A throwback to Indiana Jones, buying prescription round glasses today can be difficult as trends cater more to squarer, more conventional styles. Prices in-store tend to be very high and do not always offer great value for money.
In the following guide, you find where to buy the and how they may suit your face shape. Use the links below to jump ahead:
What Are The Best Round Glasses Frames?
Reminiscent of John Lennon, Harry Potter, and even Indiana Jones, round glasses were a mainstay in eye-wear fashion until the mid-20th Century. However, their popularity waned in favor of plastic frames such as the wayfarer.
If you’re looking for the best round glasses, you can refer to the following section to peruse our recommendations. We have tested over 20 pairs from only the retailers that we trust to review our favorite frames.
Here you will find the best glasses that cater to all budgets between $20 and $200. We endeavor to make detailed reviews that include considerations such as fit, quality, and value for money.
Our current top round glasses come from the following retailers:
1. Warby Parker “Whalen” Round Glasses
- Price: $95 [Buy Now]
- Country Of Origin: USA, Japan
- Brand: Warby Parker
- Material: Cellulose Acetate
- Measurements: 51-18-145
- Frame Fit: Medium
- Prescription Options: Single Vision & Progressive
- Lenses Available: Clear / Light-Responsive
- Free Try At Home? Yes
Warby Parker never ceases to impress us with the build quality of their glasses, and the Whalen frames are no exception. These premium round glasses are a pleasure to hold and wear.
Crafted from premium cellulose acetate, they’re a classic and timeless option for the discerning gent who wants to go for an elegant and old-fashioned style.
These frames are quite affordable at $95 on Warby Parker, which includes single-vision lenses. If you have the means, we say it’s well worth the investment.
2. Glasses USA Ray-Ban Round 3447V
- Price: $168 [Buy Now]
- Country Of Origin: USA
- Brand: Ray-Ban
- Material: Titanium
- Measurements: 50-21-145
- Frame Fit: Medium
- Prescription Options: Single Vision, Bifocal & Progressive
- Lenses Available: Clear & Sunglasses
- Free Try At Home? No
If you’re looking for round frames from an established designed brand, look no further than these Ray-Bans. Crafted from lightweight titanium, they’re an exceptional choice.
Lightweight and sturdy, they’re comfortable on the bridge and against the temples. Interestingly, they’re both remarkably outgoing and edgy whilst remaining understated and subtle.
This is enhanced by the gunmetal effect. However, they’re also available in black if you’re looking for a colour that really pops against your skin tone.
For Ray-Ban frames, we found these very reasonably priced. You can buy them on Glasses USA for only $168 and you won’t be disappointed by the build quality.
3. EyeBuyDirect “Daydream” Round Glasses
- Price: $29 [Buy Now]
- Country Of Origin: USA
- Brand: Eye Buy Direct
- Material: Metal
- Measurements: 50-22-145
- Frame Fit: Medium
- Prescription Options: Single Vision, Bifocal & Progressive
- Lenses Available: Clear
- Free Try At Home? No
For those on a much more modest budget, you can’t go wrong with Eye Buy Direct’s Daydream specs. We absolutely love these frames and find them to provide excellent quality for their price.
Exuding a whimsical intellectual style just as much as the other frames above, their build is somewhat more delicate with a curved finish on the bridge. We’re not sure what metal these are made of but they still feel relatively sturdy.
Furthermore, the lenses seem to be something of a sweet spot between the other options on this list. If you’re looking for something that isn’t too circular nor as oval as the Ray-Bans, then they’re an excellent choice.
We really can’t criticise their price at only $29 on Eye Buy Direct. This is very inexpensive for what you get and we love wearing them.
4. Zenni Full Rim Round Glasses Frames
- Price: $27.95 [Buy Now]
- Country Of Origin: USA
- Brand: Zenni
- Material: Acetate
- Measurements: 45-22-142
- Frame Fit: Medium
- Prescription Options: Single Vision, Bifocal & Progressive
- Lenses Available: Clear
- Free Try At Home? No
Available in either a natural pine wood texture or dark grey, we really liked these fun and stylish frames. In the end, we went for the grey finish, which we loved. Although it’s predominantly grey on the outside, the inside features a burgundy-brown tortoiseshell that can be seen from the inside of the rims.
