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

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Many thanks, guys, for the likes and the contributions. Together we are excavating the history of diving on this side of the Arlantic, where the development of underwater exploration appears to have been less researched than its counterpart States-side. I suspect that the relative neglect is largely down to what people call the "language barrier", but in these days of Google Translate there are fewer excuses to remain in one's comfort zone and never stray beyond the English-speaking Web.

Back to GSD, and when I announced that I would be concentrating today on that Italian diving equipment manufacturer's Smeralda mask, perhaps you might have told yourselves "it's like déjà vu all over again", to quote the immortal words of the late great American professional baseball catcher Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra. The Tigullio Smeralda diving mask had made its début in 1963:
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Here is the GSD diving mask with the same name (Smeralda= Emerald), No. 2 in the collage of gear below:
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Italian: "2. Smeralda: maschera professionale in 3 formati. Tempered Glass e Neoprene Rubber".
Rough translation: "2. Smeralda: professional mask in 3 fittings. Tempered Glass and Neoprene Rubber".

There is a close resemblance between the Tigullio and GSD models, which may be attributed to the fact that the "G" in "GSD" stands for "Gatti", who had been responsible for the Tigullio diving mask patent:
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We shall conclude proceedings today with the GSD Smeralda mask entries in the 1972 catalogue of its British importer and with a series of auction pictures. First the Spartan catalogue:
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A reminder that the GSD Smeralds came in three different fittings, Small, Medium and Large, that Spartan imported the first two and that the Small fitting was a cut-down children's version without a drain valve.

And now we come to the auction pictures for a closer view:
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That must suffice for the moment. When I return midweek I shall tackle the GSD Malibu and Serena masks. Until then, stay safe and keep well.
 
My gratitude, Sam, Jale and Angelo, for the likes.
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Today we look at two GSD masks, the Malibú and the Serena. First the Malibú. "Malibú" is the original Spanish spelling of Malibu, a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about 30 miles (48 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles. Panoramic image of Malibu Beach above.

I have just one picture of the Malibú the image appearing in that 1968 Mondo Sommerso page:
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Here is a close-up of the mask with its caption:
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Italian: "5 Malibú: maschera in gomma naturale in misura unica. Vetro inclinato con visione panoramica".
Rough translation: "5 Malibú: Single-size natural-rubber mask. Tilted glass with panoramic view."

So what we know is that this mask was only available in one fitting, while other GSD masks came in as many as three different sizes. The skirt material was made of natural rubber, while other GSD masks used neoprene. The lens was offset at an angle and claimed to provide a very wide field of vision.
 
On now to the GSD Serena mask. "Serena" is an Italian girl's name and feminine form of the Italian adjective "sereno" literally meaning "serene" and hence "peaceful" or "quiet". The word is also very close in spelling to "Sirena", Italian for "siren" or "mermaid", which may not have escaped the notice of the product-namers at GSD. One thing we can at least be certain about is that the Serena mask was not named after American tennis star Serena Williams, because she was born in 1981, ten years after the GSD mask of the same name was launched in Italy.

Here is an image of the mask from a 1981 issue of Mondo Sommerso:
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Italian: "La maschera «Serena»: Cl: cornicetta interna; CE: cornicetta esterna.
Rough translation: "The «Serena» mask: Cl: internal frame; CE: external frame.

