Are white Ray-Ban-style sunglasses still hot? Did they peak last month? Or was that three months ago? Or never? Unless you’re 22 and hooked with swag from the O, Smith, or Spy, it’s easier to keep track of Lance Armstrong’s girlfriends than the current smoking sunglass style. With the flawless Nicolas from Salt Optics, however, that will never be an issue again: These wire-frame shades have achieved perfection with the timeless aviator style.

The Nicolas ($350) has a softened rectangle silhouette that enhances almost any face—recognizable enough to say “aviator” without overwhelming your mug. Ray-Ban’s famous teardrop lens is classic, an icon, but it’s a much more distinctive shape, harder to fit, and far more subject to the whims of fashion. Smith killed it with the Serpico (I still keep a pair in the vault), but the oversized South Carolina state trooper look comes and goes. The Salts, though, they bring the ideal amount of aviator styling—wire frames, double-bridge, time-tested temple shape—with a gentler, less dominating look.

D-Mac, Ray-Ban, en fuego.

Formed by surf industry veterans in 2006, Salt has been crushing it with high-quality, impeccably designed styles. Differences in sunglass style can be subtle, and it’s hard to put your finger on what separates the California company’s models from the competition—but something does. A couple months ago, we were shooting National Geographic Adventure’s spring apparel guide in South Africa (appearing the April/May issue, it should be on newsstands within a week or two) and we took along sunglasses from five or six brands. We work really hard to spread the coverage between companies, but when it comes to shades we start by picking what looks best on the models, regardless of who made them. Time and time again, when we went to record the outfits it was: “Salt.” “Salt.” “Salt.” I finally had to hide the Salt frames for a few days to spread the love around.

The Nicolas rose to the top of last year’s gear to be one of only two sunglasses to be named NGA’s Best of Adventure (and god knows we considered a lot of sunglasses). And like I said, it’s not always obvious why so many Salt Optics models kick ass, but with the Nicolas it’s clear: a timeless design, updated for the new century, subtle and incredibly versatile. On a trip two weeks ago to Vietnam, I was kayaking up a river and stopped at a bank-side market, where I made a bunch of new friends, all of whom wanted to try on my shades. Asian faces seem to have a trickier time getting sunglasses to fit…but the Nicolas? No problem—it worked for them, too.

I might need to stash a pair in the vault.

The Nicolas is available in six color and lens combinations. All the lenses are glass and polarized. Salt Optics.