These are very different from the other options on this list. Whilst they are round frames, they’re made from thick acetate much like most squares or wayfarers. We particularly love the keyhole bridge, which is very comfortable to wear and stylish too!
Zenni Optical claim that this particular style was inspired by the glasses worn by novelist Raymond Chandler. There is indeed a similarity, which makes us think that these would be a stylish choice for pipe smokers.
At only $27.95 on Zenni, these are an excellent and sturdy choice for those on smaller budgets. We can’t fault the build quality of these frames and find that they offer superb value for money.
What Are Round Glasses?
Popularised in the 21st Century by Harry Potter, round glasses were once the only choice available. An extension of pince-nez spectacles that would hang off the nose, they were often made with thin wire.
They were first made famous in Hollywood silent movies. For instance, Harold Lloyd, known for his stunt where he hangs off a skyscraper clock, would often be seen wearing these. However, we’ve already mentioned several times before that the glasses are also closely associated with Indiana Jones as well as a number of other period characters.
Round glasses were usually made out of metal. However, wealthy men and women would have round frames made from horn or ivory. Therefore, when plastics were introduced as a frame material in the 1950s, metal frames faded out of fashion.
Gold wire frames were therefore associated with austere and serious intellectuals. Meanwhile, rock & roll and jazz musicians would turn to plastic square frames instead.
When the Beatles became popular, round lenses became popular again thanks to John Lennon and the hippie subculture. Bulky and oversized wire frames experienced a renaissance throughout the 1970s until Ray-Ban launched their product placement campaign for wayfarers in the 1980s.
Today, round glasses are popular once again among carefree and bohemian individuals with a love of literature and intellectualism. In fact, they tend to be found in either acetate or metal. Once again, they’re finding themselves in the mainstream as an alternative to plastic-framed glasses.
Will Round Glasses Work For Me?
Firstly, round glasses can be quite large so always take your head size into account when choosing a pair. If your head is comparatively small, you should take care and double check sizes before buying.
Depending on the intended fit, round glasses can vary from person to person. Intentionally oversized styles are bold and outgoing statements that tend to be more eccentric.
However, those with more classic and conservative tastes can opt for round spectacles that fit properly according to their head size. We recommend that you read our guide to choosing glasses to learn more.
Additionally, skin tone and contrast can play important roles depending on the colour of the frames. If you’re unsure what would suit you best, refer to the guide linked just above.
Another consideration is your own style or persona. We already mentioned eccentric tastes. However, if you’re more athletic or prefer rugged styles, would this suit your daily needs?
Finally, we talk a lot about face shapes at Bespoke Unit. This is because we regularly refer to these theories when working on styles for different individuals. Below you can read our assessments for each of the 7 face shapes we outlined.
Will Round Glasses Suit My Face Shape?
If you’re wondering whether aviator glasses will suit your own morphology, you can refer to the guide below. Here, you will learn whether these particular frames will suit your face shape and whether you need to factor in any considerations.
If you already know your face shape, just click yours below to avoiding scrolling and jump straight to it:
- Diamond Face Shape
- Heart Face Shape
- Oblong Face Shape
- Oval Face Shape
- Round Face Shape
- Square Face Shape
- Triangle Face Shape
Furthermore, if you don’t already know it, we suggest that you refer to our full face shape guide in order to identify it.
Ideal Matches
If your face shape is one of the following shapes listed you can usually wear round glasses frames with ease. Nevertheless, be sure to read below to take any considerations that we highlight into account.
Diamond Face Shape
With their prominent cheekbones and angular features, round frames suit diamond face shapes the most. Both circular and rounded lenses would contrast nicely with their chiseled features.
The result is a balanced harmony, which when properly fitted or even oversize, is a bold and elegant statement.
You can head to the diamond face shape guide if you want to learn more styling tips.
Square Face Shape
Like diamond face shapes, square face shapes tend to look great with round frames. Unlike aviators, which can look imposing and authoritative on a square face, rounds create a more intellectual and relaxed look.
Nevertheless, take note that it’s important that round glasses are properly fitted. Even intentionally oversized glasses can render a square face round.
If you want to learn more, head to our full guide for square shape faces.
