AFTER's journal has so far introduced various eyeglasses and watches. This time, we decided to take a slightly different approach and introduce ZEISS lenses.
ZEISS lenses, with their overwhelming clarity and wide field of vision, are chosen by many customers who purchase eyeglasses at AFTER. Moreover, customers who have experienced ZEISS lenses once almost always choose ZEISS again without hesitation when they buy their next pair of eyeglasses.
What makes ZEISS lenses, supported by so many customers, different from others? This time, we were specially invited to the ZEISS Japan head office and had the opportunity to hear their story. We will deliver this special interview as a journal entry.
The Beginning of ZEISS
– ZEISS Representative
ZEISS was founded in 1846, when Carl Zeiss established a workshop for manufacturing microscopes. Microscopes manufactured at Carl Zeiss's workshop quickly gained high acclaim, and subsequently, the company began to produce a wide range of optical products, including binoculars and rifle scopes.
Today, ZEISS is at the forefront of optical technology, globally operating in diverse fields such as semiconductor-related equipment, industrial measuring instruments, and medical devices.
– AFTER Makino
When I think of ZEISS, I strongly associate it with eyeglass lenses, which we carry at AFTER, and camera lenses.
– ZEISS Representative
Today, ZEISS not only produces lenses but also continues to research and develop in various fields that have evolved from its original optical business, consistently supplying innovative products.
And in terms of commercializing cutting-edge technology, spectacle lenses are no exception. Among the lenses developed by ZEISS, a milestone for the industry was the Punktal, released in 1912. This was the first lens in history designed to focus even outside the center of the lens.
This enabled clear vision in the peripheral field, making it possible to see the entire field of vision by simply moving one's gaze while wearing glasses.
– AFTER Makino
So, they were making state-of-the-art lenses more than 100 years ago.
ZEISS, which has continued its research and development for over 175 years, can be seen not only in cutting-edge technology but also in historical moments.
During the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Admiral Togo Heihachiro used ZEISS binoculars when he defeated the Russian Baltic Fleet. He would later become the first Japanese person to appear on the cover of TIME magazine.
It was also ZEISS lenses that were used by NASA during the Apollo program for the moon landing. The lenses manufactured by ZEISS to operate reliably in the unprecedented environment of zero gravity and vacuum are still left on the moon to reduce weight upon return to Earth.
In modern times, ZEISS lenses are used to capture satellite images for Google Earth. To display the Earth's surface with sufficient quality and resolution, the precision and imaging capabilities unique to ZEISS optics were essential.
Furthermore, for AFTER's customers, ZEISS also supplies industrial measuring equipment used by car manufacturers, including Porsche, which are very much a part of their everyday lives.
ZEISS Eyeglass Lenses
– AFTER Makino
When I worked at EYEVAN, my previous job, at their Kansai store, EYEVAN only carried ZEISS at one store in Tokyo at that time. However, ZEISS lenses had many fans, and customers who had used ZEISS lenses said they wanted ZEISS again next time. I was frustrated to tell them that we didn't carry ZEISS, so I worked to get EYEVAN to carry ZEISS throughout the entire company.
With that background, AFTER has carried ZEISS from the beginning since I opened it independently.
– ZEISS Representative
You are absolutely right, ZEISS lenses have a lot of fans. What they all say in unison is that ZEISS clearly offers a different viewing experience, with clarity and a wide field of vision.
– AFTER Makino
That's truly the case.
– ZEISS Representative
As for what makes ZEISS lenses special, some people might say it's because the coating has less reflection, or that the material itself is clearer. However, it's certainly more than just that; it's designed so that more natural light reaches the retina through a combination of various factors, including those mentioned.
Among these, I believe that 1. precision of power, 2. precision of lens surface, and 3. low-reflection coating are particularly distinctive features of ZEISS.
– AFTER Makino
I see.
1. Power Precision
– ZEISS Representative
First, regarding the precision of lens power. As we sometimes say internally, "ZEISS from the neck up," ZEISS manufactures a variety of medical devices and prides itself on being one of the most trusted manufacturers, especially in ophthalmology, dentistry, and neurosurgery.
Data measured by these medical devices is also shared with ZEISS after personal information is anonymized. Therefore, ZEISS possesses an enormous amount of data about the human eye. This data includes information such as, for example, for myopia, how many millimeters inside the cornea the eyeball rotates, and that the center of rotation shifts slightly when moving the eyeball vertically versus horizontally.
By accurately simulating eye information using such data, and then plotting 40,000 points on the lens and smoothly connecting them, it becomes possible to design a power that allows more natural light to reach the retina.
Furthermore, since this power design data cannot be created in Japan, power information for lenses ordered from within Japan is first sent to Germany, where it is completed using supercomputers.
