Cartier Glasses: The Screws, the Panther and the Bond Villain's Pair

In the 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill, Christopher Walken played the bad guy, and he wore Cartier Vendome Santos sunglasses, the design with three screws. A specialist who has spent years on old Cartier frames still calls the Vendome the most sought-after pair the house has made. I like that the loudest villain in the franchise picked frames that mostly whisper.

Today the story is a little different. Since the 2017 partnership between Kering and Richemont, Kering Eyewear has handled development, manufacturing and worldwide distribution of Cartier eyewear, and it took over the Manufacture Cartier Lunettes entity in France. The first collection under the partnership had three lines: Santos, C de Cartier and Panthère. Those three names still organize everything you will see in this edit of Cartier glasses, and they are a handy way to shop.

Start with the optical frames, because this is the pair you wear every day. The Clash cat-eye in gold has spiked temples that read as jewelry from the side and as nothing at all from the front. The slim gold rectangular pair is the quiet one, and the Panthère square in gold is the one I would pick for a desk job with a good camera. If you want less metal on your face, the rimless C de Cartier round and cat-eye frames in gold nearly disappear. The purple acetate cat-eye is the odd one out, and it is my favorite for October, with a charcoal coat and a black turtleneck.

Before you commit, put each pair on and look at the temples in a mirror. Cartier puts the detail there, so that is where you will get your answer.

The screw is the whole point of the Santos. Cartier's Santos eyewear echoes the Santos watch, and the newest versions use titanium construction to match. That is why the Santos de Cartier aviators here, in gold with light blue lenses and in silver with pastel yellow lenses, look like small pieces of machinery rather than just sunglasses.

The pilot-frame pair in silver with blue gradient lenses is the cool one, and I would wear it with a gray wool coat and a white shirt. The Première de Cartier pilot frames in black have dark gray lenses and a double bridge, which makes them the serious option for a long drive. The two slim gold pilot frames with brown gradient lenses are the warm ones, and they sit well with camel and cream. The silver Santos with gray mirrored-look lenses is the one for a flat, bright day.

The gold Santos with the black leather brow bridge has a different mood altogether. It is a little more rock, a little less pilot.

Test the screws and the bridge. Look at how the temples sit against your head, whether the nose pads feel secure when you tilt your chin down, and whether the lenses cover your brows or stop short.

What I would skip: the palest lenses, like the yellow or light blue ones, if you mostly need sunglasses for driving into a low sun. They are a look more than a shade.

The boxier shapes are where Cartier gets the most graphic. The C de Cartier rimless rectangular pair has pink-tinted lenses on slim gold temples, and it is the one I would wear with a white tee and wide trousers. The Clash rectangular in gold with gray lenses is more sharp, and the oversized Clash square has small spikes at the temples that catch the light as you turn your head.

Signature C comes up twice, in black acetate with rectangular gray lenses and in streamlined gold metal with gray lenses. The Signature C line leans on lightweight titanium, borrowed from the leather goods side of the Maison, so I would check the weight on the nose first. The Panthère square in black acetate has the panther hardware on the temples, and it is the one that works with a trench and a gray scarf.

The Première square in gold metal and acetate and the Trinity rectangular in gold with blue lenses are the ones to try if you want color without going bright.

Hold each pair at arm's length and look at the corners. A good square frame has even edges and the lenses sit flush. Then turn your head from side to side and see whether the temples stay clear of your hair.

What I would skip: the biggest square if you have a small face and you plan to wear a hat. The two will fight.

If you are weighing up a round pair against a cat-eye, think about where you wear your hair. Up, and the cat-eye shows off the temples. Down, and the round frames sit quieter.

The Panthère cat-eyes are the pair to look at first. One is rimless on slim gold temples, and the brown one carries the signature panther head motifs. Cartier's emblematic feline shows up through sculpture and hand-applied enamel on this line, so look at the temples the way you would look at a brooch. The Clash cat-eye in gold with dark lenses and spiked temples is the sharper cousin, and the thick black Signature C cat-eye with logos at the hinges is the one I would wear with a black trench.

For round, the Signature C round in golden titanium has violet lenses and a sculptural pointed bridge, and the Première round in gold with violet lenses is made in France. The Trinity round has rimless gray lenses and gold temples, and it is the easiest to wear every day with a wool blazer.

The last cat-eye in gold, with angled tinted lenses and logo-embossed temples, sits closest to a classic.

Check the bridge. A round frame will slide if the pads are wrong, so tilt your head and shake it a little in the fitting room.

What I would skip: rimless cat-eyes if you tend to push your sunglasses up on your head. The edges are more delicate than they look.

These are the pairs that feel closest to the jeweler. Panthère de Cartier is built around the panther, with the emblematic feline set through sculpture and hand-applied enamel on the current line. The rimless rectangular pair in gold with gray lenses and the round pair in gold with green lenses both have the panther head on the temples or hinges, and both are made in Italy. The geometric gold frame with graded brown lenses is smoother and plainer, so I would choose it first if you want the panther to be a secret.

C Décor is a different mood. The rimless pairs come with lens tints that look like sunset: orange on the square Décor C Classique, green to brown on the gold rimless, blue to green on the silver, and pink on the round gold. The ivory marble-effect temples on the white rectangular pair are the most unusual thing in this edit, and they look best with a cream knit and a dark denim jean.

Look at the temples in daylight and turn them in your hand. The marble effect and the metal finish should look even, with no rough edges at the joins.

What I would skip: the orange tint if you have warm undertones and wear a lot of rust. It will blur into your clothes rather than stand out.

I would start with the frame you will wear most days, which for many people is a pair of gold optical frames, then add one pair of sunglasses with a shape you know suits you. Check the lens category on the page, check the temples in a mirror, and choose the pair you can tilt without a slip.

If you want a story, the Santos is the one with three screws and a cameo in a Bond film. If you want the quietest pair, go for the rimless gold.

Walken's villain wore his three screws in 1985. I would wear mine to the market on a Saturday. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together YSL Glasses Are The House Codes At Eye Level and Versace Glasses for Women.