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

[David Wilson]

The Spasciani Atlantic full-foot fin also appeared in the 1958 Rex-Hevea catalogue:

Italian: "ATLANTIC SPASCIANI: di tipo pesante, a scarpetta con punta aperta essa ha la pala paripunta e diritta anziché inclinata. E' ambidestra e costruita in morbida gomma azzurra: leggera ma non galleggiante sarà ben accetta sia ai nuotatori di superficie che ai cacciatori. Calzate: 34/36, 36/98, 37/39, 39/40, 39/41, 40/42, 42/44."
English: "ATLANTIC SPASCIANI: heavy type, with open tip shoe and with the flipper of equal length points and lever - not inclined. Interchangeable and made in soft blue rubber: light but not floating, will appeal to surface swimmers. Sizes: 34/ 36, 36/38, 37/39, 38/40, 39/41, 40/42, 42/44."
My translation: "ATLANTIC SPASCIANI: heavy type, with an open-toe full-foot pocket. The blade, which comes with symmetrical tips, is not angled but straight. The fins fit either foot and are made of soft blue rubber. They are light in weight, though non-floating. They will be welcomed by both surface swimmers and hunters. Sizes: 34/36, 36/98, 37/39, 39/40, 39/41, 40/42 and 42/44.

So this fin design remained unchanged throughout the 1950s, after which Spasciani discontinued its entire underwater products range.

I shall return midweek to review a different Italian manufacturer's basic diving gear, probably the "Aquatic" brand. In the meantime, stay well and safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you for the likes, Angelo, Jale and Watchdoc.

Time for another mid-twentieth-century Italian manufacturer of basic diving gear. Before I embark on the Genoese "Aquatic" brand of masks, snorkels, snorkel-masks and fins, I thought I would post a list of all known Italian companies engaged in basic diving equipment production four to seven decades ago:

- AQUATIC · Fabbrica Italiana Plastici · Via XX settembre, 26/15 Genova
- ATLANTIC - R. Spasciani · Via Stendhal, 45 · Milano
- CRESSI SUB · Piazza B. Frassinetti, 3a · Genova-Quinto
- FRANCIS SUB · Via Scalo Ferroviario, 1 · 94017 Regalbuto (EN). +39 0935 71688
- GSD · 1968: Via Collodori · Recco (Genova) · 1969: Via Molino Nuovo 55. 16030 Avegno (Ge), tel. (0185) 79.097.
- ITAL SUB
- LONGO SUB · Via de' Gandolfi, 12 · 40128 Bologna · Tel. 36.09.61 · Via Madonna dei Prati 5/a, 40069 Ponte Ronca (Bo), tel. (051) 756.810
- MAMMUT (Genova)
- MARES SUB · Via Bolzano, 14 · Rapallo · Tel. 61349
- MORDEM · Via Zuara, 22 · Milano · Tel. 447.236 · Via Primaticcio 182, 20147 Milano, tel. (02) 415.2227
- NAUTILUS
- ONDINA
- PIRELLI SUB · Centro Pirelli · Milano. 1968: Azienda Seregno · Via Milano, 8 · Seregno · Industrie Pirelli spa, via Milano 8. 20038 Seregno (Mi), tel. (0362) 21.711
- POLIMARE SUB - 16147 GENOVA (Italy) Via A. Carrara, 160 N - Telephone 391.791
- SALVAS · Via Silicella Casilina Km 10,7 · Roma
- SHARK · Via Circonvallazione 100, 15053 Castelnuovo Scrivia (Al) · tel. (0131) 85.237
- SOS · Via Magenta, 36 · Torino
- SPIRO SUB · Via G. Majorana, 19 r · Genova-Quinto
- SQUAL
- SUPERGA
- TECHNISUB · Via Papigliano, 16 r · Genova · Tel. 36.3968 · VIA P.GUALCO 42-44 · GENOVA, 16165
- TECNISPORT · Via Sansovino, 243/50 · Torino · Tel. 210.463
- TIGULLIO SUB · Via Pisa, 79 · 16036 Recco (Genova) · Tel. 74.120
- UVEX

When I say "known", I mean "known to yours truly" and I invite anyone equally or more "in the know" to add brand and company names to my list, which I am certain is far from exhaustive in its current form. In this thread, I am hoping to touch on all the remaining names on the list, having already covered Cressi, Mares, Pirelli and Spasciani Atlantic. So please speak up if you notice any glaring omissions from my list and I will do my best to research any additions and report here what I find out about them online and in print.

