Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Other manufacturers

[David Wilson]

I'm grateful for the likes, Angelo, Jale and Luis.

Today's Technisub masks are the Aquarama and the Equinaso. The name "Aquarama" must be a combination of "aqua" (water) and "panorama", suggesting a mask providing a very wide field of vision in the water. Here is the model in a 1965 issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "AQUARAMA - la nuova maschera panoramica a visione totale - cristallo unico di massima superficie - gomma antiallergica - cerchietto di metallo cromato con reggifibbio brevettato".
Rough translation: "AQUARAMA - the new full-vision panoramic mask - maximum-surface single lens - antiallergenic rubber - chromed metal rim with patented buckle holder".

And here is the almost identically-captioned entry for the mask in the 1965 Technisub catalogue:

Here again in 1968:

Italian: "AQUARAMA. Maschera panoramica di prestigio indeteriorabile - colore nero - cerchietto di metallo inossidabile lucidato e cromato - vetro temperato - reggifibbio brevettato - volume interno cmc. 290 - superficie cristallo cmq. 149,78 - peso gr. 360. art. 407. L. 2.800".
Rough translation: "AQUARAMA. Panoramic mask with an unperishable reputation - black colour - polished and chromed stainless-steel metal rim - tempered glass - patented buckle holder - internal volume 290 cm³ - lens surface 149.78 cm² - weight 360 g. art. 407. L. 2,800".

And in 1969:

Italian: "aquarama. maschera panoramica di prestigio in neoprene antiallergico, antiozono, indeteriorabile - cerchietto di metallo inossidabile lucidato e cromato - vetro temperato - colore nero. ART. 407. L. 2.800".
Rough translation: "aquarama. Panoramic antiallergic, antiozone, unperishable neoprene mask with a great reputation - polished and chromed stainless steel rim - tempered glass - black colour. ART. 407. L. 2,800".

 

[David Wilson]

Here are a couple of images of a Technisub Aquarama mask:

There follows an interesting contribution about this mask posted quite a while ago on the Vintage Scuba Forum at Cousteau vintage mask | Vintage Scuba Diving Community Forum: "(The Aquarama mask) has an interesting history. The mask was produced by Technisub in Italy. It also carries the Spirotechnique and US Divers labels all on the same mask. The mask was chosen by Cousteau because it offered the least restrictive view of the diver's face. This was preferred when adding the human element to the films. The mask did appear in one US Divers Catalogue in the 1960s. Technisub continued to produce the mask for the Cousteau Society for many years. In the late 1980s or early 1990s, Technisub produced a final run of 200 masks for the Cousteau Society and then gave them the moulds. No more units were ever produced."

One more picture:

 

[jale]

really nice story

 

[David Wilson]

And now for the Equinaso, which was essentially a version of the Aquarama with compensator bosses, easing ear-clearing as well providing a wide view. The product name combines the Italian words for "equalisation" and "nose", highlighting the internal compensator feature.

Two 1965 advertisements in Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "EQUINASO - panoramica - cristallo unico - per compensazione".
Rough translation: "EQUINASO - panoramic vision - single lens - enables compensation".

Italian: "Equinaso. La nuova maschera panoramica a visione totale - cristallo unico di massima superficie - gomma antiallergica - cerchietto di metallo cromato con reggifibbio brevettato - minimo volume interno - costruzione speciale per facilitare la compensazione".
Rough translation: "Equinaso. The new full-vision panoramic mask - single lens with maximum surface area - antiallergenic rubber - chromed metal rim with patented buckle holder - minimum internal volume - special design for easy compensation".

The entry in the 1965 Technisub catalogue:

Italian: "A. 408 MASCHERA. Maschera panoramica a visione totale - cristallo unico di massima superficie - gomma antiallergica - cerchietto di metallo cromato con reggifibbio brevettato - costruzione speciale per facilitare la compensazione - minimo volume interno".
Rough translation: "A. 408 MASK. Panoramic full-vision mask - single lens with maximum surface area - antiallergenic rubber - chromed metal rim with patented buckle holder - special design for easy compensation - minimum internal volume".

