses would be tough, so looking for one with better lenses.

Any input from someone whom already has one, would be great. Thanks

 

[Romeo Van Frogskinstein]

I have a perfect complete pair of Square Wire - Leather - Gold 05-552 which I wanted to have as an example of that model, and found this by far the best choice. Additionally, I also have the Straight Jacket - Leather - Gold 04-047 thus having both versions of this exceptional frame that sadly has been limited to just these two glasses. Interestingly, the black boxes for each model showed a general picture but the two Leather pairs had a specific photo of the glasses with that frame. The Square Wire retailed in the UK for £149, so the value today for a new condition pair must surely exceed £200, plus they were discontinued in January 2000 so the advent of time, thrown away boxes, trashed glasses through use, will have resulted in a very hard piece to find now. Although I have worn both minimally I have experienced no problems at all with the frame, so no staining or fading or manufacturing issues.

 

[headpatrolman]

I have a perfect complete pair of Square Wire - Leather - Gold 05-552 which I wanted to have as an example of that model, and found this by far the best choice. Additionally, I also have the Straight Jacket - Leather - Gold 04-047 thus having both versions of this exceptional frame that sadly has been limited to just these two glasses. Interestingly, the black boxes for each model showed a general picture but the two Leather pairs had a specific photo of the glasses with that frame. The Square Wire retailed in the UK for £149, so the value today for a new condition pair must surely exceed £200, plus they were discontinued in January 2000 so the advent of time, thrown away boxes, trashed glasses through use, will have resulted in a very hard piece to find now. Although I have worn both minimally I have experienced no problems at all with the frame, so no staining or fading or manufacturing issues.

Wow great information thanks. I will keep my eyes open and maybe someday I will find a nice pair at a good price and jump on it. Glad to hear you have worn yours and experienced no problems.
Thanks for the reply. Cheers