Third diving mask of the day is the Hurricane Argonaute.
Hurricane Argonaute mask
A rough translation of the Italian caption in the second and third images above: "
D. 1122 — ARGONAUTE. This dive mask comes with side windows to increase visibility.
Thanks to the ad below, we can date the introduction of this mask to 1957:
The French caption reads roughly as follows in English: "
New for 1957. All round visibility with the new “ARGONAUTE” mask. Equipped with side windows, the “ARGONAUTE” guarantees a very wide field of vision. I love the comparison made between the mask and a car windscreen and passenger's window for those who could not see the benefit of the new design straight away. So much for the new technology. As for the mythology, "The Argonauts (who gave the name 'Argonaute' to this diving mask) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War, around 1300 BC, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, Argo, named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts" literally means 'Argo sailors'" (Wikipedia).
The Hurricane Argonaute was exported as far as Canada if the evidence of this 1959 ad is to be believed:
I don't suppose we'll ever know how successful South West Sports was in its search for jobbers, dealers and clubs willing to be supplied with Hurricane diving equipment.
The Hurricane Argonaute may have inspired two later (
circa 1960) diving masks also attempting to provide swimmers, as well as drivers, with 180° vision:
Barakuda Stromboli
Aqualung Professional