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<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201c999.9\u201d is the number that certifies gold of the highest purity. Yet even at its highest purity, 999.9 is still just short of absolute perfection. The name \u201c999.9 (Four Nines)\u201d represents the mindset of continually striving for that remaining 0.1 on the path toward complete perfection. No matter how exceptional a pair of glasses may be, it is never the final answer. It reflects a strong determination to continue growing as a brand by never settling for the status quo and constantly striving to improve quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf only there were glasses that fit the Asian skull right from the very beginning…\u201d
This simple yet pressing question emerged during everyday customer service on the sales floor.
At the time, overseas super brands dominated not only fashion but eyewear as well \u2014 and their frames were naturally designed for Western facial structures, with narrower widths and greater depth.
If they didn\u2019t exist, we would have to make them ourselves. That was how the history of Four Nines began.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBreaking The Conventional Belief That \u201cGlasses Are Something You Just Have to Live With\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nGlasses were generally seen as something you wore out of necessity, only when your eyesight declined. It was considered normal to believe that discomfort \u2014 such as difficulty wearing them, heaviness, slipping, sore ears, or marks left on the nose \u2014 was something you would eventually get used to. Four Nines took a different approach. While functionality as a vision-correction tool was carefully pursued, glasses were designed with comfort in mind.
By introducing a new value standard centered on ease of wear, the image of glasses was transformed from something to be endured into something positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor users with diverse skull structures to wear glasses in the optimal position, adjustment (fitting) by skilled opticians is required. However, frames designed for Westerners \u2014 with longer skulls and higher nose bridges \u2014 do not fit Japanese people, whose skulls tend to be rounder, shorter front to back, and have lower nose bridges, with only minor adjustments. As a result, each pair required individual adjustments relying on the expertise of opticians \u2014 modifying nose pads for height or width, or heating the frame to shape it to the wearer\u2019s head. Bending frames at multiple points places stress on them, and the comfort of fit can vary greatly depending on the skill of the individual technician.
Faced with this reality, Four Nines came to a conclusion. By creating glasses that fit the Asian skull from the outset, adjustments could be kept to a minimum, allowing consistently comfortable eyewear to be provided regardless of individual fitting skills.
As the Four Nines brand took shape, the first to resonate with its philosophy were discerning eyewear retailers. Instead of adjusting glasses to each individual face, it was the birth of glasses that already fit from the start. It was an idea that seemed obvious yet had never existed \u2014 truly an eye-opening concept.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Philosophy Embedded in the First Model<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/01\/251204_999.90932_fin-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>First Model: E-01 (Currently Discontinued)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The first models. \u201cE-01\u201d and \u201cE-02,\u201d were finally completed after bringing design drawings to factories in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture \u2014 one of the world\u2019s leading eyewear production centers \u2014 and repeating numerous revisions and prototypes. Released in 1995, these two frames were innovative plastic designs that not only fit the Asian skull but also featured varying thickness in the temples. This concept created elasticity in the temples, enhancing the overall fit. In addition, the temple tips were rounded to provide a gentle initial contact when putting the glasses on. These features \u2014 the variation in temple thickness and the consideration given to the temple tips \u2014 remain part of Four Nines\u2019 core design philosophy even 30 years later.
From the very first model, every aspect \u2014 from overall frame form to the smallest design details \u2014 embodied the enduring belief that pursuing function naturally gives rise to beautiful form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom the very first model onward, Four Nines has focused on glasses that are \u201ccomfortable,\u201d \u201cdurable,\u201d and \u201ceasy to adjust.\u201d Glasses are tools for vision correction. That fundamental philosophy remains unchanged to this day.
Then, in 2000 \u2014 five years after the brand\u2019s launch \u2014 Four Nines introduced a groundbreaking mechanism that would significantly propel the brand forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn this Journal series, spread across five parts, we look back on the background of the brand’s birth, key turning points, the passion behind its creation, and the philosophy that hasremained unchanged since its founding. In the next part, we will delve deeper into the “Gyaku R Hinge,” a symbol of the In this Journal series, spread across five parts, we look back on the background of the brand\u2019s birth, key turning points, the passion behind its creation, and the philosophy that has remained unchanged since its founding. In the next part, we will delve deeper into the \u201cGyaku R Hinge,\u201d a symbol of the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related articles<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
vol.1\u3000999.9\uff08Four Nines\uff09 The Beginning of an Endless Pursuit<\/span>
vol.2\u3000Unprecedented Comfort: The Birth of the Gyaku-R Hinge<\/a>
vol.3\u3000Attention to Detail. Everything for Comfort<\/a>
vol.4\u3000What Makes a “Good Pair of Glasses” \u2014 Three Elements That Make It Possible<\/a>
vol.5\u3000What Glasses Bring Together<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 1995, an eyewear brand was born with a clear belief at its core: \u201dGlasses should be fine tools.\u201dThe brand \u201c <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[28,34,1,26],"tags":[16,17,19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":329,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions\/329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fournines.co.jp\/en-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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