Object of desire: McLaren’s Ultimate Unibody

Once again, Silmo 2022 offered an opportunity to explore eyewear manufacturers’ latest launches, new brands and technical prowess. On display and attracting quite an audience were McLaren Vision’s top-of-the-range Unibody frames – so what’s the story behind these intriguing accessories?

Turning heads

McLaren has for years had the power to thrill. In fact, the British car manufacturer can boast of making sports cars so attractive they can turn heads in the stands of the biggest Formula 1 circuits, where they are driven by stars like Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Its reputation for excellence caught the attention of L’Amy Luxe, an eyewear manufacturer based in the French Jura region that also owns the Maison Henry Jullien brand. Specializing in combining the latest technology and exceptional know-how in truly sophisticated products, it has done the same for McLaren Vision.

A world first

The brand has just one guiding principle for its frames – no limits. Having developed innovative technology like OneSec, allowing lenses to adapt themselves to the light conditions in record time, as well as Magnetic designs with patented screwless magnetic hinges, McLaren continues to combine elegance and performance by pushing the limits of its iconic Ultimate collection.

The range won the Silmo d’Or for Innovation in 2018 and is characterized by its 3D printed titanium structure. After many months of development, the brand chose to go further still by launching the first glasses in the world – the Unibody – to be 3D printed in one piece from titanium. Such skill brings to life a work of art with an understated style, where the single upper bar makes the orangey red tinged lenses (one of the British car designer’s signature colors) appear suspended.

The starting point for this ambitious challenge was the sculpture on the McLaren Vision stand at Silmo 2021, which embodied both sports car racing and the innovation of the Ultimate collection. Keen to develop this idea, the team designed glasses like museum pieces – collector’s items to appeal to all motorsports enthusiasts. For added luxury, the unique design is limited to 25 pieces, all numbered and customizable. You can even have your name inscribed on the inside temples.

New edition

To keep itself on the right track, the brand wants to continue to explore the technology in its collection through new concepts, so as to put forward exclusive new shapes and one-off editions in 2023, without being restricted by price, materials or time.

Another project involves adapting the OneSec frames with their LCD device and the light sensor that helps them switch from dark to light in the space of just one second, to produce an even more advanced version, both to satisfy fans of fine frames and keep the brand top of the podium.

Written by Eleanor Fullalove