Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century France

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Thanks for those, АлександрД. Jopen-Marseille is indeed a bit of a mystery. I've looked hard on the Web, but to no avail. Anyway, let's move on to two more Match brand diving masks. These models come with compensators.

Match Rectangular Compensator mask
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The above come courtesy of the Collection Matériel de Plongée web page at LUNETTES. The flexible finger wells on this mask enable the nostrils to be pinched for easy ear pressure equalisation. There is a purge valve on the base and a metal band with top screw around the oblong lens.

More images of this mask:
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The second Jopen-Match compensator mask for review today comes with a name: Caravelle.

Caravelle compensator mask
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The mask features ear-clearing accordion bosses of a different design. Further images:
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The "Bté SGDG" acronym on the mask in the final picture stands for "Breveté sans garantie du gouvernement", meaning "patented without government guarantee".
 
As a "bonus", here are details of Match brand goggles. During the 1950s, many (most?) diving equipment manufacturers included a pair of goggles in their product range. They usually came with a warning that googles should only be used when swimming on or near rthe surface of the water.

Match goggles
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Note the three thick parallel lines on the first image. I have already mentioned somewhere that this is a distinctive feature of Match brand gear.

I'll be moving on to Match breathing tubes next time.
 
On to Jopen-Marseille Match snorkels. My extensive online searches located two models.

Match standard snorkel

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These images appear in a Leboncoin ad, which can still be seen at https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_nautisme/514803136.htm/?ca=12_s. The items on offer are all Match products (note the triple lines! on the fins and the mask). The fins and one of the breathing tubes are still on sale.

The snorkel is a standard J-type breathing tube with an orange safety band at the open top and a mouthpiece with lugs at the bottom. One of the snorkels illustrated has a snorkel keeper for attachment to the mask strap.
 
The second breathing tube from the Match stable came with a ball valve.

Match snorkel with valve
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The images derive from a 1959 Lillywhites catalogue, where the snorkel is described as a blue plastic breathing tube featuring a double bend and a ball valve. The product came with a 12s 6d price tag, i.e. twelve shillings and six pence (old) or 62½ new pence. Once again, a typical breathing tube of this type, S-shaped with a ball-in-a-cage valve at the top and a standard mouthpiece at the bottom.
 
I'll conclude today with the Match combined mask and breathing tube.

Match combined mask and snorkel
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The first image derives from a 1959 Lillywhites catalogue. This model appeared in Lillwhites catalogues between 1959 and 1964. A typical caption read: "Match Combined Mask & Snorkel. Special chin fitting allowing mouth and nose breathing through attached snorkel, with patent valve. Available in white, black and green."

The second image is from a Barakuda catalogue. The snorkel-mask appeared in Barakuda catalogues from 1962 to 1966. Here is a rough translation from the German of the text: "Combiné-Senior. A full-face mask with a wide, vaulted skirt and very little dead space, providing an excellent, snug fit. A ball valve shuts off the breathing tube when submerged. The headband has a wide adjustment range. The article is fitted with a gold-anodised rim and snorkel-retaining clamp. The unconventional design of the mask, whose skirt also encloses the chin, is an interesting innovation by German standards. Ivory coloured. Safety-glass pane."

And here are some "real-life" pictures of the snorkel-mask:
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A few observations on this snorkel-mask:
  • It came in two sizes: Junior and Senior.
  • It came in a variety of solid colours, including white, black and green.
  • It was fitted with a chinpiece enabling it to be used as a full-face mask covering the eyes, nose and mouth.
  • It was fitted with a single snorkel opening into the mask at the top centre and terminating at the supply end with a ball valve.
We'll proceed to Match fins in the next posting.
 

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