Brand Behind JFK’s Sunglasses Releases 999 Blood Moon Aviators for Eclipse

American Optical released a limited-edition Original Pilot “Blood Moon” aviator tied to the March 3, 2026 lunar eclipse; the run is 999 pairs, priced at $265 at publication, and available for purchase online. The drop leans on AO’s heritage and scarcity: 999 pairs and a launch pegged to a “blink-and-you-missed-it” eclipse that Rolling Stone notes will not return for more than two years.

The Blood Moon uses AO’s Original Pilot silhouette, the company’s 1958 military design built with bayonet temples so wearers could remove shades without taking off helmets, a detail that helped astronauts use the frame during Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. AO’s product copy states, “The Original Pilot was first released to provide the US military sunglasses in 1958. Expect uncompromising quality - engineered to rigid military specifications,” and the brand reminds buyers that it was “Founded in 1833.”

Design specifics for the Blood Moon are explicit: the lenses are described as “Deep Wine–tinted” while the frame adheres to the Original Pilot profile. American Optical emphasizes domestic manufacturing and durability in its marketing, and WWD highlights the military-to-space lineage with the line, “The most important thing to know is that these sunnies, or at least their O.G. models, have already gone to the moon.” That lunar framing is reinforced by AO’s own tagline on its site: “Our connection to the moon spans decades.”

Price positioning matters here: the Blood Moon special edition lists at $265, compared with AO’s base Original Pilot at $220 and the Saratoga silhouette at $210 on the AO site. Town & Country reports the Saratoga “typically sells for $200” and calls the Saratoga the silhouette often linked to John F. Kennedy, including JFK’s frame size listed as 52-19-145 mm in their coverage. That JFK linkage remains a key piece of AO’s cultural pull: the brand is regularly identified as the maker behind JFK’s most-worn sunglasses.

Availability and discount mechanics are partially in conflict across sources. AO’s website advertises “FREE US SHIPPING & RETURNS” and a 10 percent first-purchase email offer that explicitly excludes “new and limited edition items.” Town & Country, meanwhile, reported a Presidents’ Day Weekend promotion using code president10 that would apply sitewide, presenting a discrepancy worth noting for buyers seeking a discount on a limited run. Rolling Stone stresses scarcity in its product listing, noting “When 999 pairs are gone, they’re gone,” and calls the Blood Moon aviators “the second product in the brand’s Lunar Series.”

The Blood Moon release folds AO’s astronaut provenance and the Saratoga’s JFK associations into one collectible offering: 999 numbered pairs, $265 at launch, and an online-only roll out tied to a specific celestial moment. For collectors and fans of American Optical’s military and moonlit lineage, the Blood Moon sits intentionally above the brand’s $220 base Original Pilot price while doubling down on the company’s origin story from 1833 and its long-running place in American style.