And here is the full Mondo Sommerso review of the GSD Serena mask:
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Italian: "MASCHERA «SERENA» DELLA G.S.D. Quando la concorrenza lancia pubblicitariamente modelli a volume ridottissimo, che poi più e meno si assomigliano tutti perché, dovendo stare molto aderenti al volto, devono per forza rispettare l’andamento delle curve anatomiche, il produttore di attrezzature subacquee che non si adegua perde terreno (sul piano commerciale). Noi non condividiamo, sul piano del rendimento tecnico, questo recente indirizzo dei fabbricano. Per una maschera il volume ridotto è un dato importante, ma non bisogna esagerare; non è lecito a nostro: avviso, sacrificare doti di confort sull’altare di una decina di centimetri cubi di volume, perché tali sono, al massimo, le riduzioni di volume ottenute con questo tipo di maschere. Preferiamo una maschera dal contorno dolce, che ci non prema alla radice del naso, che ci consenta immersioni confortevoli di ore, anche se, in apnea, ci consumano qualche centimetro cubo di aria per la usa compensazione. Detto questo, con la consueta franchezza (ci comprendano e ci perdonino i commercianti tutti), vediamo la «Serena»: la nuova maschera della G.S.D. che va a completare la gamma di ottime maschere, come la «Samoa» per esempio, prodotte dalla ditta di Avegno. La caratteristica della «Serena» che prima salta agli occhi è l’eleganza, il buon gusto nella scelta dei colori e nei loro accostamento: gomma nera con cornicetta esterna rossa e cornicetta interna bianca; gomma gialla con cornicetta esterna e interna nere; eccetera. La raffinatezza arriva al punto che persino le iscrizioni sul vetro i «G.S.D. tempered glass» sono di colore diverso, intonato alla gomma o alle cornicette. La costruzione è molto semplice. Un impianto in gomma, con doppio labbro di appoggio sui bordi, una sagomatura per il naso che consente la manovra esterna della compensazione, e un profilo a gole per raccogliere il vetro. La sagomatura funziona da guarnizione di tenuta fra la cornicetta interna che incornicia il vetro, e la cornicetta esterna che tiene serrata, appunto, la sagomatura di gomma contro la cornicetta interna. Il tutto forma un insieme sufficientemente indeformabile. Buona la visibilità, specialmente quella monoculare; limitata la visione stereoscopica dalla sagomatura della cornicetta che aggira il naso: un suo raffinamento, anche minimo, e ci sembra possibile, darebbe ottimi risultati. Nell’insieme, dunque, una buona maschera; anzi, un’ottima maschera per la categoria alla Quale appartiene. Un paio di difetti del prototipo sperimentale, sono già stati eliminati dai modelli prodotti in serie. Il prezzo di listino ci sembra proporzionato al valore dell’oggetto. Dunque, valutazione positiva. MASCHERA «SERENA» larghezza mm. 154; altezza mm. 77; profondità mm. 72; peso g. 295; spessore occhio/vetro mm. 22; spessore vetro mm. 4; volume interno cm² 218; prezzo L. 3.500."
Rough translation: "G.S.D. “SERENA” MASK. When the competition advertises very low-volume models, which then more and less all resemble each other because, having to be very close to the face, they must necessarily follow the trend of the anatomical curves, any diving equipment manufacturer who does not adapt loses ground (on a commercial level). We do not support, in terms of technical performance, this recent manufacturing trend. For a mask, low volume is an important factor, but we must not exaggerate it; in our opinion, it is not permissible to sacrifice qualities of comfort on the altar of about ten cubic centimetres of volume, because such are, at most, the volume reductions obtained with this type of mask. We prefer a mask with a soft contour, which does not squeeze the root of the nose, which allows us to dive comfortably for hours, even if, in apnea, it consumes a few cubic centimetres of air for compensation. Having said this, with usual frankness (may all traders understand and forgive us), let us have a look at the «Serena»: the new mask from G.S.D. which completes the range of excellent masks, such as the “Samoa” for example, produced by the Avegno company. The characteristic of the «Serena» that first catches the eye is elegance, good taste in the choice of colours and their combinations: black rubber with red external frame and white internal frame; yellow rubber with black external and internal frame; etc. The refinement reaches an extent when even the inscriptions on the glass the “G.S.D. tempered glass” are of a different colour, matching the rubber or the frames. The construction is very simple. A rubber body, with a double lip on the edges, a shape for the nose that allows the external compensation manoeuvre and a groove profile to collect the glass. The shaping works as a seal between the internal frame that frames the glass, and the external frame that holds the rubber moulding tight against the internal frame. The whole forms a sufficiently non-deformable whole. Good visibility, especially monocular; the stereoscopic vision is limited by the shape of the small pocket around the nose: a refinement, even minimal, and it seems possible to us, would give excellent results. Overall, therefore, a good mask; indeed, an excellent mask for the category to which it belongs. A couple of defects in the experimental prototype have already been removed from the mass-produced models. The list price seems to us proportionate to the value of the object. So, positive evaluation. “SERENA” MASK: width mm. 154; height mm. 77; depth mm. 72; weight g. 295; eye/glass thickness mm. 22; glass thickness mm. 4; internal volume cm² 218; price L. 3.500."

So there we have it, a favourable review including all the mask's measurements. Interesting too that the critique refuses to endorse the accepted belief back then that low internal volume invariably trumps wearing comfort in a mask because the former feature can in practice mean a user's nose being squeezed painfully against the lens.
 
The GSD Serena was exported to other countries, including the UK. Here is the mask in the 1972 catalogue of its British importer Spartan:
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The caption here also highlights low internal volume and wearing comfort as the model's main selling points. It also reveals that the skirt is made of neoprene, not natural rubber.

Enough for today. At the weekend we shall take a look at GSD Panoramic and Panorea diving masks. In the meantime, stay safe and keep well.
 
