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Our Origins: The Black Forest Lab

 

The story of Cielo begins not in a boardroom, but in an industrial optics laboratory in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany, in 1998.

Our founder, Dr. Elias Vogel, was an optical physicist obsessed with precision. During the week, Vogel designed lenses for high-complexity surgical microscopes. On weekends, he was an avid mountaineer, scaling the peaks of the Bavarian Alps.

Vogel lived with a constant dilemma: the technology he used to operate on human eyes was light-years ahead of the technology protecting his own eyes on the mountain. His glasses fogged up, distorted light at the edges, and slipped with sweat. For a German engineer accustomed to zero tolerance for failure, this was unacceptable.

 

"Projekt Klarheit" (Project Clarity)

 

In 2001, Vogel left his position in the medical industry and isolated himself in his workshop in Freiburg. His goal was audacious: to create a sports lens with the same visual fidelity as a microscope, yet indestructible enough to survive a rockfall.

Over two years, what became known as "Projekt Klarheit" tested over 400 polymer compounds. Vogel didn't just seek to block the sun; he wanted to tame the light. He developed a proprietary layer injection process—the precursor to our current polarisation technology—which eliminated the peripheral distortion common in curved lenses.

 

Why "Cielo"?

 

The moment of truth came in the summer of 2003. Vogel took his final prototype, the Mk-1, for a field test in the Dolomites, on the border between Austria and Italy.

Upon reaching the summit, under a scorching midday sun, Vogel looked up. For the first time, he didn't need to squint. The blue of the sky wasn't washed out by the glare; it was deep, textured, infinite. It was perfect vision.

Inspired by the purity of that blue over the Italian peaks, he realised that his product wasn't about cold engineering, but about the beauty it allowed one to see. He named the brand right there: Cielo. A Latin name to honour the view, supported by German engineering to guarantee the vision.

 

German Engineering Today

 

Today, Cielo's design and engineering headquarters maintain the rigour established by Vogel. We follow the principle of "Zweckmäßigkeit" (Absolute Functionality).

We do not add a screw, a curve, or a coating if it does not serve a vital performance purpose.

• Our TR90 injection moulds are calibrated with micrometre precision.

• Our hinges undergo 50,000-cycle fatigue tests.

• Our lenses are subjected to ballistic impact tests exceeding industry standards.

Cielo exists so you can trust your gear as much as you trust yourself.

German Engineering. Visionary Soul. Cielo.