A lens constructed from an eye model based on the world's largest database, possible only for a manufacturer involved in both state-of-the-art medical devices and ophthalmic lenses, and designed by applying that model. These are the unavoidable first steps in designing ideal ophthalmic lenses, and a process where ZEISS particularly excels.
2. Surface Precision
– ZEISS Representative
Furthermore, accurately transferring that power design data to the actual lens manufacturing process is also a field in which ZEISS excels.
When manufacturing eyeglass lenses at ZEISS, as I explained earlier, a cutting-edge freeform polishing technology is used to grind the lens into a complex three-dimensional curve, also known as a digital surface, designed by plotting 40,000 points. Freeform is now adopted by many lens manufacturers, but it was none other than ZEISS that was involved in the development of the machinery for it from the beginning and commercialized freeform technology for eyeglass lenses for the first time.
While freeform technology can precisely grind any curved surface, its full potential can only be maximized with the knowledge accumulated during the actual product development process, such as how to create the necessary data. In this regard, ZEISS is a manufacturer with top-level experience and technology.
– AFTER Makino
And then there's the lens curve. ZEISS allows for flexible specification of the lens curve, so even frames originally fitted with flat lenses can be fitted with prescription flat lenses without compromising the design of the eyeglasses.
Individual lenses, which are custom-designed for each person's facial features and the eyeglass frame they use, are now offered by various companies as their highest-grade lenses. It was none other than ZEISS that first released them globally in 2000.
3. Ultra-Low Reflection Coating
– ZEISS Representative
Another characteristic of ZEISS lenses is their ultra-low reflection coating. ZEISS has a long history of lens coating, being the first to apply coatings to camera lenses. The DuraVision Platinum coating currently used by ZEISS achieves the world's lowest reflectance of less than 1%.
– AFTER Makino
While the reflected light from other companies' lenses is mostly green, ZEISS lenses are characterized by a blue reflected light, aren't they?
– ZEISS Representative
Yes. The color of the reflected light can be freely created by adjusting the coating, but in the process of achieving the world's lowest ultra-low reflectivity, the result is a blue reflected light that differs from other companies'.
– AFTER Makino
You can tell a ZEISS lens at a glance from the outside. Also, the engraving on the lens – I think ZEISS's is exceptionally clear compared to other companies'.
– ZEISS Representative
While all manufacturers engrave their company mark on their lenses, ZEISS uses a special laser called an excimer laser, which is also used in LASIK surgery. This dedication might seem meaningless at first glance, but it offers benefits such as preventing color pooling when the lens is tinted and avoiding coating peeling from the engraved area.
Furthermore, because the excimer laser can precisely control the depth of the engraving, the ZEISS engraving is clearly visible from the outside, but it does not obstruct the wearer's vision.
Since the equipment itself is very expensive, I believe this engraving is also a unique feature of ZEISS, which develops its own medical equipment.
– AFTER Makino
For fans, it's actually a nice touch that those in the know can recognize ZEISS lenses from the outside. And all of those features were born from the process of creating the best possible lens.
Precisely designed lenses, when treated with the world's best low-reflection coating, achieve clearer vision and everyday durability. And the distinctive bluish reflected light and the subtly yet clearly visible ZEISS engraving are among the few characteristics of ZEISS lenses that are discernible from the outside, despite their understated nature.
ZEISS and Opticians
– ZEISS Representative
While ZEISS lenses are shaped by cutting-edge research and development and advanced production processes, to reach customers, they are ultimately processed and adjusted by opticians, and finished into the form of eyeglasses.
Therefore, ZEISS hopes to build a medium-to-long-term partnership with opticians, viewing them not merely as manufacturers and retailers but as business partners. We envision a sustainable three-way relationship where customers who are satisfied with ZEISS lenses once will choose ZEISS lenses from the same optician again when they get their next pair of glasses, rather than just focusing on short-term sales.
Especially in the Japanese market, we focus on high-performance and high-priced lenses for customers who seek quality even if it's a bit more expensive.
– AFTER Makino
The eyeglasses we carry at AFTER include 10eyevan, EYEVAN 7285, and also vintage pieces, and I believe all of them are irreplaceable eyeglasses in their own respective ways.
For AFTER customers who choose such eyeglasses, we hope they will also choose the highest quality, irreplaceable lenses to match their frames.
ZEISS eyeglass lenses are born from cutting-edge research and development. Their history of innovation spans over 100 years, pioneering industry standards from then until now. Their high quality, overwhelming clarity, and wide field of vision are only achievable with ZEISS lenses.
Furthermore, the unique bluish reflected light and the subtle yet clearly visible ZEISS engraving, which are the result of pursuing functionality, provide satisfaction beyond mere performance.
When having eyeglasses made at AFTER, we confidently recommend choosing the highest quality not only for the frames but also for the lenses. We will propose the ideal ZEISS lenses from a wide range of options, including clear lenses, colored lenses, and photochromic lenses.