The "Serena" mask was suitable for divers with smaller faces and over the years I bought two of them for female divers. The first was in its GSD box, but the second quite some years later was in a box with a Lloyd Bridges endorsement and a different name on the box, but the mask inside was a GSD. What I recall vividly was in the MSD sports store I was looking for a small fitting mask and was talking to a sales guy about this when I suddenly spotted the mask which I immediately recognised from the photo on the box. Quick as a flash the salesman said he believed that Lloyd Bridges had a small head and that this would certainly fill the bill. I managed to stop myself from bursting out laughing at his glib stupidity and purchased the mask without further comment.
 
Thank you for your contribution, Pete, and also to Sam, akimbo, Angelo, jale and Iowwall for your likes.

Now, as promised, the GSD Panoramic and Panorea diving masks. First the Panorama, for which I have a single source, a page from a 1972 issue of Mondo Sommerso. Here is a picture of the mask from that page:
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Original Italian accompanying text: "I sub a Genova: PANORAMIC della GSD. La casa di Avegno è suscita a realizzare questa maschera, che consente di spazia con lo sguarnì sott'acqua per un arco di 180° grazie alle finestrature laterali, senza venir meno ai più recenti accorgimenti tecnici sulla riduzione del volume interno delle maschere, riduzione che — com’è noto — è fondamentale ai fini di una prolungata e confortevole immersione in apnea. Il cristallo temperato della «Panoramic» è molto vicino agli occhi, il che migliora ulteriormente la visione, mentre due incassature realizzate nel neoprene morbido consentono una facile «presa» del naso per aiutarsi nella manovra di compensazione. La maschera, inoltre, pur nella sua complessità, rispetta quelle caratteristiche di «stile» che sono proprie dei prodotti Smeralda della GSD."
My rough translation:"Diving in Genoa: GSD PANORAMIC. The Avegno company is inspired to create this mask enabling your underwater angle of vision to sweep through an arc of 180°, thanks to the side windows, without compromising the most recent technical measures to reduce mask internal volume, a reduction everyone knows is essential for prolonged and comfortable freediving. The tempered glass lens of the “Panoramic” is very close to the eyes, which further improves vision, while two soft neoprene recesses ease nose “pinching” to help with the compensation manoeuvre. What is more, despite its complexity, the mask respects those “style” characteristics typical of GSD Smeralda products."

As can be seen from the illustration, the mask earns its epithet "panoramic" from the presence of three windows, one on the front and two on the sides to provide the wearer with a 180° view of the underwater world. Of course, three-lens masks were nothing new back in 1972. By way of example, here is the French-manufactured Hurricane Argonaute mask from 1957, a decade and a half earlier:
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The GSD does have other features to commend it, however, such as low internal volume and compensator bosses on the inside with finger wells on the outside.
 
As for the GSD Panorea, judge for yourselves whether you believe it to be identical to the GSD Panorama. Panorea (Greek: Πανωραία) is a female name of Greek origin; the name combines the Greek word "Pan", meaning "above all, everything" and the Greek word "Orea", meaning either "beautiful" or "great in height". Some auction pictures of the Panorea mask:
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I'll leave it there for today. Next time, midweek, we shall review the remaining GSD masks I know about, namely the Catalina and Coronado models. Until then, keep safe and stay well.
 
When the GSD "Smeralda" dive mask first appeared here in the late sixties it was very popular for adding a splash of colour in the mask frame and there were different shades available. They were often seen in photographs of divers where previously most had worn Beuchat (Tarzan) "Compensator" masks with their angled oval faceplate in black rubber. Due to its shorter lifespan most steered clear of the coloured rubber masks. Another attractive feature was the wide stainless steel band that gave the mask a more professional look (Kirby Morgan echoes?) with its curved edging, plus the close spacing of the lens to the eyes for vision and low internal volume.
 
Thanks, Pete, for your GSD Smeralda contribution and to Sam, Jale, Angelo, Akimbo and Iowwall.
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Today's GSD diving masks are the Catalina and the Coronado. First the Catalina, which was very likely named after Catalina Island in California (above), although there are other possible candidates.

The GSD Catalina was designed and manufactured by GSD for the American "King Neptune" line, which was tied into the "Mike Nelson" TV series. This line of gear was outsourced to European companies acting as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including the Haffenden moulding company in the UK.

All I have for this mask is a sequence of auction pictures. Pay particular attention to the markings.
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So a broad mask providing a wide field of vision and fitted with compensator bosses for ease of equalisation.
 

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