Eyeglasses Warehouse has an unbeatable online selection of antique, vintage, and retro glasses, and round lens glasses are one of our most in demand styles. Circular frames have been popular throughout history, seen on everyone from Civil War soldiers to John Lennon and Steve Jobs. Our round glasses can be customized with your prescription lenses or favorite sunglass lenses for a special accessory.
We invite you to look through our selection of vintage and new round lens glasses below, and bookmark this page to have the first chance at new pairs in our inventory.
NOTE: The Original Vintage early Horn rimmed glasses made between 1900 and 1930 were often round in shape and sometimes called round lens glasses. Many of those older frames have become brittle with age. Generally, new lenses can be installed but, because of age and the nature of early plastic, there is no guarantee that these frames will not break in the attempt to change lenses. They are better suited for the collector of vintage frames. We also sell many such frames for props in movies and on stage. We have reproductions available that are longer lasting, and we have “wire rim glasses” which are also round, with glass lenses that are easier to replace Visit our wire rim glasses selection if that’s more your style.
Round Glasses
About Round Lens Glasses at Eyeglasses Warehouse
Round lens glasses are one of the most iconic looks in vintage eyewear. The perfectly round eyewires and circular lenses stand out, whether as antique glasses over 100 years old or as one of the retro looks that just keeps coming back into style.
Styles of Round Lens Glasses
Throughout the history of eyewear, round glasses have turned up in a variety of styles, such as:
- Wired Rimmed Round Lens Glasses – Our most popular style, wire rimmed glasses come with thin eyewires, nose bridge, and temples made of gold, silver, brass, or other metals. These glasses were common from the 1800s to the 1840s.
- Rimless Round Lens Glasses – In the 1870s, optical manufacturers started making glasses without eyewires, giving the glasses a cleaner, rimless look. The circular lenses were connected by a metal bridge.
- Horn Rimmed Glasses – Instead of metal frames, horn rimmed glasses used carved horn, tortoiseshell, or, later, plastic to create the frames. Round horn rimmed glasses were first popular in the 1920s, and came back in style from time to time after that.
- Windsor Glasses – A specific style of round glasses, these have heavily curved riding bow temples that attach at the midpoint of the lens. They also use a saddle bridge rather than nose pads.
These are the main styles of circular glasses, and each comes with a variety of other options. When shopping for vintage round glasses from Eyeglasses Warehouse, you can also choose from different sizes, materials, colors, and more.
Popular Eras for Round Lens Glasses
Glasses with circular lenses have gone in and out of style over the decades. They remain a recognizable antique style for glasses from the latter half of the 1800s when round lenses were one of three popular shapes. The earliest examples of Civil War era glasses often featured small lenses and a narrow bridge that held the glasses close to the face.
This changed as lens grinding technology allowed for larger lenses and nose pads and temple shapes made glasses that stayed on the face better. By the time Windsor glasses first became popular in America in the 1880s, lenses were similar to modern sizes. Nose pads were quickly added to round glasses after their introduction in 1921.
Round glasses also have also come back into style when various historical figures became known for their retro style glasses. Some well known wearers of round lens eyeglasses included:
- Harold Lloyd
- Winston Churchill
- Harry Truman
- Ernest Hemingway
- Mahatma Gandhi
- John Lennon
- Steve Jobs
Today, accessorizing with round lens sunglasses or eyeglasses can be a retro look reminiscent of John Lennon or Steve Jobs, or a vintage look with antique gold wire frames.
At Eyeglasses Warehouse, we carry both antique round lens glasses and reproduction eyeglasses with round lenses. Our original, historic glasses are selected and restored by our team for one of a kind vintage eyewear. Some of the earlier models can have difficult to replace lenses, so please keep that in mind before your order.
Our retro round lens glasses are manufactured with high quality, up to date materials that are designed for comfort and daily wear. Yet these glasses still have the old fashioned style of the glasses they are modeled after, letting you incorporate a vintage look into your style.
See all of our available styles here on our website, and check back frequently as we find new round lens glasses to add to our collection.