 

[David Wilson]

Today's Itaian diving equipment brand from half a century ago is "Aquatic" at the top of my list in the previous message. Here is the document registering the "Aquatic" trade mark on 3 June 1955:

The document provides the trade mark logo:

and identifies the company requesting the trade mark as "Fabbrica Italiana Plastici", a plant located at Via XX settembre, 26/15 Genoa, in the North of Italy. The "Aquatic" brand is intended to cover "articoli per gli sport", i.e. "sporting goods", while the manufacturer's name "Fabbrica Italiana Plastici" translates to "Italian Plastics Factory". Here is a fairly recent view of the "Via XX settembre", the Genoese street where the company once operated:

According to Via XX Settembre - PANORAMASTREETLINE, the Via XX Settembre in Genoa, also called Via Venti by the Genoese, is named after the capture of Rome on 20 September 1870, which clinched the unification of Italy (Risorgimento). It is a major east-west street from the city centre (at Piazza de Ferrari / Portoria) towards the East and San Vincenzo.

 

[Angelo Farina]

When I say "known", I mean "known to yours truly" and I invite anyone equally or more "in the know" to add brand and company names to my list, which I am certain is far from exhaustive in its current form. In this thread, I am hoping to touch on all the remaining names on the list, having already covered Cressi, Mares, Pirelli and Spasciani Atlantic. So please speak up if you notice any glaring omissions from my list and I will do my best to research any additions and report here what I find out about them online and in print.

Regarding historical brands here in Italy I think that there are some in the area of La Spezia which are missing:
OMG: O.M.G. - Company / History
OMG is now SIEL: SIEL Advanced Sea System
Tele Sub Lanterna: TELESUB LANTERNA | Tecnologia e professionalità per la piena soddisfazione del cliente.
Roberto Galeazzi sas: UnderwaterAcademy.org

It must be said that these three companies were top-notch manufacturers of professional and military diving equipment, but not well known to the general public of recreative divers.
However some items are quite appreciated by collectors, such as the Castoro and Caimano rebreathers by OMG:
OMG C-96
OMG MK3C
Or the Galeazzi knife of COMSUBIN special corp (more or less equivalent to US Navy SEALS):
Bushcraft e medicina: Il coltello "Galeazzi" del Comsubin

 

[David Wilson]

Now for an item of "Aquatic" underwater equipment and we shall start with Sirio and Junior masks. Here they are in Fabio Vitale's roundup of early-1950s diving masks:

Italian: "Maschera Sirio e Junior Aquatic. Carcassa costruita in MARVIL 86, speciale materiale plastico che garantisce perfetta adesione al viso e colorazioni sorprendenti: verde, rosso e blu brillantissimi. Cristallo ovale e bordo della carcassa sagomato. Esiste anche la versione in MARVIL Trasparente. La versione Junior è quella per bambini."
Rough translation: "Aquatic Sirio and Junior Masks. Body constructed in Marvil 86, a special plastic material guaranteeing perfect adhesion to the face and amazing colours: bright green, red and blue. Oval lens and shaped body margin. There is also a transparent Marvil model. The Junior version is for children."

