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

[lowwall]

@Angelo Farina

Have you ever experimented with Force Fins? I just received a pair of the Force Fins Pro model purchased second hand. Unfortunately, my chance to test them has been thwarted by Covid as our building's pool has been closed for the next 30 days.

 

[Angelo Farina]

@Angelo Farina

Have you ever experimented with Force Fins? I just received a pair of the Force Fins Pro model purchased second hand. Unfortunately, my chance to test them has been thwarted by Covid as our building's pool has been closed for the next 30 days.

No, they are apparently not being sold here in Italy. But they also seem suited for short bursts, hence ideal for sports such as underwater hockey, which is practised by my son Giacomo.
He did buy a specific pair of very short fins for this, named NAJADE:

NAJADE fins

 

[David Wilson]

Those Najade fins also come in a full-foot version (above) called the "Najade Standard", which I added to my fin collection a few years ago. Made now in Hungary, they were originally manufactured in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). I can confirm that they are very comfortable and efficient fins, which have been "homologated", or approved, for use in competitive finswimming races. They come with soft "toecaps" that can be cut away to allow toes to protrude beyond the foot pocket if necessary. The original East German made fins are still popular in Germany, often seen on eBay, thanks to what is called "Ostalgie", or "East-algia" there, meaning something along the lines of "nostalgia for the East German way of life". Here's an image of a pair of GDR-manufactured "Naiade" (note different spelling) fins:

The Naiade became East Germany's flagship fin, used by both military and civilian divers there. The design was admired so much in the USSR that a Soviet version called "Model No. 6" was made at the "Mosrezina" sporting goods factory in Moscow:

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks, as ever, for the likes and other contributions!

As promised, the Mares Concorde fin, which first appeared in 1968 or thereabouts:

Italian: "PINNA LUNGA CONCORDE (Mares). Nata dall'agonismo (nuoto pinnato e tecnica subacquea) la pinna lunga della Mares è di cm 65 ed ha le caratteristiche base della nota O.K. Il concetto è quello di portate la pala il più possibile sul prolungamento della gamba, per avere maggiore propulsione sia nel nuoto sub acqueo che di superficie Richiedono, comunque, un periodo di adattamento. Sono in nero e blu (galleggianti). Prezzo non fissato."
Rough translation: "CONCORDE LONG FIN (Mares). Born from competition (fin swimming and underwater technology), the long fin from Mares is 65 cm in length and has the basic characteristics of the noted OK. The concept is to carry the blade as much as possible as the extension of the leg, to have greater propulsion in both underwater and surface swimming. They require, however, an adaptation period. They are in black and blue (floating). Price not fixed."

1969

The ad above celebrates the success of mass-produced Mares Concorde fins in the European Finswimming Cup when they were worn by a squad of Italian policemen (carabinieri) competing against strong groups of Soviet contestants using non-standard fins. Here is the Concorde page in the Mares catalogue of 1969:

Italian: "Articolo 1004. Pinna Concorde non galleggiante. Articolo 1005. Pinna Concorde galleggiante. Sfrutta gli stessi principi fisici su cui è basata la pinna O.K. Si differenzia da questa per una maggiore lunghezza della pala e per la presenza di una unica finestra centrale che, a seconda delle esigenze, può essere completamente aperta, o completamente chiusa, o presentare un alettone mobile. Viene fabbricata in versione non galleggiante nelle misure: 39/41 - 42/44 - 45/47."
English: "Item 1004. Non-floating Concorde fins. Item 1005. Floating Concorde fins. Based on the same physical principles as the O.K. fins. They differ from the latter in the blade area, which is much longer, and the existence of one central flap, which in case of necessity can be completely cut out, completely shut or represent a large movable wing. Available in floating and non-floating in the sizes: 39/41 - 42/44 - 45/47."
French: "Article 1004. Concorde non-flottante. Article 1005. Concorde flottante. Cette palme, même en utilisant les principes physiques du modèle OK. se diffère de ce dernier par sa pale allongée, caractérisée par une seule ouverture qui peut être plus ou moins utilisée: c'est-à dire complètement ouverte, ou fermée ou encore en présentant un aileron mobile. En caoutchouc flottant ou non flottant. Pointures: 39/41 - 42/44 - 45/47."

