TVR – True Vintage Revival. The craftspeople of Sabae
The faces and stories of Sabae’s master craftspeople. Inside the TVR workshop and the special editions Series 2 Vintage 1993, 505 Woody Carved and 504X, as selected by OCCHIO!
Sabae, Japan. Working on a frame in the TVR workshop.
A sheet of acetate preserved since 1993. A design from the 1940s. A craft learned from a father, then passed on to a son. In Sabae, TVR – True Vintage Revival brings these stories together in handmade eyewear.
The brand was founded in 2013, but the knowledge behind it goes back much further, and it lives in people: three masters with different paths and a shared idea of how a frame should be made.
The masters of Sabae
The memory of shapes
Sawada Yaemon
Before turning to eyewear, the Yaemon family built traditional Japanese roofs. The work changed; the knowledge continued to pass from one generation to the next.
Sawada learned from his father and grandfather. In the interview published by TVR in 2023, he describes still using tools from the 1950s. His son has also chosen this craft, specialising in polishing.
In the OCCHIO! selection, his name accompanies the Series 2 Vintage 1993: a frame whose sharply cut front calls for a particularly assured hand.
The idea behind Woody Carved
Eizo Onami
As head of production and one of the key figures behind TVR’s beginnings, Eizo Onami brings a personal exploration of materials to the project.
With Tsubota Masato, he developed Mokuchoroman, “Wood Tone Romance”: working acetate until it evokes the grain of wood. The outline remains that of a classic frame; beneath the fingers, the surface has the texture of wood.
This idea takes shape in the 505 Black Woody Carved, one of the special editions OCCHIO! has chosen.
A lifetime devoted to form
Yamada Mitsukazu
Yamada Mitsukazu dedicated more than sixty years to eyewear. His contributions to TVR include the Series 1: a reinterpretation of archival French shapes through the Diamond Cut technique.
In 2018, Japanese broadcaster NHK documented his career. His collaboration with TVR also took shape in the collection bearing his name, until his retirement in 2019.
His portrait remains part of the brand’s history, alongside a generation of craftspeople who knew how to recognise a proportion and bring it to life with the tools of their trade.
The 504, worn
The black front brings the eyes into focus. Rounded lenses and a keyhole bridge soften its character.
Explore the 504 Classic BlackThe special editions, up close
A rediscovered material, a carved surface, an engraving hidden inside a temple. The editions selected by OCCHIO! show how the masters’ work can change the character of a classic.
Limited edition · 99 pieces
Series 2 Vintage 1993
A material preserved since 1993
The Series 2 story begins with a batch of acetate preserved since 1993. TVR chose it for a final production of 99 pieces. In Black Clear, the black front meets a transparent section that reveals the construction within.
Sawada Yaemon works the acetate using Diamond Cut, a finishing technique that keeps edges crisp and square, at 90 degrees. In the photographs, the cut is particularly noticeable along the bridge and around the lenses.
With this cut, the volume of the acetate, its transparency and the metal components read as three distinct layers, visible even from a three-quarter view.
Discover the Series 2 Black ClearLimited edition · Mokuchoroman
505 Black Woody Carved
Wood grain, carved into acetate
The 505 Woody Carved invites you to look at its surface. The texture follows the front, crosses the bridge and continues along the temples. From a distance, you see a black panto; up close, fine grooves and grain emerge.
It is the result of Eizo Onami and Tsubota Masato’s Mokuchoroman project. The acetate is worked by hand to create the effect of wood, while keeping the frame’s own construction. Black keeps the texture discreet, while metal rivets mark the outer ends of the front.
In our selection, the 505 Black Woody Carved brings this treatment to a compact panto shape, to be appreciated by touch as well.
Discover the 505 Woody CarvedX Series
504X
Two materials, greater depth
The 504X takes the 504’s JD design and builds it in 8 mm acetate. Inside sits an engraved titanium rim: a second line around the lens, inspired by the Windsor rims of the 1970s.
The keyhole bridge and seven-knuckle hinges belong to TVR’s classic vocabulary. The surprise lies in the temple: the metal core bears a dragon inspired by the one at Kyoto’s Myōshin-ji Temple. The motif comes from Tebori, a hand-engraving technique.
The subject changes in the 504 Kuro Crystal, Edition 2026. Here the metal core features Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow of Japanese tradition. The shape remains close to that of the 504X.
Explore the 504XFrom Sabae to OCCHIO!
We chose these frames for the way they preserve and transform a craft. Explore the TVR selection online or come and discover it in our boutiques: some differences you can see, others you discover by holding a frame in your hands.
Sources and credits
Portraits and images from the official TVR archive. Original OCCHIO! text based on the brand’s history, the TVR Journal and the editions in our catalogue.