Filming for the first X-Men movie began in 1999, right when Oakley was cementing its position as a leader of innovation in the eyewear market, so it is no surprise that they were approached to design the eyewear worn by James Marsden’s character ‘Scott Summers/Cyclops’. They provided a pair of custom X-Metal Juliet sunglasses with added shields on the sides and ruby iridium lenses, representing the ‘ruby quartz’ cyclops required on his eyewear, to protect the environment from the optic blast emitted from his eyes. While they were on the job, the legendary design team also began working on designs for a visor, leading to the production of early prototypes which were moulded to James Marsden’s face and used for early costume testing and screen tests. There were a few different prototypes made with some varying modifications as different scenes had different requirements. The final version used in the final cut of the movie features no Oakley branding but instead a rotating disc to control the blast. A 3-D scan of the visor was showcased on the website at the time and some of the prototypes were also displayed in Oakley stores when the movie was released in the cinema. THINGS TO NOTE: - This is a prototype produced around the time of development, not a complete finished product. This specific item was not worn on-screen but was developed by designers at Oakley. - This was never released and sold to the public - the few surviving prototypes and casts are somewhere in the wild today. - This appears to follow the same lens curvature as an Oakley Minute frame and is designed to fit a smaller facial structure similar to actor ‘James Marsden’. The lens is secure but not fully fixed into the frame so it is advised to handle with care. Please wear at your own risk. Reach out to us on E-Mail for offers & enquiries.
