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

[David Wilson]

As usual, we shall commence with the Francis range of rubber-skirted masks, taking them in alphabetical order as I do not have any data on their chronology.

There follows the Civetta mask, possibly named after Monte Civetta (above), a major mountain of the Dolomites in northern Italy and popular ski resort:

So a 1970s-style kidney-shaped model with a rubber nose pocket for compensation, a plastic frame and a split strap.

 

[David Wilson]

Second mask of the day is a Francis Karisma Junior, whose name suggests "charisma", meaning "personal charm or magnetism", and that the end-user was a young person or somebody with a smaller face:

Italian:

• Maschera in gomma morbida nera, di nuova concezione, elegante nel design, con ottimo campo visivo, vetro temperato.
• Adatta per bambini.
• Colori assortiti: giallo, nero, verde, blu.

Rough translation:

• Soft black rubber mask in a new elegant design with optimum visibility and tempered glass.
• Suitable for children.
• Assorted colours: yellow, black, green, blue.

So another kidney-shaped model with a rubber nose pocket, thinner plastic frame and split head strap.

This concludes our first visit to the Linea Francis range of diving masks. More to come some time midweek. Stay well and keep safe in the meantime.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Second mask of the day is a Francis Karisma Junior, whose name suggests "charisma", meaning "personal charm or magnetism", and that the end-user was a young person or somebody with a smaller face:

View attachment 727944​

Italian:

• Maschera in gomma morbida nera, di nuova concezione, elegante nel design, con ottimo campo visivo, vetro temperato.
• Adatta per bambini.
• Colori assortiti: giallo, nero, verde, blu.

Rough translation:

• Soft black rubber mask in a new elegant design with optimum visibility and tempered glass.
• Suitable for children.
• Assorted colours: yellow, black, green, blue.

So another kidney-shaped model with a rubber nose pocket, thinner plastic frame and split head strap.

This concludes our first visit to the Linea Francis range of diving masks. More to come some time midweek. Stay well and keep safe in the meantime.

There is some asymmetry in this image, any reason for this?

 

[David Wilson]

There is some asymmetry in this image, any reason for this?

Not that I know of, Pete. I must admit I hadn't noticed the feature before.

 

[Popgun Pete]

Not that I know of, Pete. I must admit I hadn't noticed the feature before.

I think the scan of the image has skewed, here I have shifted the lower linear section back.

Now with a bit of slicing and reverse skewing of thin horizontal sections.

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you for your likes, lowwall, jale and JMBL, and for your solution to the mask image asymmetry issue, Pete.

On to more Francis Sub masks, starting with the Magika model. The name "Magika" presumably derives from "magic" or "magical". A picture:

Italian:

• Maschera in gomma morbida nera, di nuova concezione, elegante nel design, con ottimo campo visivo, vetro temperato.
• Adatta per ragazzi.
• Colori assortiti: giallo, nero, verde, blu.

Rough translation:

• Soft black rubber mask in a new elegant design with optimum visibility and tempered glass.
• Suitable for children.
• Assorted colours: yellow, black, green, blue.

So a kidney-shaped rubber-skirted mask design maximising field of vision and enabling compensation via a nose pocket protruding from beneath dual lenses. Its child-friendliness suggests that it may fit and seal better on smaller faces.

 

[David Wilson]

Today's second Francis Sub dive mask is the Scilla Tre, Italian for "Scylla Three". In Greek mythology, Scylla (above) was a maiden with a tail and dog heads sprouting from her body. Scylla was a legendary monster who lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass dangerously close to Scylla and vice versa.

Here is the Francis Sub Scilla Tre dive mask:

Italian:

• Maschera in gomma morbida nera, di nuova concezione, elegante nel design, con ottimo campo visivo, vetro temperato.
• Adatta per adulti/junior.
• Colori assortiti: giallo, nero, verde, blu.

Rough translation:

• Soft black rubber mask in a new elegant design with optimum visibility and tempered glass.
• Suitable for adult/junior use.
• Assorted colours: yellow, black, green, blue.

So another kidney-shaped model, this time with a single lens, closely resembling the Francis Sub Magika and an appropriate choice for both adults and children.

We shall complete our review of Francis Sub diving masks at the weekend. Keep safe and stay well.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks to Jale and JMBL for the likes.

And now for the remainder of the Francis Sub diving masks known to me. Here is the Tahiti Junior, named after the largest island (above) of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean:

Italian:

• Maschera in gomma morbida nera, di nuova concezione, elegante nel design, con ottimo campo visivo, vetro temperato.
• Adatta per bambini.
• Colori assortiti: giallo, nero, verde, blu.

Rough translation:

• Soft black rubber mask in a new elegant design with optimum visibility and tempered glass.
• Suitable for children.
• Assorted colours: yellow, black, green, blue.

So another single-pane kidney-shaped mask in the 1970s style with a plastic frame, a split head strap and an external nose pocket for ear-clearing purposes.

 

[JMBL]

Almost sure I've seen that one on the beach as a kid in the late 70s early 80s, the name does ring the bell.

 

[David Wilson]

The Tahiti Junior model was complemented with a Tahiti Senior mask:

Russian:

• Материал: силикон, резина, апифлекс.
• Линза: каленое стекло
• Цвета: в ассортименте

Rough translation:

• Material: Silicone, rubber, apiflex (plastic)
• Lens: Tempered glass.
• Colour: Assorted.

The Russian caption indicates the export destination of this model. A larger version of the of Junior mask, otherwise similar specifications.