There has been much speculation and misinformation about exactly what
sunglasses are worn by the lead character Michael Weston as played by
Jeffery Donovan on the hit TV series Burn Notice, which (as of this
writing) has just aired its final episode of season 2.
It is generally accepted that the frame is "Victory" in gold. Oliver peoples makes these out of Titanium. Originally Victory was made in a size 55. It refers to the lens size. About the time season 1 ended OP had stopped making 55's in that style and had gone to 58's. Apparently many people wanted a slightly larger lens. In Burn Notice, Michael has the 55's.
Contrary to many misleading ad's on eBay and elsewhere, the true color of his lens is Cognac. Not Rose or Rosewood, or any other color. Just Cognac. The lenses are polarized. This partially accounts for why is some photos they seem redder in color. However, they do not change or darken in sunlight...they are not photosensitive (photochromic) .
The tricky part is that these sunglasses were made specially for the show. OP never fitted a Cognac lens to a Victory frame for general sale. So, while you can get close, you wont find the exact combination in any retail outlet.
There is hope. I researched this information for quite some time, calling OP stores in New York, Miami, and several parts of California, often getting different answers. Some time I was told that you can no longer get size 55 frames. Sometimes I was told the color was Rosewood or something else. Sometimes I was told that OP no longer makes Cognac frames AT ALL! I even contacted their corporate HQ to get the true skinny. It turns out that the sales person, Ester, at the South Coast (CA) store was correct about the color and size.
But I did not give up. 58's were too big for my face and I wanted Cognac! Ester at the South Coast store told me that they had in fact ordered some gold Victory 55's because there were many requests for them. I kept pressing, she checked with management, and finally they said that they could have Cognac lenses made for 55's if they were special ordered.
These had to be made in Japan and ultimately took 4 months to get, but I finally have gold Victory 55's with cognac lenses. and they are unquestionably the exact same sunglasses as seen on Burn Notice.
Occasionally you can still find 55 Victory frames on eBay...and often you will find the 58's. The cognac lenses, however, will have to be special ordered directly from Oliver Peoples.

It is generally accepted that the frame is "Victory" in gold. Oliver peoples makes these out of Titanium. Originally Victory was made in a size 55. It refers to the lens size. About the time season 1 ended OP had stopped making 55's in that style and had gone to 58's. Apparently many people wanted a slightly larger lens. In Burn Notice, Michael has the 55's.
Contrary to many misleading ad's on eBay and elsewhere, the true color of his lens is Cognac. Not Rose or Rosewood, or any other color. Just Cognac. The lenses are polarized. This partially accounts for why is some photos they seem redder in color. However, they do not change or darken in sunlight...they are not photosensitive (photochromic) .
The tricky part is that these sunglasses were made specially for the show. OP never fitted a Cognac lens to a Victory frame for general sale. So, while you can get close, you wont find the exact combination in any retail outlet.
There is hope. I researched this information for quite some time, calling OP stores in New York, Miami, and several parts of California, often getting different answers. Some time I was told that you can no longer get size 55 frames. Sometimes I was told the color was Rosewood or something else. Sometimes I was told that OP no longer makes Cognac frames AT ALL! I even contacted their corporate HQ to get the true skinny. It turns out that the sales person, Ester, at the South Coast (CA) store was correct about the color and size.
But I did not give up. 58's were too big for my face and I wanted Cognac! Ester at the South Coast store told me that they had in fact ordered some gold Victory 55's because there were many requests for them. I kept pressing, she checked with management, and finally they said that they could have Cognac lenses made for 55's if they were special ordered.
These had to be made in Japan and ultimately took 4 months to get, but I finally have gold Victory 55's with cognac lenses. and they are unquestionably the exact same sunglasses as seen on Burn Notice.
Occasionally you can still find 55 Victory frames on eBay...and often you will find the 58's. The cognac lenses, however, will have to be special ordered directly from Oliver Peoples.
Guide created: 03/14/09 (updated 10/01/09)
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