Spot Fake Wayfarer Sunglasses

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Spotting Fake Ray Ban Wayfarer

Spot The Fake Wayfarer Sunglasses

Ray Ban I ←
Ray Ban II
Ray Ban III
Ray Ban IV

Bausch & Lomb to Luxottica: B&L sold to Luxottica in 1999. However,

Ray-Ban sunglasses

continued using B&L lenses. Before Luxottica's purchase of Ray-Ban, the BL etching was common on all Ray Ban sunglasses, but since that purchase they switched to an RB etching/stamp. Vintage pairs will have the B&L logo.

Note: Luxottica group (Italy) does not at the present wholesale to third party distributors. They have their own retail chains (sunglass hut,) often found in malls, and they keep a tight grip on their products. This is different from Safilo (Gucci, Dior etc), who will sell to third party distributors. Because of the popularity of the RB glasses and the difficulty in securing wholesale deals, they become very appealing to the counterfeiters. Meaning much of the Ray Ban found in the open market is often times fake, but this does not mean that it is impossible to get a great deal on real Ray Ban sunglasses on ebay, it just means much more attention has to be given to seller details and feedback. Also, much of the pre-Luxottica authentic Ray Ban is available in the open market, when it was all B&L distribution. So good deals are available for some vintage Ray Ban glasses also.

Concerning Wayfarer: The Famous Ray Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses have a singular feature that when it is incorrect, is an automatic fail. (This is considered an error detail). The interior area of the hinges on the Wayfarer sunglasses should have seven interlocking prongs. This is the area that holds the temple arms to the lens.

Below is an image of an authentic wayfarer hinge:

Note: The four prong side is attached to the temple arm, and the three prongs are attached to the lense. Looking through the glasses the sequence would be. Left hinge (below): 4,3. Right hinge: 3,4 (second below).

Below is an image of the right hinge (if looking from inside the glasses). This shows that the temple side of the hinge will have the 4 prongs, and the lens side of the hinge will have the three prongs. This is also shown in the left hinge image (above).

Real Wayfarer

Below is an image of fake Wayfarer sunglasses: Even from this angel, you can see that the hinge does not have the seven prong hinge of an authentic Ray Ban Wayfarer. Many times these clues are right in the pictures, however it may take some extra magnification to pick up on some of these clues. We recommend a small magnifying glass when scrolling through sunglass listings online. It will prove to be very helpful when inspecting pictures, and could end up saving you a lot of money and hassle.

fake Wayfarer hinge

Ray Ban Frames: Ray Ban frames are made from a durable carbon fiber, consisting of seven mixed layers of carbon fibers blended with resin. This creates the famous RB frame that is scratch resistant, strong and water resistant. Ray Ban frames are weather proof, they could be dropped in a mud puddle and left for a day and not have any issues. Also, the hinges are monoblock, meaning the hinge does not include any welding. This makes the frame less likely to break when opening and closing the glasses. Ray Ban also uses titanium on some of their frames, much like other high end Italian designers.
Note: The monoblock hinge is another key that counterfeiters often get wrong. It is in these small details, especially concerning quality, that the fakes will often miss. That is why this guide is stressing some of the quality (boring) manufacturing aspects of Ray Ban. When you are familiar with the quality, spotting a fake becomes that much easier.

Ray Ban Screws: Ray Ban uses the highest quality material in their sunglass manufacturing, and this includes the tiny details. Ray Ban sunglass screws will be anodized, and if painted over, the paint will be an enamel. If the Ray ban sunglasses have a cheap looking paint or coating over the screws it is likely they are fake.

G-15 or Polarized: Beware of any listing that says the Ray Ban sunglasses lenses are G-15. Ray Ban may only make that model # in a polarized lens. So be aware of what models are made polarized and which are supposed to be G-15. Counterfeiters overlook tiny details, either by choice or by ignorance, and either way, they are banking on the assumption that the buyer is ignorant as well.

Ray Ban B&L stamp: Below is an image of a B&L stamp on an authentic pair Ray Ban sunglasses.

Real Ray Ban B&L

Image provided by Fattini Fashion

Below is an image of an authentic B&L Ray Ban that was "assembled in Ireland":

Real Ray Ban B&L Ireland

Image provided by Fattini Fashion

Below is an image of an authentic Ray Ban that says, "assembled in Italy":

Real Ray Ban Italy

Image provided by Fattini Fashion

Below is an image of an authentic Ray Ban that reads, "Made in Italy":

Real Ray Ban made in Italy

Image provided by Fattini Fashion

Below is an image of an authentic Ray Ban B&L lens etching: Located on the left lens (if looking from inside out). And should be next to the fame edge in about the middle of the lens.

Real Ray Ban B&L lens stamp

asianno1 (ebay)

Below is an image of an authentic Ray Ban RB lens etching: Located on the left lens (if looking from inside out). Etching should be the same as the B&L, but RB instead. And should be next to the fame edge in about the middle of the lens, slightly higher than the B&L. [image is very faint].

Ray Ban font (logo stamp): [After Luxottica] The B&L has been replaced by the RB stamp, as seen below.

Below are images of the Ray Ban Wayfarer logo: The images are of the logo stamped on the front of the lenses. These images should help get an idea of how the font is spaced in relation to itself. Many times these stamps on the fake sunglasses will look decent at face value, but the minor details are incorrect. Remember these space relations are valid on the lens logo, where the Ray-Ban may have a slight inclined gradient tilt to it (from the R to the N). Flat logos on the temple arms or the lens may not conform to these relations. Older and vintage models may vary slightly as well. However, the "B" should have a consistant foreword lean regardless of model or year.

Note: The above images will give you a rule of thumb idea of how the logo should look on the front of the glasses. The spacing is important, as most of the authentic Ray Ban sunglasses will conform to these relations.

Cool Ray Ban commercial: