Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Mares and Pirelli

[David Wilson]

Today's final numbered Mares mask looks like a cut-down version of the 1244.

1248

Note the reinforcement ribs on the extended sides and the metal surround with the lateral screw on the oval lens. Another robust model in the early Mares range of diving masks.

Such heavy-duty masks remind me of the "Yasuda YS-26B" I chanced upon a while ago on a Japanese online retail site:

The article is 32cm x 30.5cm x 8cm in dimension, 1,400 grams in weight and ￥4000 in price. You can view it for yourself at YD-61 フィッシングマスク | 株式会社安田工業所. In my dreams, I enjoy toying with the idea that what we have here is a modern incarnation of the Mares 1244. Sadly, it it isn't. What real purpose do you think the "YS-26B" serves? How's your Japanese? No prizes, but I'll reveal the answer midweek, when I will be moving on to review another Mares mask, the Vedo, which débuted as far as I can determine in 1963. In the meantime, stay safe.

 

[Angelo Farina]

It look like a bathiscope, a device originally patented by Cressi in the sixties:

 

[David Wilson]

Congratulations, Angelo! You win, and I didn't know that Cressi had patented a bathyscope, also known as an aquascope. When I first saw the "Yasuda YS-26B", it took me a while to realise that this "diving mask" was actually an "aquascope", or underwater viewer, fitted with a strap and buckles to attach the device to the face. Western counterparts will usually be longer, made of a material other than rubber and completely devoid of any headstraps:

The "Yasuda YS-26B" is actually the Ikari 31-M:

Here is an English summary of the Japanese text accompanying the "Fishing-Friend" pages at IKARI 　A-31Mスイムメイト(M) 魚拓,中古釣具,釣具,釣り具,エギング,サーベリング,リール,ダイワ,シマノ,がまかつ,ロッド,竿,玉の柄｜釣具のフレンド　商品詳細, where the Ikari A-31M is showcased:

Ikari A-31M Swim Mate (Medium). Underwater Viewer. This underwater viewer is a long-loved classic. If you mount it on your head with the adjustable rubber strap, both hands will remain free, making it easier to fish. It may be used in a river, sea, on board a boat.
■ Material: Body: rubber / Lens: 3mm thick glass / Frame: stainless steel.
■ Size: Diameter 18 cm / Length 21 cm.
■ Country of Origin: Japan
※ This is a self-assembly product. A tool is required for assembly. Skill and strength are required when installing the glass lens.
* Some manufacturers may change specifications and colours without notice.

The picture above suggests that the Ikari A-31M mask was available in at least two sizes, Medium and Large. The presence of air holes close to the device's rubber face flange implies that the device provided full face coverage for its wearer. The text implies that users wanting to observe fish through the glass lens strapped one end of the "mask" onto their faces and positioned the other on the surface of the water, leaning out of a boat or standing in shallow water. Does this device have any function in the diving world? Are underwater viewers with headstraps unique to the Land of the Rising Sun?

 

[JMBL]

This last one is a real sea monster ! Never heard nor read of such a contraption. Thanks.

 

[David Wilson]

Glad the aquascope-with-a-headstrap puzzle was solved so quickly! I must admit I looked, vainly, online for an image of somebody wearing one. That would have been quite a sight!

On to the Mares Vedo diving mask, which probably came onto the market in 1959 with stock number 1259 (see above) and earned the product name Vedo (Italian for "I see") in 1963 (see below):

Italian: "Art. 1259 - Occhiali VEDO. Muniti di vetri di chiusura piani otticamente lavorati ed obbligatoriamente complanari che garantiscono una perfetta visione dell'esterno. Coloro che, affetti da miopia, o da ipermetropia (erroneamente talvolta chiamata presbiopla) portano abitualmente occhiali con lenti assosimmetriche, possono rivolgersi al proprio negoziante di ottica che provvederà, svitando con la apposita chiavetta la ghiera filettata (figura a lato), a montare sull'occhiale — in luogo dei due vetri di chiusura piani — due lenti oftalmiche «PRIMATO-SUB» appositamente costruite su ricetta dalle Officine Galileo di Marghera."
Rough translation: "Art. 1259 - VEDO glasses. Equipped with optically machined flat locked-in lenses and necessarially coplanar that guarantee a perfect view of the outside. Those who, suffering from myopia, or farsightedness (erroneously sometimes called presbyopia) usually wear glasses with axosymmetrical lenses, can contact their optician dealer who will unscrew the threaded ring nut with the special key (figure on the side), to mount on the glasses - in place of the two flat closing glasses - two "PRIMATO-SUB" ophthalmic lenses specially built on a prescription by Officine Galileo in Marghera."

Apologies in advance if my rendering is less than perfect here - ophthalmology isn't my forte. This is a diving mask for spectacle wearers who want something more professional than a do-it-yourself job with prescription lenses glued onto the inside of the glass. Certainly, the Vedo was a convenient option for the optician dispensing lenses to his clients as it came with an unlocking device for lens replacement and installation, which is illustrated in the catalogue image. The use of a nose pocket moulded into the rubber body of the mask would have been considered an improvement at a time when divers with larger noses found their probosces being crushed against the inside of their oval lens if the manufacturer was set on reducing inner volume. But French manufacturer Hurricane had come up with a similar model back in 1947:

The French caption translates roughly into English as "“Optique” mask. Special optical glasses can be fitted without tooling." This mask offering the possibility of corrective lenses to underwater swimmers is remarkable considering its availability as early as 1947. The model did not appear in later Hurricane catalogues, however.

 

[David Wilson]

Mares exported the Vedo optical diving mask to the UK as early as 1964, when it appeared in the underwater catalogue of Lillywhites of London:

It did not appear the following year, however, which suggests British divers might have found the process of installing prescription lenses an overcomplicated matter.

French ads for the mask appeared in 1966 and 1967:

Both advertisements draw attention to the fact that Enzo Majorca set a world freediving record using a Mares Vedo mask.

The 1969 Mares catalogue gave a prominent place to the Vedo, now the "Nuova Vedo" or "new Vedo", including a caption in three languages:

Italian: "Articolo 1111 Nuova Vedo. La più pratica ed economica delle maschere ottiche attualmente in commercio. Viene normalmente fornita con vetri piani e complanari, per cui può essere usata anche da coloro che non necessitano di lenti ottiche. La minima distanza lente-occhio e la corretta distanza interpupillare. garantiscono il massimo campo visivo. Le lenti già inserite nelle apposite guarnizioni, si innestano nelle sedi con semplice pressione."
English: "Item 1111 Nuova Vedo. The most practical and economical mask for substitution with prescription lenses, presently available on the market. As a standard supplied with plaln glass lenses, so that the mask can also be used by people, who do not need spectacles. Close-to-face design and the correct distance between the pupils of the eye secure a maximum visibility. The glass lenses, already provided with a rubber rim, can be easily installed by a simple press."
French: "Article 1111 Nuova Vedo. Le plus économique des masques optiques actuellement sur le marché. Très pratique, il est delivré avec deux verres optiques neutres qui permettent l'utilisation à tous plongeurs. La distance minimum oeil-lentilles et celle interpupillaire assurent un champ de vision très large. Les lentilles équipées de joint sont montées par pression."

Note the design changes, in particular the use of a single outer lens and the modified nose pocket.

 

[David Wilson]

The Vedo survived as the Nuova Veda into the 1970s.

In 1970:

1974:

1975:

A mid-1970s appearance:

It is number 6 on the extreme right in the first image above.

And, finally, 1976:

The stamp "Discontinued/Annulato" across the Italian, English, German, French and Spanish captions marks the eventual sad demise of this mask.

So that's my contribution for today. I will be back at the weekend to review another Mares mask, probably the "Mondial". Stay safe in the meantime.

 

[David Wilson]

"Mondial" is the adjective deriving from "monde", French for "world". It translates as "global" or "world", depending on context. By way of example, "Fonds mondial" is French for "Global Fund", while "Marché mondial" might be rendered as "World market". "Mondial" is also the name of a Mares diving mask that can be traced back to 1965:

Curious that the product name should be "Mondial", a French word, and not its Italian counterpart "Mondiale". Perhaps Mares wanted to penetrate the French underwater hunting market at that time and my next two pictures do have French captions.

1966

The above from a 1966 issue of L'aventure sous-marine, the French recreational diver's magazine. The caption reads "Try it, it's the best".

1967

This time the French caption means "Mondial Professional: The last-born is already the most famous." So there.

Another French diving periodical, Plongées, was a little more forthcoming about the main features of the Mares Mondial in its 1967 mask roundup:

French: « Mondial » : verre trempé sécurit ; cerclage plastique ; blocage courroie et cerclage enveloppant en acier inox. 39,50 F.
Rough translation: “Mondial”: tempered safety-glass lens; plastic liner; self-locking strap and stainless steel frame 39.50 F.

The Mondial's look invites inevitable comparisons with the Mares Vedo and the Cressi Pinocchio. The Vedo is the way the Mondial nose pocket provides a solution for divers who find their noses crushed against the inside of the lens within a traditional oval mask. The Cressi Pinocchio in that the Mondial comes with a single, specially shaped, lens to accommodate the diver's nose.

 

[David Wilson]

1969 brought two versions of the Mares Mondial: a professional and a standard model.

The professional version came with the description "Item 1112. Mondial professional. Maximum unobstructed vision. Minimum air volume. Minimum distance between lens and eyes. Tempered lens of a special design. Soft feather edges. Framed in chrome-plated copper with patented seal. Colour: black." The standard version: "Item 1113 Mondial. Maximum undistorted vision. Minimum air volume and minimum distance between lens and eyes for maximum visibility. Tempered lens with special reinforced plastic liner. Edges of soft rubber. Framed in stainless steel. Selflocking. Colour: black, blue and orange." The difference between the two models seems to lie mainly in the quality of the materials.

1969 also spawned a "Minimondial" for young divers:

English product description: "Item 1114 Minimondial. Mask for youngsters. Maximum visibility. Minimum air volume and minimum distance between lens and eyes. Absolutely watertight. Tempered lens with special reinforced plastic liner. Edges of soft rubber. Framed in stainless steel. Selflocking headstrap. Colour: black, blue and orange."

1970
The standard Mondial for the American market:

1974
The standard Mondial:

The Minimondial:

1976
The standard Mondial. "Excellent field of vision for one of the most functional masks":

The Minimondial. "The most professional mask for very young divers and women's faces":

1970s

Mondial and Mini Mondial are 12 and 13 respectively above, both on the right of the lower picture. The Mini Mondial is the one with a light-blue skirt.

 

[David Wilson]

To finish off for today, a few auction pictures of these masks. First the standard Mondial:

The Mini Mondial:

So much for the Mondial and its variants. Returning to the product name, Mares may have sensed that the world of diving masks was slowly shifting in the direction of this new design and that this design was destined for everybody, "tout le monde" in French. In this respect, Mares' senses were sound enough.

That's all for today and we'll be back midweek with another Mares diving mask, probably the Corsara, which seems to have come on to the market in 1968. Stay safe.