And here is the product description for these masks in the 1958 Rex-Hevea catalogue:

Italian: "SIRIO E JUNIOR AQUATIC: la carcassa, anzichè in gomma, è costruita in MARVIL 86 meraviglioso materiale plastico che garantisce una perfetta e morbida adesione al viso e permette colorazioni veramente sorprendenti: verde, rosso e blu brillantissimi. Il cristallo è ovale ed il bordo facciale della carcassa è sagomato in modo da aderire a qualsiasi forma di volto. Particolare successo otterranno quelli in MARVIL TRASPARENTE. SIRIO denota la misura per adulti e JUNIOR quella per bambini: ambedue sono nei sopra detti colori ed in trasparente.
English: "The frame is constructed in MARVIL 86, the marvelous plastic material which guarantees perfect adhesion and softness to the face and which has an amazing range of colors: very brilliant green, red and blue. The glass is oval and the facial border of the frame is so shaped as to suit any face. TRANSPARENT MARVIL will be particularly popular. SIRIO comes in adult size and JUNIOR in children's size, and each one comes in each color including transparent."
My rough translation: "SIRIO AND JUNIOR AQUATIC: instead of rubber, body made from MARVIL 86, a wonderful plastic material guaranteeing a perfect and soft facial seal and making truly surprising colours possible: brilliant green, red and blue. Oval window. Margin of mask body shaped to seal to any facial profile. TRANSPARENT MARVIL masks bound to be particularly successful. SIRIO sized for adults, JUNIOR for children, both available in colours listed above and in transparent."

I contributed my own rendering to add details missing from the "official" English translation. So what is noteworthy about these masks? As befitted a product of the "Fabbrica Italiana Plastici", the "Italian Plastics Factory", these masks were not made from traditional rubber but from a proprietary plastic material dubbed "MARVIL" to highlight its "miraculous" qualities. These attributes include brighter colours and similar abilities to form a soft watertight seal between the mask body and the face. The design came in two sizes, Sirio for adults, Junior for children. "Sirio" is Italian for "Sirius", the name of the brightest star in the night sky. It is also known colloquially as the "Dog Star", reflecting its prominence in its constellation, Canis Major (the Greater Dog). Perhaps the brightness of the Marvil plastic suggested the "Sirio" name for the mask. Judge for yourself:

The mask was exported to the USA during the early 1960s, appearing in the US Divers catalogue there in 1962:

The description above focuses on the ability of masks made of "Marvil" to "outwear" and "outperform" their natural or neoprene rubber counterparts, which may have durability issues.

And there we leave matters for today, returning at the weekend to review remaining Aquatic masks, which were made from traditional rubber. In the meantime, keep well and safe.

 

[David Wilson]

Regarding historical brands here in Italy I think that there are some in the area of La Spezia which are missing:
OMG: O.M.G. - Company / History
OMG is now SIEL: SIEL Advanced Sea System
Tele Sub Lanterna: TELESUB LANTERNA | Tecnologia e professionalità per la piena soddisfazione del cliente.
Roberto Galeazzi sas: UnderwaterAcademy.org

It must be said that these three companies were top-notch manufacturers of professional and military diving equipment, but not well known to the general public of recreative divers.
However some items are quite appreciated by collectors, such as the Castoro and Caimano rebreathers by OMG:
OMG C-96
OMG MK3C
Or the Galeazzi knife of COMSUBIN special corp (more or less equivalent to US Navy SEALS):
Bushcraft e medicina: Il coltello "Galeazzi" del Comsubin

I was hoping you might respond, Angelo, and I'm grateful for this input - both company names and sources of historical data - that will definitely inform my future contributions to the thread.

 

[ginti]

@David Wilson, thanks for your research and your writing! As soon as I will finish my PhD thesis, I'll have a lot of material to read

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Angelo, Sam and Ginti. Incidentally, Ginti, is your PhD dissertation diving-related? How long do you have to go before submission?

