Oakley Minute

Fifty-one pairs of Minute have passed through this studio. That is more than any other frame we handle, and it is the reason this page exists: everything below comes from pieces we have had in hand, not from a catalogue we copied.

What it is

A thin wire frame with a sculpted single-piece look, made in two generations. The first is stamped and sold as Gen 1 or 1.0; the second as Gen 2, G2 or 2.0, and it is by far the more common of the two. Of the fifty-one pairs we have had, five were marked Gen 1, twenty-eight were marked Gen 2, and eighteen came with no generation marked at all.

The years printed on the pieces we have handled run from 1998 to 2004, and 1999 accounts for twenty of them on its own. If you are looking for a Minute, you are most likely looking for a 1999 Gen 2.

Colourways we have actually had

Frames

  • Tortoise, in plain brown and in a bright orange version
  • Polished Rootbeer
  • Black and Jet Black
  • Silver, including a silver Ducati
  • Pearl
  • Crystal Blue, Electric Blue, Code Blue, Royal Blue, Powder Blue and Baby Powder Blue
  • Violet
  • Tangerine
  • Brown
  • FMJ in Platinum and in Red

Lenses

  • Black Iridium
  • Gold Iridium, and a 24k Gold Iridium
  • Fire Iridium
  • Ice Iridium
  • Emerald
  • Persimmon
  • VR58 Black Iridium

Three of the pairs we have had carried the etched flower on the frame. It is not a defect and it is not aftermarket: it is a detail that appears on some Minutes and not on others, and it is worth knowing about before you assume a pair has been engraved by a previous owner.

Sizing

We do not publish a lens–bridge–temple figure for the Minute yet. The numbers are printed on the inside of the temple, and we would rather leave the field empty than repeat a measurement we have not read off a piece ourselves.

If you are looking at a Minute on this site and need the sizing before you buy, write to 16.88studiocontact@gmail.com and we will read the temple and send you the numbers and a photograph of them.

What to check on a Minute before you buy one

  • Generation. Gen 1 and Gen 2 are not interchangeable for lenses or for look. If a listing does not say which one it is, ask.
  • The temple etching. The model and the reference are printed on the inside of the temple. A pair that cannot show you that engraving is a pair you should ask more questions about.
  • Lens condition against frame condition. On a wire frame the lens usually goes before the frame does. A pristine frame with a scratched lens is a normal, honest piece; a pristine lens on a beaten frame is worth a second look.
  • Nose pads and temple tips. These are consumables and they are commonly replaced. We say so in the description when they are not original.

What we have in stock now

Minutes come and go here, usually one at a time. Whatever is available is in the shop; if nothing is listed, the frame you want has sold and another will turn up.

Write to us with the generation and colourway you are after and we will look for it. That is what Sourcing is.