Metal spectacles used to have a bridge shaped like a W: one continuous line of metal that dips and rises across the nose, with no pads at all. Opticians were recommending it by the 1890s, and it was still being issued when the NHS began in 1948. Cubitts, the London optician, has revived it for Hardwick, released on 12 November 2026 alongside an oval sibling called Digby.
The shape is a small square, softened at the corners, drawn from the octagon frames that returned to fashion in the 1920s, when London optics clustered around Clerkenwell and the Strand. With nothing between the bridge and the skin, the titanium itself carries the frame, so the curve of the bridge decides the fit more than any adjustment.
The fronts are 99.7 per cent pure titanium, made in about fifty stages, mostly by hand, at a workshop in Sabae, Japan. The town has been making spectacles since 1905 and produced the first titanium frames in 1981, and the workshop itself dates to 1923. The temples are beta titanium, which flexes for comfort and can be adjusted. A finished frame weighs about 5g without lenses, lighter than a 20p piece by the brand's own comparison.
The temple tips borrow their form from Brâncuși's Bird in Space, and the cross-hatching that grips the head is taken from the King's Cross gasholders. The titanium is ion plated in gold or silver, and the screws carry small silicone bands that protect the thread.
At £275 it includes ZEISS ClearView lenses with DuraVision coatings and UV protection, a grooved aluminium case, a refillable lens cleaner and a cleaning cloth designed by an artist. The warranty runs two years, returns are free within 30 days, and a complimentary frame rehab is offered after a year. Pairs with non-prescription lenses ship in two working days; prescription pairs take five, and specialised prescriptions ten.
There are limits. Without nose pads there is no fine adjustment at the nose, so the frame has to suit the bridge it sits on, and a small square with a thin line of titanium is a delicate look that will not suit every face. There are two sizes and two finishes, with no coloured acetate to choose from.
- Titanium front and temples, about 5g without lenses, made by hand in Sabae, Japan
- A W bridge with no nose pads, a design from the 1890s brought back
- ZEISS lenses, aluminium case and a two-year warranty included in the £275
- No nose pads, so fit depends on the shape of the bridge and cannot be fine-tuned there
- Two finishes and two sizes only, in a small, light frame that will not suit everyone
The verdict
A delicate, light titanium square with an old idea in it, and a good fit for anyone who likes metal frames to look drawn rather than moulded.
Best forPeople who like small, fine metal frames and a piece of optical history; anyone who wants a bold acetate shape or a choice of colours should look elsewhere.
Photographs courtesy of Cubitts