Although the use of brightly-coloured soft plastic "Marvil" material was what distinguished the Aquatic brand from the rest, Genoa's Fabbrica Italiana Plastici marketed basic gear made from more traditional rubber as well. Below right is the Aquatic Zeus model in Fabio Vitale's roundup of early-1950s diving masks, juxtaposed for comparison with the Pirelli Nereo below left:

Italian: "-a Maschera Nereo Pirelli. Carcassa in gomma lucida di colore nera, verde o blu che racchiude, con un maggiore ispessimento del bordo esterno, l’ampio cristallo ovale; mentre il bordo facciale è assottigliato per favorire l’aderenza a qualsiasi forma di viso. -b Maschera Zeus Aquatic. Differisce dalla precedente maschera per la minore grandezza del cristallo e per il colore della carcassa che si propone in blu scuro. Entrambe in misura unica media."
Rough translation: "-a Pirelli Nereo Mask. Glossy black, green or blue coloured rubber body enclosing, with increased thickening of the outer edge, the large oval lens; while the facial border is thinned to facilitate adhesion to any facial shape. -b Aquatic Zeus Mask. Differs from the previous mask in having a smaller-sized lens and a dark-blue coloured body. Both medium size only."

So the Aquatic Zeus was a relatively compact diving mask named after the Greek mythological character Zeus (above), king of the gods, god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order and justice, corresponding to the ancient Roman deity Jupiter.

The Aquatic Zeus failed to appear in the 1954 Rex-Hevea catalogue, while the Fabbrica Italiana Plastici registered its Aquatic brand in June 1955, leading me to conclude that the mask was probably launched between the mid and the late 1950s. What is certain is that the model appeared in the 1958 Rex-Hevea catalogue with its image juxtaposed once again with the Pirelli Nereo:

Italian: "ZEUS AQUATIC: cristallo ovale di media grandezza e carcassa in gomma blu scuro: grosso bordo periferico per bloccare il cristallo ed eliminare la infiltrazione d'acqua: bordo facciale sottile per il suo adattamento ad ogni viso. Unica misura media."
English: "Medium size oval glass in a dark blue frame: heavy surrounding border to make it watertight: a thinner facial border which easily adapts itself to every face. Medium size only."
My translation: "AQUATIC ZEUS. Medium-sized oval window and dark blue rubber body. Thick margin surrounds window, keeping water out. Thin facial margin fits every face. Medium size only."

The Zeus may have been a relatively short-lived product as it is conspicuous by its absence from the annual lists of available basic gear published during the 1960s by the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso.

 

[David Wilson]

So much for three models in the Aquatic non-snorkel mask range, namely the Junior, Sirio and Zeus. A fourth from this range remains to be considered, the Corallo:

1963

This Mondo Sommerso clipping prices the Aquatic Corallo at 700 lire and lists "con compensatore" as its sole characteristic. While the Corallo is a compensator mask, we know little else about it, not even whether it is made from plastic or rubber.

1965

An 80-lire price rise for the Aquatic Corallo compensator mask.

And that's plenty for today. We'll have a look at two Aquatic snorkels next time, which will be mid-week. Until then, keep safe and well.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the likes, Sam and Sbiriguda.

As promised, Aquatic snorkels. There were two models. First the "Nadir", listed in the 1958 Rex-Hevea catalogue:

Italian: "NADIR AQUATIC: identico al Delfino Tutta Plastica cui è stata aggiunti una valvola a sfera galleggiante."
English: "Identical to the Delfino All Plastic with the addition of a float valve."
My translation: "NADIR AQUATIC: The same as the Delfino All-Plastic breathing tube, where a floating ball valve has been added."

The Aquatic Nadir is named after the astronomical term denoting "the direction pointing directly below a particular location". Perhaps the underlying rationale was that the top of the snorkel protruding above the waves would alert other water users to the presence of an underwater swimmer. Incidentally, the opposite of "nadir" is "zenith".

So the first Aquatic snorkel came topped with a shut-off valve operated by a small buoy on one end of a hinged lever and a soft seal attached at the other end. The picture below illustrates the contemporary Delfino All-Plastic snorkel:

Not quite as "identical" as the catalogue claims, because the Nadir has an all-in-one mouthpiece and U-bend elbow, while the Delfino has a straight short-stemmed mouthpiece, although the point being made was likely to be that both models were made entirely from plastic.