Ok, Ill start from the beginning. And keep in mind that we've been told contradicting things by OP in the past, however my contact is on the corporate level and has been there since the '80s.
I contacted someone high up in OP Corporate to ask about the OP523ti. I wanted to know if they where made by OP, and if so why didn't they carry them here in the US. My person told me that its kinda a yes and no answer. They said that it was actually a Japan OP Boutique that had the OP523ti made. They said that when OP got bought out by Luxottica it kinda gave the Asian division the ability to do things that wasn't authorized, and get away with it. My contact said that the Boutique is having them manufactured by a company that OP doesn't use. They gave me and email address for someone in OP Corporate in the Asian division, so I emailed him asking for a pair.
My contact also added that the OP523s did not sell well here in the US, that OP actually ended up sending a lot of them over seas because they sold like crazy over there. I asked about the shape (contouring) being different on the re released OP523. They said that around 2000 they started contouring (they used a different term that I cant remember) all their glasses, because its more comfortable and improves the vision since your eyes are round. They said the contouring is not just in the nose piece, that the actual part of the frame that holds the lenses are contoured more than the original. Meaning that even if you bend the nose piece in the opposite direction to make them more flat like the originals, it still will be more contoured than the originals because of the lens part of the frame which your not able to bend without messing up the frames. This is what I wanted to ask AJ about because I know that he has both. I wanted to know if the eye part of the frame is more curved/contoured on the re-release like they said?
The guy from OP in Asia called me at 2am. Keep in mind that, even though he spoke English fairly well, it was at times hard for me to follow him; however he seemed to understand all my questions.
He said that they have discontinued the OP523ti but the still had them in some Boutiques in Japan and he can send me a pair for 34200 yen which came to around $310 US. I asked him about what my US contact told me. And he said the same thing. He said that they have them manufactured by a separate manufacture from who makes all the other OPs. He said that the reason they are titanium is because titanium is preferred in all glasses in Asia. He said the reason for the lenses being orange instead of read is because even though there was never a copyright (he used another term) on the OP523 frames themselves, there is one on the combination of that frame with red lenses. He told me that the OP523ti are manufactured from the exact specs of the 1990s release (however these do have a 3 prong hinge). He said so they are more accurate to the originals.
So with that being said, the OP523ti aren't made by OP. They're being made for/by an individual OP Boutique by a manufacturer that is being subcontracted.
So would Y'all considered this as being authentic? Its kinda like a Jewel Store that's an authorized Rolex dealer hiring Tag Heurer to replicate a Rolex. Or a Nike store hiring a manufacturer that Nike doesn't use to recreate the first pair of Jordans. What does everyone think?
He did say that he's pretty sure that they have a couple of earlier OP523, and that he would check. He also said that the asian market is obsessed with Brad Pitt so most of the glasses that he wore, Pakalas, Sunset, Aero 54, Whistle, are still in there botiques. He said he'd check on that to.
He said he'd get back to me today, which will be tonight his time.
Also, remember this is info that I've been told. I'm a VP at a large Bank and I do understand corporations very well. I know that some info that people tell you is correct, some is fabricated to make the person telling it come across as more important and/or more knowledgeable than the really are, and some is just to sell you. I believe that my US contact is correct about all they told me. When they don't know something, they'll say "I don't know'. They don't make up something that just sounds good. As for the Asian contact, he seemed to be telling me correct info with a little bit of selling involved. So keep that in mind.
As for the Original and re-released glasses themselves, if you have questions, you might want to ask Soul, AJ, and/or Dan, they know just about every detail and differences.
I've been in and out of my office typing this, so I hope it makes since. Also, I probably left out a lot more info that I've gotten. So if there something that you're wondering I might have an answer. In addition, sorry for the run on sentences and any other errors, I dont have time to read over and make corrections.
Oh, my contact at the US office said she would ask Larry (which I'm assuming is the old owner, now the creative director) a couple of other questions that I had that they didn't know the answer to.
