Persol PO3019S (96/56)

Quality You Can Wear

I used to be a diehard Ray-Ban fan, but I have to say that Persol is now my go to brand when it comes to sunglasses (and probably prescription frames if I ever need them). I've been wearing these things nearly every day for the past couple of weeks - you don't want to take these things off once you put them on - and now I'm trying to find excuses just to go outside so I can wear them.
This is for the 95/31 model - Black frame with Crystal Green Lens (55mm)
PROS:
-Quality: From the box, to the carrying case, to the cleaning cloth, and most importantly, to the glasses - everything just screams quality. Compared to my Ray-Ban 2132 New Wayfarer frames, the Persols win it by a mile. The Meflecto system is clever yet functional and, coupled with the Supreme Arrow, looks great too. The lenses are good (true colors, no noticeable distortion, crystal clarity), but nothing to write home about really. As far as I can tell, they are nearly identical to the Ray-Ban G-15 XLT lenses that you'll find in most Aviators and Wayfarers, which isn't too surprising considering that both Ray-Ban and Persol are Luxottica subsidiaries. That's not to say the lenses aren't great; they do their job well, but if you're coming from a pair of Ray-Bans you shouldn't expect to notice any difference in lens performance.
-Style: To sum it up into one word: refined. These glasses are simple, elegant, subtle, classy, etc. There's very little branding: just Persol etched into the upper right corner of the right lens, and on the ear pieces of the frames. This is a major plus for me because all of the blatant Ray-Ban branding (especially on the Wayfarers) gets tacky after a little while. This pair doesn't need logos to separate it from other brands, the Supreme Arrow and the Meflecto bands are just distinguishable enough for some of your culturally aware friends to notice and for others to wonder about.
-Being Different: If you're one of those people who likes to be separate from the pack, any pair of Persols will do it. Everybody seems to have a pair of Ray-Bans or Oakleys, but you really don't see too many people going around with a classy pair of Persols on. Walking to the coffee shop, I see about two dozen Wayfarers and maybe one or two Persols on a good day, and I'm yet to see a single person wearing the 3019S. Come to think of it, I've never run across two pairs of the same Persols in public. So if you pride yourself on being unique, Persol is the brand for you.
CONS:
-Fit: From what I've read, Persols tend to run a little large. I have a medium sized face and head (22.25 inches around), and these Persols tended to slip down my nose after moving my head around a bit, while my Wayfarers (which have the exact same measurements as the 55mm 3019S), didn't have this problem. Nothing a quick trip to the local optometrist couldn't fix. It took (literally) less than a minute for him to adjust the frame near the ear pieces, and now they fit like a glove. He did it for free, hopefully your optometrist is as generous.
-Price: These glasses do cost a pretty penny. They're considerably more expensive than a comparable pair of Ray-Bans, and what you get for the extra money is a more refined, more stylish pair of glasses with comparable performance. That being said, you can expect to get quite a bit of life out of these things. My Wayfarers have held up to 3+ years of abuse with only a few nicks here and there, so it's not unreasonable to expect these Persols to last 5+ years with moderate abuse, and much much longer if you take decent care of them.
OVERALL
You can get comparable sun protection from cheaper pairs of glasses, but if you want something that goes far beyond the basics, Persol really sets the bar high.