We love DITA spectacles very much, and the Dita Flight 006 are a true masterpiece. They are beautiful, with a perfect structure, their very classic shape, and yet a contemporary and modern look.
DITA Flight 006 have such a legendary status and a popularity that only few other sunglasses ever had. Even more so, after everybody spotted them on Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers Infinity War and Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
And at Visio Optical, we pride ourselves to offer DITA eyewear to our customers. In fact, Visio Optical is an authorised dealer for DITA eyeglasses.
At Visio Optical, we not only sell DITA spectacles. We also provide professional repair services, for DITA and for any other brand!
The problem: a broken nosepad arm on a DITA Flight 006
We were heartbroken when we received this pair of DITA Flight 006. A customer from Malaysia shipped them to us. And that is because he found our Professional Repair Service from Google. Surely, we are also grateful and honoured that people from all around the world trust our services, including our Repair Services.
In this case, the nosepad arm broke off from the front part. Not only it was broken, unfortunately the customer also lost the broken piece. Hence, to fix it, we had to recreate a new nosepad arm from scratch.
The solution
Since the frame is made of titanium, the materials employed for the repair had to be of titanium as well.
We used a titanium wire to create the arm. The wire was thicker than the original arm. Therefore, we shaved it down to the correct thickness.
Another issue was to match the chrome gloss finish of the original frame. However, pure titanium has a natural matte gray color. So, to get the same high-lustre and glossy finish, we polished the wire until we reached the right level of gloss.
At this point the replacement arm was ready. So, we welded it to the front piece. The correct placement of the wire to the front piece was essential to the final result. A small difference of less than a millimetre is noticeable in the final product. For this reason, we were very careful with the measurements and the positioning of the replacement arm.
Once the replacement arm was secured to the front, we adjusted its length. Again, having the correct length for the new arm is very important for a good outcome of the repair. As we were satisfied with the length, the last bit of the repair was to add the nosepad older. Once again, the replacement part had to be of titanium metal, like the original.
With all the new arm in place and complete, and the addition of an original DITA nosepad, this DITA Flight 006 looked as if nothing ever happened! Ready for a new flight and shipped back to Malaysia.
Conclusion: trust us with your DITA spectacles
If you want to check out new DITA spectacles, come to Visio Optical and take a look at our collection. We have both spectacles and sunglasses to show you.
And if you are looking for prescription sunglasses, we can do that as well! DITA sunglasses do not come with prescription lenses. However, at Visio Optical we can fit these frames with prescription lenses as well.
Repair work and lens replacement for DITA frames are carried out at Visio Optical in Holland Village, Singapore, an independent optician of nearly twenty years.
DITA replacement lenses for the Flight 006
A frame usually outlives its lenses. On a rimmed metal frame such as the Flight 006, the lens sits in a groove cut around its edge and the rim closes over it, so a replacement has to be traced from the original shape and bevelled to match before the rim will sit flush again.
Sunglasses are generally supplied with plano lenses, and the same frame will take prescription lenses once they are edged to its shape. Tint, polarisation and gradient are lens decisions rather than frame decisions, which is why the frame you like can usually stay the frame you keep.
DITA Flight 006 alternatives: frames in the same spirit
What people respond to in the Flight 006 is a round aviator in thin metal — a shape borrowed from the 1970s, built light enough to be forgotten on the face. That idea is not the property of one house. Japanese makers have been working titanium this way for decades, and Visio Optical carries Matsuda, Masunaga and Lunor alongside DITA, each with its own reading of a thin rim, a saddle or keyhole bridge and a hand-finished surface.
Whether a shape suits a face is not something a photograph settles. Photos are useful for inspiration, but proportion, balance and comfort can only really be judged with the frame on.
Putting prescription lenses in a DITA Flight 006
A sun frame like the Flight 006 is supplied with plano lenses, and the frame itself does not change when prescription lenses go in. The work is all in the edging: each lens is traced from the original shape, bevelled so the rim closes flush over it, and matched to the curve the frame was built around, so the rim keeps its tension and nothing sits proud of the metal.
A thin round metal rim is less forgiving than acetate. An error of a fraction of a millimetre shows itself all the way around the eye, and a lens cut slightly small will never hold still in the groove. Tint, polarisation and gradient are lens decisions taken afterwards — a gradient in particular is set relative to the depth of the frame’s shape rather than to the blank it is cut from.
None of this is judged from a photograph. The frame goes on the face first, and the lens work follows it.