The new Smith Seeker sunglasses are designed to be a do-it-all pair of sunglasses that can perform well during high-intensity sports or casual weekends. To achieve this, Smith worked with ultra-runner Anton Krupicka to optimize the Seekers features and design. Retail price for the Smith Seeker sunglasses ranges from $175 for ChromaPop lenses up to $225 for the photochromic variation like we have in this review. What makes the Seeker sunglasses unique are the subtle integrated side shields that mimic the styling of the Smith Venture sunglasses. While the Seeker sunglasses have a retro appearance, Smith has incorporated their latest technology with ChromaPop lenses, Megol rubber coating as well as autolock temple arms.
The Smith Seeker sunglasses blend retro styling with adventure oriented integrated side shields and ChromaPop lens technology.
| Retail Price | $175 – $225 (as tested) |
| Rating | Design: A- Optics: A Comfort: A Value: B+ |
| Measured weight (in g) | Smith Optics |
| Likes | + Unique styling with integrated side shields + Crisp and clear optics with ChromaPop lenses + Adventure oriented carrying bag and paracord |
| Dislikes | – Premium price – Lacks the fun color options available on other Smith sunglasses |
| Where to Buy (US) | Smith Optics |
UNBOXING
The Smith Seeker sunglasses come in a compact cardboard box with Smith branding printed on it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Seeker sunglasses
- Nylon carrying bag w/ plastic clasp
- Paracord
- Informational pamphlets
- Smith sticker
While most sunglasses either come with a zippered case or a fabric carrying bag, the Seeker has a more durable nylon carrying bag. It’s an interesting design that looks like it’s ready for adventures with a plastic clasp to secure everything in place. There is even a microfiber cloth sewn onto it for cleaning the lenses.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Seeker sunglasses have a slightly vintage look with a subtle pilot style and two-piece lens shape. It’s an interesting blend between life-style sunglasses and more over-sized designs you typically see with high performance sunglasses. Smith has also combined elements of their popular Venture sunglasses which featured removable side shields for mountain climbing by incorporating these integrated side shields. It’s probably one of the more polarizing aspects of the sunglasses as the side extensions help block side reflections but look a bit awkward from some angles. Smith currently offers the Seeker in six different variations with specific frame color and lenses: forest tortoise / polarized polarized brown lens, matte black / polarized black lens, tortoise / polarized brown, matte forest / low light rose, ash tortoise / polarized gray green, and the matte black / photochromic brown we have in this review.
All the color combinations are pretty restrained with mostly darker colors unlike Smith’s brighter “get wild” or “wild child” editions you can find in their cycling specific sunglasses. We have the only photochromic option which has an attractive matte black frame with subtle glossy Smith logos on the temples and a rubber-like texture. The photochromic lens adjusts to the environment and can look almost clear in darker conditions or has a darker brown in brighter environments. It’s also worth highlighting the included bag which is a custom roll top buckle pouch. Unlike most bags which are just fabric or have a zippered hard case, this is a nice soft travel bag with a plastic buckle. The opening also has a spring-like design which opens by compressing the sides inward which ensures the sunglasses won’t accidentally slide out.
Smith lists the Seeker sunglasses as medium fit with medium coverage which matches their slightly larger appearance. Unlike flat life-style sunglasses, the Seeker has a 6-base lens curvature that gives the sunglasses a modest wraparound fit to improve the field of view. The temple arms on the sunglasses also have a Megol coating to help them stay in place and have thin tips that can easily flex. There are also cutouts on the tips that can be used to attach the supplied paracord leash for additional security when doing extreme sports. The photochromic lenses feature a VLT 10-66% range which is an impressive category 1-3 range. That means the sunglasses go from nearly transparent to blocking out harsh suns automatically without the need to swap lenses.
IMPRESSIONS
While most of our sunglasses like the Julbo Frequency or Oakley Kato have bold styling, they always look out of place off the bike. The Smith Seeker solves that problem with its blend of performance features and retro styling. We wore the Seeker on the bike, running and cruising to work and found the ChromaPop photochromic lenses to have excellent visibility and adaptability. The brown tint helps brighten colors and improve contrast which helps spot debris or obstacles on the road. Despite being a two-piece lens design, the field of view is nice and wide which helps provide an immersive experience. At only 28 grams the sunglasses are also quite light which helps them stay in place without any pressure points or discomfort.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Smith Seeker sunglasses to have a unique design and great optics. Smith has blended their adventure styling with modern technology to position the Seeker sunglasses as a do-it-all pair of sunglasses. The styling is an interesting blend of retro pilot two-piece lens with oversized design and integrated side vents. We were impressed with the clear optics and photochromic lens that automatically adjusts to the conditions. Smith even includes an adventure-ready carrying bag instead of a traditional fabric carrying bag. The only negatives with the Seeker sunglasses is the premium price and lack of fun colors or graphic options that Smith offers on their other models. That said, the Smith Seeker offers a nice blend of performance and lifestyle design to make the sunglasses perfect for any occasion.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Smith Optics. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.