Oakley for Beretta 500, limited edition sunglasses
Oakley celebrates the 500th anniversary of Beretta with a limited edition of eyewear inspired by the common passion for innovation and sport shooting
Oakley x Beretta 500 limited edition sunglasses
Announced on June 12th, the collaboration between Oakley – a global leader in casual, tactical, protective and professional eyewear – and Beretta, forged for the celebrations of the 500th anniversary from the foundation of the Italian gun manufacturer, bears its stylish fruit: the Oakley x Beretta 500 sunglasses, available in a limited edition of just 500 samples.
Engineered in California and manufactured in Italy, the Oakley x Beretta 500 sunglasses merge five hundred years of Beretta's craftmanship and Oakley's bold approach to design. The result is a timeless expression of technology, performance, and industrial tradition.
Built around a wraparound frame – a call-back to the iconic design of Oakley's 1990s that forged the brand's radical and innovative language – the new Oakley x Beretta 500 sunglasses are largely manufactured out of titanium for a sophisticated, technical look that blends comfort, light weight, and a streamlined, pure form factor.
The sleek and fluid outline of the frame are a clear callback to Marc Newson's Beretta 486 side-by-side sporting shotgun, one of the most iconic projects in the recent history of the quincentenary Italian firearms manufacturer.
The seamless transitions, continuous volumes and sculpted geometries reinterpret and reimagine the inherent language of the Beretta 486 shotgun design through a more contemporary sensibility, striking a natural balance between classic industrial design and the heritage of the world's oldest gunmaker.
Celebratory details are blended seamlessly and discreetly in the sunglasses during the manufacturing – the most striking among all definitely being the bright blue inserts, a call back to the typical gun blue design that's a mainstay of classic fine guns and even more so of Beretta's top-of-the-line creations.
The serial number is etched within the sides, while the Beretta 500 Years logo is etched on the nosepiece as an essential but measured reference to the identity of this unique creation. Also found on the sides are the Oakley and Beretta logos, both laser-etched.
The Oakley Black Prizm technology polycarbonate lens feature an engraved Beretta logo as a discreet but nonetheless embelishing technical detail.
The Oakley x Beretta 500 sunglasses come issued from factory in a dedicated clamshell-style polished metal pouch whose design was inspired by the polymer injection-molded holsters used in practical shooting competitions and for defensive, tactical and professional applications.
A solution designed as a natural extension of the sunglasses themselves, the clamshell-style metal pouch paints a picture of precision, protection, and very well researched precision engineering. Also included are a micro-fiber lens cloth and an etched metal card with the sunglasses' unique sequential serial number.
The result is a collector's piece that blends five centuries of Beretta's gunmaking heritage with Oakley's radical vision on contemporary design: a perfect balance of performance, innovation and industrial tradition and memory revisited under the point of view of Italy's best manufacturing know-how.
The price of the Oakley x Beretta 500 sunglasses is set at 900 euros per sample. For further information and to puchase, visit the official Beretta e-store.