Esmont

Esmont designs its eyewear in London and has it handcrafted in Sabae, Japan, a city with a long history of precision frame making. The label builds its collections around aviation heritage, drawing on the proportions and detailing of mid-century aircraft rather than on seasonal fashion. Frames are released in small, numbered runs, so a colourway can sell out and not return.

Materials are chosen for weight and durability. The Apollo 1 optical frame pairs pure titanium with hand-finished Japanese acetate, with adjustable beta titanium nose pads engraved with the Esmont mark and ornaments plated in 18-carat gold at two microns. Palladium-toned hardware gives the pictured colourway its cooler, silver outline.

The name refers to the Apollo 1 programme — the mission that never flew, and the decision to rebuild to a higher standard that followed it. That idea of testing, reconsidering and correcting runs through the label's account of its own work, and appears in detailing such as the propeller-inspired ornaments used elsewhere in the range.

Esmont suits wearers who value technical detail and rarity over instant availability. Because production is limited, current availability is worth confirming before you visit, and our dispensing team can talk through what we are able to arrange.