An American eyewear maker founded in 1833 by William Beecher, the first US manufacturer to patent and mass-produce steel-frame eyeglasses. The military connection that still defines the brand started in 1914 with goggles for army pilots, leading to the aviator style in 1935 and, during WWII, roughly 5 million pairs of sunglasses and goggles produced for US armed forces. Its Original Pilot and General frames remain in production largely unchanged from their military-issue originals.