So at this stage the Concorde was designed to be more than a simple full-foot fin with an elongated blade like the Cressi Rondine "L". The design suggests that Mares wanted to capitalise on the features of their "OK" fin with its blade flaps promising enhanced efficiency. The trilingual catalogue caption clarifies the nature, purpose and options of the Concorde's blade flap directly adjacent to the foot pocket toe opening in Italian, English and French.

 

[David Wilson]

The 1970s came around and the Mares Concorde with the advent of the new decade:

1970

The caption to the image of the Concorde fins reads: "CONCORDE FINS. The newest long fins of champions in all international races."

1974

There are the Concordes bottom left, captioned as "floating and non-floating".

1975

Note here the tagging of the fin as the "Scarpati Concorde". The wording acknowledges one Massimo Scarpati below:

Scarpati was not only an underwater hunting champion with numerous titles to his name but also "worked, and was for several years the ambassador and technical advisor of, the Mares company. He designed and patented for this company an entire famous and innovative range of articles and equipment, among them the first "long fins", known under the "Linea Massimo Scarpati" brand name, thus contributing to the transition of diving from a period of experimentation and evolution during the 1950s and 1960s to the relatively "modern" period of the 1970s and 1980s, which led to the standardisation of the current technologies. He travelled all over the world, in particular to Pacific Ocean, to shoot various documentaries about the maritime world and about the similarities that can be seen in the practice of spearfishing by the Polynesian peoples." (Translation of Scarpati's Francophone Wikipedia article).

1976

The quinquelingual caption above from the 1976 Mares catalogue recognises the repurposing of the Concorde from a finswimming race-winner to a high-performance diving fin powerful enough to combat strong currents in open waters.

 

[David Wilson]

We'll conclude with some auction images of actual Mares Concordes and some information about what apparently happened to the fin moulds once Mares leapt on the plastic and thermoplastic elastomer bandwagon, ditching its all-rubber fin models for ever, which was nothing short of a tragedy for diving equipment traditionalists like myself.

So whatever happened to the Concorde fin moulds after the plastic revolution at Mares? Back to Asia Minor again and the rubber factory of Adalılar kauçuk in Turkey's largest city Istanbul, where the Concorde lives on in its original design and with its original name:

These reincarnated Concordes still appear to be on sale at the online Turkish retailer Atlas at http://www.atlasavspor.com.tr/urun/1543/concorde-avci-kaucuk-palet.

And there we finish for the day, returning at the weekend with another Mares fin, the GTX. Coronavirus lockdown still reigns here in the UK with no possibility of eating out in company, just takeaways eaten in private. Fingers crossed for a change in the runup to Christmas. Stay well, stay safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for all the likes guys!

We'll move on now to the Mares GTX. "GTX" probably stands for "Gran Turismo eXclusivo", meaning "Exclusive Gran Turismo", evoking a past age of luxury travel when young English noblemen - and wealthy Americans - completed their education by embarking on a so-called Grand Tour of Continental Europe where they saw the sights, cultivated the arts and engaged in youthful excess before returning to a life and careers of family domesticity and professional service. Or perhaps Gran Turismo Exclusivo conjures up a more mid-twentieth-century image of expensive international travel projected on our cinema screens by the Hollywood studios, a world of fast sports cars, Pullman trains, luxury cruises and first-class flights:

So what about the swimming fin Mares dubbed the "GTX" to cash in on the spread of cosmopolitanism in the early 1970s, when the world's treasuries removed post-war restrictions on the amount of money holidaymakers could take abroad with them? Here's the earliest reference to the Mares GTX that I have uncovered so far:

