KameManNen models: names, sizes and prices
Japan's oldest eyewear house: how to read KameManNen model names, what they measure and what the frames in stock cost.
Journal · Brand guides
KameManNen is Japan's oldest eyewear house. It was founded in 1917 in Fukui, and in 1981 it made the world's first titanium frames. Every model has a number and every finish a code: here is how to read them, what each model measures and what the frames in stock cost.
Every model is in our KameManNen glasses collection, optical and sunglasses, shipped worldwide from Crema, Italy.
The house
The company began as an electroplating workshop, Kimura Seisakusho, founded by Kikujiro Kimura in Fukui. After the war it became an eyewear maker in Sabae, the city that produces most of Japan's frames today. In 1981 KameManNen introduced the first all-titanium frames: light, corrosion-proof and suitable for people with metal allergies.
The name comes from a Japanese proverb: the crane lives a thousand years, the turtle ten thousand. Kame is the turtle, man is ten thousand, nen is years.
How to read the model names
Each model is called kmn followed by a number: kmn 122, kmn 1232, kmn 9502. SG marks the sunglasses version of the same model, as in the kmn 1232 SG. The colour code comes after the number, usually in two parts: front and details.
- MGR/GD: matte grey and gold.
- MBK: matte black.
- LG and GD: light gold and gold.
The finishes are electroplated layers, not paint: that is why there are few colours, and why they last as long as the frame.
The models in stock now
Sizes in millimetres: lens width, bridge, temple. Lens width is the width of one lens, not of the whole front.
kmn 1232
Engraved rim with a metal core, small lens and wide bridge. 45–23–145. Also as sunglasses, the 1232 SG.
Optical · 590 € · sunglasses 686 €
kmn 9502
The widest in the selection, for a medium or wide face. 49–21–145. Optical and sunglasses.
Optical · 630 € · sunglasses 686 €
kmn 9500
Titanium, in matte black for optical and silver for sun. 45–22–140.
Optical · 630 € (MBK) · sunglasses 686 €
77 series
773M, 774M, 775M and 775P: small lenses and a wide bridge, for a small or medium face. 41 or 42–25–140.
Optical · 590 € (773M, 774M) · 700 € (775P)
How to choose the size
Most KameManNen frames have small lenses and a wide bridge, the classic shape of Japanese titanium eyewear. For a small face start with the 77 series or the kmn 122; for a medium face, the 1232 or the 9500; for a wide face, the 9502. The safest check is a pair you already wear well: compare the lens width and bridge printed inside the temple. More in our guide to frame measurements.
FAQ
Where are KameManNen glasses made?
In Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, Japan, where the house has worked since the post-war years.
Can I fit prescription lenses?
Yes. Optical frames arrive with demo lenses. Single-vision lenses can be made remotely from your prescription; progressives need fitting measurements taken in person, so ask your local optician to fit them.
Why are there so few colours?
They are electroplated finishes built up layer by layer, not paint. They stay on the frame over time, but they limit the palette to metals and a few matte tones.
Do you ship KameManNen worldwide?
Yes. Every frame ships from Crema, Italy, by tracked express courier, to Europe, the UK, the US and the rest of the world.
For Sabae and the other Japanese houses, read our guide to Japanese eyewear.