The entry in the 1968 Technisub catalogue:

Italian: "EQUINASO. Maschera panoramica di prestigio con compensatore interno - in neoprene antiallergico, antiozono, indeteriorabile - colore nero - cerchietto di metallo inossidabile lucidato e cromato - vetro temperato - reggifibbia brevettato - volume interno cmc. 275 - superficie cristallo cmq. 149,78 - peso gr. 370. art. 408. L. 3.200".
Rough translation: "EQUINASO. Panoramic antiallergic, antiozone, unperishable neoprene mask with internal compensator and a great reputation - black colour - polished and chromed stainless-steel rim - tempered glass - patented buckle holder - internal volume 275 cm³ - lens surface area 149.78 cm² - weight 370 g. art. 408. L. 3,200".

The entry in the 1969 Technisub catalogue:

Italian: "equinaso - compensatore interno - neoprene antiallergico, antiozono, indeteriorabile - cerchietto di metallo inossidabile lucidato e cromato - vetro temperato - colore nero. ART. 408. L. 3.200".
Rough translation: "equinaso - internal compensator - antiallergenic, antiozone, unperishable neoprene - polished and chromed stainless-steel rim - tempered glass - black colour. ART. 408. L. 3,200".

One more image, this time from a La Spirotechnique catalogue:

So much for the Technisub Equinaso diving mask. More from the Technisub mask range midweek, perhaps the Florida, the Rio and the Tahiti. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Cousteau's divers often sported a rounded rectangular mask like the Equirama in their first TV Specials, but I never found out what it was. Could be as Cousteau was Chairman of US Divers, who distributed Technisub gear that is what it was, although a variety of masks appeared in later years, but of the same basic shape. Marin produced a similar wide vision mask and for a period Beuchat produced their Compensator Supervision which was very similar. I bought one of the latter when it first came out and still have it as I soon replaced it with a Beuchat Minimax twin lens style as the faceplate was much closer to your eyes and had a wider view than that afforded by the Supervision despite its panoramic style with a tilted backwards sloping lens.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks, Pete, that bit of mask history provides a valuable insight.

One of the first European rectangular masks I have come across was the late-1950s Cyclope, made by Edouard Godel's company, the successor to Louis de Corlieu, who was known for the early modern fins he patented in the 1930s as an aid to lifesaving at sea:

The rounded rectangular mask in Roland Forjot's Marin range may have been the Scubavision model, here in a late-1960s Lillywhites catalogue:

 

[David Wilson]

Grateful for the likes, Angelo, Jale and Iowwall.

Now for today's Technisub diving masks. We shall start with the Florida, here in a 1966 Mondo Sommerso issue:

Italian: "FLORIDA. Maschera panoramica con cerchietto moplen - colore bianco - avorio - massimo campo visivo."
Rough translation: "FLORIDA. Panoramic mask with moplen rim - ivory-white colour - maximum field of vision."

Here is the Florida in 1968:

Italian: "FLORIDA. Maschera panoramica in gomma antiallergica, colore bianco-avorio e cerchietto in materiale sintetico a colori assortiti - volume interno cmc. 290 - superficie cristallo cmq. 149,78 - peso gr. 335 - art. 409 - L.1.600."
Rough translation: "FLORIDA. Panoramic antiallergenic rubber mask, ivory-white colour and synthetic material rim in assorted colours - internal volume 290 cm³ - lens surface area 149.78 cm² - weight 335 g. - art. 409 - L.1,600."

And here in 1969:

Italian: "florida. Maschera panoramica in gomma antiallergica, colore bianco-avorio e cerchietto in materiale sintetico a colori assortiti - nei colore: bianco avorio e azzurro."
Rough translation: "FLORIDA. Panoramic antiallergenic rubber mask, ivory-white colour and synthetic material rim in assorted colours - internal volume 290 cm³ - lens surface area 149.78 cm² - weight 335 g. - art. 409 - L.1,600."

So another rectangular mask with rounded corners and a promise once again that the lens will provide the broadest possible view. Internal compensator bosses are conspicuous by their absence, but the plastic rim and the measurements pointed to the general direction of travel.

 

[David Wilson]

Second mask of the day is the Techisub Rio, presumably named after Brasil's Rio de Janeiro above. Rio's Copacabana below has one of the world's most famous beaches, while Rio's Ipanema beach inspired at least one very memorable love song.

​

The Technisub Rio mask may have made its début in 1966:

Italian: "RIO. Maschera panoramica con cerchietto in moplen e costruzione speciale per consentire la compensazione - colore bianco - avorio - massimo campo visivo - L. 1.800."
Rough translation: "RIO. Panoramic mask with moplen rim and special feature easing compensation - ivory-white - maximum field of vision - L. 1,800."

