The new OO-Polarized lenses will be offered in both Red and Black Iridium variants, both with a G40 base tint for more color contrast than the usual grey.(Image credit: James Huang)
Oakley's new OO-Polarized lenses feature a slightly detuned filter that keeps LCD displays legible.(Image credit: James Huang)
The new Split Jacket sports the same features as Oakley's Jawbone but with a smaller profile, softer lines and more subdued styling.(Image credit: James Huang)
Like Jawbone, Split Jacket incorporates the clever Switchlock system for swapping out lens tints.(Image credit: James Huang)
Oakley's new Clear-Black Iridium photochromic lens boasts an impressive 9-70 percent transmission range, making it ideal for varying lighting conditions.(Image credit: James Huang)
Riders will smaller faces or who simply can't quite stomach the bold styling of Oakley's Jawbones now have a toned-down option called Split Jacket. As compared to Jawbone, Split Jacket is slightly narrower and smaller overall while also sporting softened lines and colors for a more casual look better suited to dual duty on and off the bike.
Like Jawbone, though, Split Jacket will feature Oakley's clever Switchlock interchangeable lens system with a hinged lower 'jaw' that secures the optics in place with minimal pressure. Similarly interchangeable nosepieces will allow for a slightly tunable fit, too.
As is typical for Oakley, Split Jacket will be offered in a wide array of frame colors and lens tints plus a new 'Clear-Black Iridium' Transitions photochromic option that will also be shared with Jawbone and Radar. As the name suggests, the range of light transmission is impressively broad, starting at a nearly clear 9 percent and darkening all the way up to 70 percent.
According to Oakley eyewear brand manager Andy McSorley, the new photochromic lens will go from full-clear to full-dark in just ten seconds and yet will boast 80 percent fadeback within a minute (photochromics generally darken more easily than lighten), making them a good choice for dawn or dusk outings or mountain bike rides in mixed conditions.
Also joining the new photochromic lens is a pair of updated polarized options. The new '00 Polarized' (say, 'double oh') Black and Red Iridium lenses include a slightly detuned polarizing filter that still squelches glare but doesn't totally block out LCD displays, plus higher-contrast 'G40' base tints (polarized lenses are almost always grey) for improved color definition.
McSorley says all of the new styles and lenses are shipping now with consumer availability beginning July 1.
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