The above from a 1973 issue of Italy's diving magazine Il Mondo Sommerso. Here's the caption:
Italian: "Sarà presentata al Salone di Genova questa nuova pinna della casa di Rapallo, progettata per ottenere un rendimento elevato nelle più varie condizioni d'uso. La «GTX», realizzata in gomma nera di tipo professionale, si presenta con una linea molto funzionale ed elegante. La scarpetta, con la punta aperta, è stata studiata anatomicamente per avere una calzata morbida, che non affatichi il piede. La pala, opportunamente angolata e dotata di due costolature laterali di rinforzo ha una forma ampia e lunga per consentire una migliore spinta propulsiva. La particolare mescola del materiale usato per lo stampaggio ha fatto della «GTX» una pinna scattante e perfettamente bilanciata."
English: "This new fin from the Rapallo-based company will be introduced at the Genoa Boat Show. It is designed to achieve high performance in the most varied conditions of use. The «GTX», which is made of professional black rubber, is a very functional and elegant in form. The open-toed foot pocket has been anatomically designed to give a soft fitting, which will not tire the foot. The blade, appropriately angled and finished with two side rails for reinforcement, has a wide and long shape allowing better propulsive thrust. The special blend of material used to mould it has made the «GTX» a snappy and perfectly balanced fin.

True to its word, Mares featured the GTX in the company's 1974 catalogue fin page:

The caption to the GTX resting somewhat inappropriately from our currently more ecologically minded perspective on a piece of coral reads "Floating and non-floating GTX." So the fin is already in two versions, one with positive buoyancy, another with negative, to please both surface and bottom dwellers within the water sports population. In comparison with the other three models on sale, the GTX appears to offer more traction than the Sea King, thanks to the former's slightly elongated blade, without resorting to early-Concorde and the O.K. flap-like vents to boost blade efficiency.

 

[David Wilson]

"GTX FINS. These fins are specially designed to give high performance under any conditions. The length and wide shape of the blades as well as the side reinforcement ribs provide an ideal thrust with less effort. The perfect balance and optimum resilience of the GTX fins allow an easy movement. Contour design footpocket made of soft rubber for comfort." This image and caption appeared in the March issue of the British Sub-Aqua Club magazine Triton, singing the product's praises and illustrating its immediate availability in countries other than Italy.

The GTX duly reappeared in the 1975 Mares catalogue:

1976

and in the following mid-1970s Mares catalogue:

 

[David Wilson]

And now let's take a look at a few auction pictures of the Mares GTX. I have a pair in my collection and can therefore confirm their lightness, elegancy and ability to deliver a turn of speed when required. They have soft, comfortable foot pockets, which are a little narrow-fitting like many fins of Italian manufacture:

 

[David Wilson]

And finally, a couple of models commissioned or made by Mares to replicate the original GTX design. We'll begin with the "Haiti", which resembled the GTX is every way except the markings. I have an orange pair in my collection with "made in Italy" and "PROFESSIONALE" printed on the sole. The name "Mares" was conspicuous by its absence, suggesting that this was a fin made either for some other commercial enterprise or intended for a Mares budget line of products where the Mares name would remain unmentioned and unacknowledged.

Haiti

Note the words "Made in Turkey" and the name "NİLDENİZ" with the dotted capital "I"s embossed on the sole of the Mares "Haiti" above. This is evidence that Mares outsourced fin production abroad at one time and I wish the fin pictured above could be dated, as it might inform the chronology of Mares' outsourcing and eventual abandonment of all-rubber fin making to a Turkish manufacturer while the Italian company jumped onto the thermoplastic elastomer bandwagon at home. Curiously enough, production of the Mares "Sea King" (renamed "Süper Jet") and the Mares "Concorde" has survived to the present day in the rubber factory of Adalılar kauçuk in Turkey's largest city Istanbul, while the GTX is sadly no longer around to be discovered and enjoyed by a new generation.

Curiously too, another GTX replica appeared briefly on the scene called the "Squalo", which is Italian for "Shark":

The pair above were made in Italy and once again the name "Mares" is absent.

That's plenty for today. We'll move on to another Mares fin, the Mark X/Sea Hawk, next time, probably midweek. We're still under lockdown here in the UK and will remain so until the early days of December, so I continue to wish you all good health and hope you stay safe until we meet again.