Here is the Rio in 1968:

The text accompanying the image above in an issue of Mondo Sommerso simply reads: "La «Rio Special» (...) con compensatore interno costa L. 2.400." (The "Rio Special" (...) with internal compensator costs L. 2,400.).

Also in 1968...

Italian: "RIO. Maschera panoramica in gomma antiallergica con compensatore interno - colore bianco-avorio e cerchietto in materiale sintetico a colori assortiti - volume interno cmc. 275 - superficie cristallo cmq. 149,78 - peso gr. 345 - art. 410 - L.1.900."
Rough translation: "RIO. Panoramic antiallergenic rubber mask with internal compensator, ivory-white colour and synthetic material rim in assorted colours - internal volume 275 cm³ - lens surface area 149.78 cm² - weight 345 g. - art. 410 - L.1,900."

And finally in 1969, the Rio Special:

Italian: "rio special - corpo gomma in neoprene antiallergica, antiozono, indeteriorabile - con compensatore interno - cerchietto cromato - vetro temperato - colore nero. ART. 413 - L. 2.400."
Rough translation: "rio special - antiallergenic, anti-ozone, non-perishable neoprene rubber body - with internal compensator - chromed rim - tempered glass - black colour. ART. 413 - L. 2,400."

Also in 1969, the Rio:

Italian: "rio - corpo gomma in neoprene antiallergica, antiozono, indeteriorabile - con compensatore interno - cerchietto in materiale sintetico e colori assortiti - nei colori: avorio e azzurro. ART. 410 - L. 1.900."
Rough translation: "rio - antiallergenic, antiozone, non-perishable neoprene rubber body - with internal compensator - synthetic material rim and assorted colours - colours available: ivory and light blue. ART. 410 - L. 1,900."

So the Technisub Rio mask was offered in two versions. The basic Rio model had a neoprene skirt claiming to be antiallergenic, anti-ozone and non-perishable. The mask was fitted with internal compensator bosses and a plastic rim and came in a choice of colours, ivory-white and light-blue. The Rio Special mask costing 500 lire more had a chromed rim and a tempered-glass lens to justify the additional expense.

We shall leave our review of the Technisub Tahiti mask for another day, probably midweek. Until then, keep safe and stay well.

 

[Angelo Farina]

It must be noted that Moplen was the registered trade mark of a new synthetic polymer, chemically known as polypropylene, invented in the fifties by Karl Ziegel and Giulio Natta - they received the Nobel prize for Chemics in 1963 for their invention.
In the sixties the Moplen plastic was widely advertised here in Italy in TV spots, featuring the famous comical actor Gino Bramieri. It was the first widely-employed plastic polymer, and home products made of Moplen were considered the ultimate modernity.
It was one of the most successful products of the Montecatini factory, which later did merge with Edison, becoming Montedison, one of the largest manufacturer of chemical products in Europe.
Despite the many mechanical and chemical benefits of Moplen, its usage for diving products was quite limited, and the Rio mask was possibly the only one, in my knowledge, claiming explicitly to use the Moplen plastic.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the informative post about Moplen, Angelo. At some stage in this thread we shall be broaching the topic of the Technisub Caravelle, which famously combined a removable polypropelene blade with a conventional rubber foot pocket.

And thanks for the likes, Akimbo, Angelo and Jale.

Today's Technisub mask is the Tahiti, named after the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia (see above), located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean.

Here is the Tahiti in 1966 in an issue of Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "TAHITI. Naso anatomico per facilitare la compensazione, cerchietto in moplen con membrana interna di tenuta - colore bianco-avorio. L. 1.900."
Rough translation: "TAHITI. Anatomical nose to ease compensation, moplen rim with internal sealing membrane - ivory-white colour. L. 1,900."

So a mask in the style of Ferraro's more famous creation, the Cressi Pinocchio, but without the metal wire keeping the top and the bottom of the latter skirt leaktight. In 1967, a Special version of the Tahiti was launched:

Italian: "TAHITI SPECIAL. Corpo gomma nero; cerchietto cromato; vetro temperato."
Rough translation: "TAHITI SPECIAL. Black rubber body; chrome rim; tempered glass."

So the Special was introduced as a more luxurious version of the basic Tahiti with its chrome rim.