Melville, NY—Marchon Eyewear  collected 13 Olympic torches, which they have displayed at the Vision Expo East in Manhattan, MIDO in Milan and other international venues.

The collection of torches ranges from the first ever Olympic Torch of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, to the torch of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The torches all have varying styles and designs, which according to the company range from “the deceptively simple and sleek to the ornate and regal.”

Marchon’s display of Olympic torches.

The origins of the torch can be traced back to the Olympics of Ancient Greece, which took place in Olympia. In order to commemorate Prometheus’ theft of fire from Zeus, the Greeks kept a fire burning during the length of the Ancient Olympic Games.

Though a fire was lit in the tower of the stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, it wasn’t until the 1936 Berlin Games that the torch-lighting ceremony as we know it today began. The ceremony begins with the lighting of the torch in Olympia, Greece, several months before the opening ceremony for the Games. The torch is then relayed to the site of the Games.

Marchon stated that it is unlikely for the torches to be displayed at this year’s Vision Expo West. However, the company is looking to incorporate the torches in another way.

Among the brands in Marchon’s portfolio is NikeVision eyewear. Marchon’s products are distributed in over 100 countries.