NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Petrol Monaco Coming in April
The Top-Selling Style in Petrol’s Polarized Driving Sunglass Line
Will Soon Be Available in New Frame Colors and Feature
Light-Adjusting VisoChromatic™ Lenses

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Mar. 12, 2009 — Since its Fall 2008 launch, Petrol Eyewear’s driving sunglass collection has garnered rave reviews from automotive enthusiasts, and no style has received more interest than the Petrol Monaco, an Italian-designed deep wrap style that combines a lightweight and comfortable frame with best-in-class polarized lenses.  Today, Petrol announced that it will soon offer the Monaco in two additional frame finishes—gloss black with a grey marble pattern interior, and gloss brown with a woodgrain interior.  Both frames will feature Petrol’s much anticipated VisoChromatic™ Lens.

Petrol VisoChromatic technology automatically adjusts lens darkness to surrounding light conditions, from 34% to 12% visible light transmission (VLT) in Petrol grey lenses, and 29% to 9% VLT in Petrol bronze lenses.  Unlike ordinary light-transitioning lenses that react only to ultraviolet light (UV), Petrol VisoChromatics react to both UV and visible light, allowing them to partially darken behind the UV-blocking windshield of your car.  This results in glare-cutting comfort while driving, and an even darker lens for full-sun activity outside the car.

“Photochromic lenses have been available for some time, but generally offer little benefit behind UV-coated auto glass,” said Terence Scheckter, president of Petrol Eyewear.  “Petrol’s VisoChromatic technology—combined with our unsurpassed polarization—delivers a true driver’s lens that can be worn from dawn to dusk, inside the car and out, and provides the precise level of tint needed to maximize vision, increase eye comfort, and protect your eyes.”  

In addition to cutting-edge lens technology, the Monaco features distinct frame styling that maximizes comfort and protection.  Its toric shape follows natural facial curvatures and provides great peripheral coverage, preventing light from “leaking” in at the temples and thus producing a near 180-degree field of view.  Monaco frames are composed of Grilamid® TR-90, a shape-retaining plastic polymer that is highly resistant to stress cracking, UV exposure and extreme temperatures.       

Now available at www.petroleyewear.com and select retail locations, the complete Petrol Eyewear line includes a variety of high-performance Grilamid/plastic frames along with metal, acetate and ultra-light titanium models.  Most styles feature the company’s signature Repelium™ lens—a multi-layer polycarbonate with an ultra-slick surface that resists scratches, smudges, oils, water, fogging and fingerprints.  An anti-reflective coating on the inside surface eliminates eye strain-inducing “bounce-back” glare, while Petrol light filtering technology provides 100% protection from harmful UV rays and damaging, high-intensity visible light.  Optically correct and distortion-free, Petrol Repelium lenses are individually cast and vacuum-coated in France and Italy.

Petrol driving sunglasses range in price from $120-200 USD and carry a one-year warranty.

About Petrol Eyewear
Established in 2007, Petrol Eyewear is a manufacturer of premium quality polarized driving sunglasses. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, Calif., Petrol is a subsidiary of TSW, a leading producer of alloy wheels with a 30-year history of incorporating race-inspired technology into everyday driving. Developed by automotive enthusiasts and endorsed by professional race car drivers, Petrol offers superior optics designed to increase depth perception, sharpen vision, reduce eye fatigue, and protect the wearer from harmful UV and high-intensity visible light.

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