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01The teardrop, and the square that came after it

GQUEEN pilot sunglasses

Two pilots. The MOS1 is the metal one: an aluminium-magnesium frame with spring hinges, a 62-millimetre polarized lens and seven tints from grey to blue mirror. The 70s square is the plastic one, lighter and cheaper, in eight colourways including two-pair boxes.

  • 2 frames
  • 15 ways to buy them
  • 14 colourways

GQUEEN pair of pilots

A pilot frame is decided by the width of your face before it is decided by the tint. Sixty-two millimetres across the lens and a 147-millimetre frame is a large pair, and on a narrow face it reads as borrowed; the 70s square is two millimetres narrower in the lens and four in the frame, which sounds like nothing and is the difference between a pair that sits and a pair that slides. The metal MOS1 weighs more and holds its shape, and the spring hinges are what let it open past straight without bending. The plastic 70s square is twenty-two grams and comes in tortoise, which the metal pilot never will.

Prices are the ones we last read; the GQUEEN approach updates them on a schedule, and the figure at the till is the one that counts.

02Before you order

Questions about GQUEEN pilots

What people want settled before they buy a pair of pilots.

Which GQUEEN pilot suits a first-time aviator buyer?

The metal MOS1 in black with a grey lens: it is the most reviewed frame in the line, the grey tint is the one you can drive in, and the spring hinges forgive being pulled on and off one-handed. Go to the 70s square only if your current pair is under 58 millimetres across the lens or if you want tortoise.

How wide are GQUEEN pilot sunglasses?

The MOS1 is 62 millimetres across the lens and 147 across the frame, with a 20-millimetre bridge and 140-millimetre temples. The 70s square is 60 across the lens and 143 across the frame, with a 17-millimetre bridge. Both are large pairs by the numbers, and both are written for a medium to broad face.

Can you adjust the nose pads on a GQUEEN pilot?

On the metal MOS1, yes: the silicone pads sit on wire arms that pinch closer or push wider, which is how a metal pilot is made to sit higher on a narrow nose. The 70s square has one-piece moulded pads that do not move and do not catch hair.

Every GQUEEN tint, every frame colour

Every tint, frame colour and two-pair box in the GQUEEN range sits behind this button, with the price we last read against each one.