Triangle Face Shape
Similarly, triangle face shapes tend to work well with round glasses. Furthermore, if they’re slightly wide, they can help restore harmony and offset their pronounced jawlined.
That said, round frames work better than circular lenses as their top heavy construction tends to be more efficient in creating this effect.
Don’t hesitate top pay a visit to the triangle face shape guide to learn more about this face shape if it’s yours.
Acceptable Matches
Whilst the following face shapes can pull off round frames with a little styling, they may find them to be a touch more challenging. If you’re not sure, you can either read the dedicated face shape page or even head back to our main frames page.
Heart Face Shape
With a sloping jaw and small chin, heart face shapes could find round glasses quite challenging.
This is because round frames will emphasise these features rather than balance them out. We would also recommend that they’re properly fitted rather than oversized as heart face shapes tend to have broad foreheads.
Small circular frames may work quite well. However, if you’re opting for rounded glasses with a thick frame, we stress that they must be fitted to avoid over-emphasising the forehead.
If you have a heart face shape and want to see which frames and general styles we recommend, head to its dedicated guide.
Oval Face Shape
Not all frame styles work perfectly with oval faces even if it’s the ideal face shape. Nevertheless, don’t let that stop you from trying out round frames.
We recommend only that the glasses fit well and to avoid oversizing too much. Circular lenses may make the face appear rounder but this may also be a conscious style choice.
Similarly, rounded glasses with thick frames should fit or may make the face appear heart-shaped by broadening the forehead.
You can read more about your characteristics and styling advice on the dedicated oval face shape page.
Oblong Face Shape
In order to bring out its features, angular frames tend to be better for an oblong face shape. Additionally, wide frames will also reduce face height and make it appear more oval.
You can always try circular lenses as long as they’re quite narrow. However, make sure that they’re not too small as they may inadvertently exaggerate your head size.
Alternatively, see all the styles that we recommend in our detailed oblong face shape page.
Incompatible Face Shapes
The following face shape will have difficulty in styling round glasses. We would suggest that you either read its dedicated page linked below or read up on face shapes for glasses.
Round Face Shape
Unfortunately, round frames will likely emphasize round face shapes and make them appear more circular.
As a general rule, we recommend that round face shapes opt for angular frames instead. This will help in offsetting any inconsistencies and bring out any soft features.
Head to the round face shape style guide to see what frames we would recommend as an alternative.
What Next?
Found the perfect round glasses for you? If so, don’t forget that on our main glasses page you can find other guides that help you explore other subjects like lenses and colours. However, we have lots of other guides to explore for more inspiration:
- Best Hipster Styles To Buy Online
- Best Online Eye Wear Retailers
- Different Eyewear Frame Styles For Men
- How Glasses Should Fit
"Classic and forward fashion. Understated and intellectual, round glasses are a bold statement that I really enjoy!"Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★
Article includes not even one round pair. Pitiful.
Hi Scott,
I’ll try to be polite despite your nasty tone. Round doesn’t necessarily mean circular like the Coastal Joseph-Marc Experimental in the number 2 spot… Literally all the glasses featured in this guide are round.
Best,
CP
I believe in popular use “round” was circular. It is annoying to see glasses identified as “round’ when they are actually rounded. It would be so easy to identify which glasses are symmetrically round as opposed to rounded.
We initially thought the same but the vast majority of glasses labelled as “round” tend to be rounded as you say. We’ve done our best to be picky and only choose the *most* round glasses from the retailers that we use.
Best,
CP
The only glasses in this group that are “round” are Joseph Marc. The others may have some curve to their shape, but they are NOT round.
The best round frames that I have been able to find over the years are from Zenni optical. How disappointing that the round tortoiseshell acrylic frames no longer accept bifocal prescriptions, as they had done for several years prior.
Hi Jayne,
Indeed, the reason that we only have one actual round pair of frames is that they’re a devil to find, especially for men. However, we will update this guide in the near future and see what we can find!
All the best,
CP
Hi Charles, I really appreciate this article, as a fellow who wares round-framed glasses I found it to be really helpful to find my next pair! Thanks man.
Thanks for your feedback, Cole. We’re glad to hear you found this informative.
Best,
Rafael