FRAMEBUYER / ArchiTECHture

Hinges: AN UNFOLDING STORY

A close-up take on an easily overlooked—but critical—frame part

the earliest examples of hinges made opening and closing things easier around 1600 BC. According to hardware-source.com, tales of King Solomon’s temple mentioned hinged doors, and over the years hinges progressed, shrinking from massive golden door levers to smaller applications such as eyeglasses.

Today’s optical hinges range from simple to complex, and from hidden and utilitarian to extravagant pieces of work that buttress the aesthetics of eyewear and improve its comfort and fit. In this edition of ArchiTECHture, we look at examples of hinges from simple and classic to complex and cutting edge.

WHO NEEDS HINGES?

Another option entirely is to go unhinged, as is the case of this Silhouette style 9907 from its recent collaboration with Felder and Felder. Hinge-free designs have made a stellar impression—NASA astronauts opted for Silhouette’s signature look because it guaranteed that there would be no hinge screws floating around on the space shuttle and beyond.

The Classics

Hinges started simply as a very small take on door hinges: a barrel or barrels aligned with a screw or pin through them to keep frames secure and temples tidily foldable. These proven and pleasing looks are still found on the market today.

Zyloware’s new Leon Max Limited Edition Collection with a seven-barrel hinge shows how far the basic one- or two-barrel hinge has come.

G-Star Raw from Marchon style GS2112—Double Tamson—is a round, vintage-inspired style with the drama of an industrial-style screw through the hinge.

Sunglass style SB835101 by Hacket Bespoke has a prominent decorative screw head on the frame front. While many frames feature this detail as a design motif, there are still functional rivets that serve to anchor hinges.

It’s hide and sleek with integrated spring hinges in Tura’s TITANflex style 821025. The extra give reassures patients that their frames have some give while providing an extra splash of fitting comfort.

Technical Artistry

While hinges are certainly the workhorse of the frame, designers also aren’t afraid to include some creativity and even beauty in their creations. These models push technology to a new level of functionality—and look really pretty doing it.

Simple, yet elegant, the screwless hinge in ClearVision’s Aspire model Stylish creates a point of interest in a minimalist style with a wire wrap serving as a folding point.

L’Amy’s “forward-opening, slim, sculpted hinge on a gripol-encased temple” in style Colton 500 keeps the technology integrated into the temple.

Utilizing lost-wax casting, Serengeti Signature collection model Brera has a hinge made with an old French, multi-step process and finished with durable stainless steel Torx head screws.

Rolf Spectacle’s wood temples stay away from any metal, offering a completely wood eyewear style. Shown: Model Kallista.

Morel’s Trad style 7302O has a flex-hinge made of a 1.4mm stainless steel wire folded into a clip that connects the front with the temple via the endpiece. “The hinge fulfills an integral part of the frame’s appeal, giving it an intriguing personality,” company representatives note.

MOVING PARTS

The human body is a marvel of function…bending, twisting, and moving fluidly to accomplish even the most basic task. Hinge designers have taken inspiration from anatomy to make eyewear function better and provide wearers with greater comfort.