Unknown U.S. mystery mask

[Mike Lev]

I picked this up last week.It has the name Walter on it and a logo of a skeleton key.An older green triangle one with same logo and Walter rubber com. sold on ebay way back for good money.The buyer was from HDS.He told the seller the mask was the second oldest mask sold in the United States.A pair of Walter fins was talked about on this site.Shown next to the Healtways Webby fins.Same excact match almost.Some thought maybe Healtways bought this Walter company?I can find zero info on the company or mask. Never saw a aluminum snorkel on a U.S. mask before either.

 

[Marie13]

@Sam Miller III

If anyone here has any info on this mask, Sam will!

 

[Compressor]

Paging @Akimbo and @Sam Miller III.

 

[David Wilson]

Will I do in the meantime?

There's information at 香港記憶 | Hong Kong Memory. I'll reproduce the picture and text from this page just in case:

Product of the month - More underwater swimming equipment​

Exploring the wonders of marine life has become a favourite recreation and Hong Kong manufacturers, always swift to react to modern trends, are bringing this modern pastime within reach of all by producing the necessary equipment at popular prices.

Featured in the July issue of the Trade Bulletin was underwater swimming apparatus, functioning in the compressed air system, designed for those who take the sport seriously and wish to penetrate to great depths. This month, the focus is on a range of underwater swimming appliances likely to appeal to the less-skilled enthusiast — rubber fins, goggles, masks and air tubes.

The manufacturers of these goods are the Wah Tai Rubber Company, 287, Castle Peak Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, a firm already well known for its ‘Key’ brand volleyballs. This new range of goods, which is extremely well made and finished, should achieve considerable success. A great deal of the equipment has been observed on local beaches recently and appears to be giving every satisfaction.

The rubber fins are available in various sizes to suit children and adults. The masks and goggles are adjustable, the former being offered with or without the air tube.

Source: Commerce and Industry Department, "Product of the Month – More underwater swimming equipment", Trade Bulletin, Hong Kong: Commerce and Industry Department (September 1955), p.9.

If you look closely, you can see the name "Walter" on the fins in the image. As for the snorkel-mask, I suggest it is probably the one bottom right. Close-up below:

Mike mentions the mask having an aluminium tube. This would tally with the only other document I have about the Hong Kong Wah Tai Rubber Company:

This article entitled "Pleasure of the Sea" can be downloaded in PDF format from https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BOSXERfTboCVuvsyuUNBL1SuEYjRi0hK.

So, to sum up, I think "Walter" is the brand name given to a range of basic diving gear manufactured by the Wah Tai Rubber Company of Hong Kong for export to the West. The similar pronunciation of "Wah Tai" and "Walter" with a Chinese accent isn't lost on me. And here are a couple of "Web Feet" lookalikes, the brown one branded "Healthways" and the green one "Walter":

 

[Mike Lev]

Hello David you solved the mystery! On the page that has Pleasure of the Sea.If you enlarge the picture you can sea the skeleton key on top of the mask.I really didn't think this was a U.S. made mask.The earlier one that sold on ebay way back wasn't the second oldest mask sold in the U.S. accoriding to the HDS joker either.I have other early U.S. masks beside Sea Net mfg that are from the 40's.Great job again.Thanks Mike.

 

[David Wilson]

Hello David you solved the mystery! On the page that has Pleasure of the Sea.If you enlarge the picture you can sea the skeleton key on top of the mask.I really didn't think this was a U.S. made mask.The earlier one that sold on ebay way back wasn't the second oldest mask sold in the U.S. accoriding to the HDS joker either.I have other early U.S. masks beside Sea Net mfg that are from the 40's.Great job again.Thanks Mike.

Well, I never! You fitted the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle, Mike, by enlarging the picture and spotting the skeleton key, which I missed. Well done too for remaining sceptical about a US source for this snorkel-mask, considering the use of aluminium to construct the snorkel. As a Brit, whenever I think of aluminium snorkels of the 1950s, I always think first of Made in England Typhoon breathing tubes such as the T1 model below:

Even so, the use of aluminium for a combined mask and snorkel tube may be unique.

Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony back then, benefiting from "Imperial Preference" when it came to trade, so manufacturers there were used to making goods expressly for the British market. UK imports from Hong Kong at that time were often labelled "Empire Made":

However, this wasn't legally required, and "Empire Made" labels vanished from Hong Kong products after the UK joined what was then the European Economic Community in 1973 and Imperial Preference was discontinued. After that date, all Hong Kong exports marked with their country of origin were labelled "Made in Hong Kong", like the Wah Tai Web Feet fins below:

 

[Mike Lev]

I have that Typhoon snorkel.Thanks for the extra info.Mike.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Mike Lev

For the genesis of US dive masks please obtain US patent #133 781 September 15, 1942 by H.L Messinger, which is the first US dive mask.

It was produced by Pops Romano as the Sea Net Mask

Pops passed on in 1954 his heirs closed the doors of the company --
As I recall with my hazy memory Hal Messinger was a well known diver around and active in the SoCal diving community in the very beginning to late 1950s to early 1960s-- then he just faded away.

Most who were "involved" used homemade (aka DYI) masks produced in limed numbers by the Bottom Scratchers of San Diego or Charlie Sturgil of LA …

Very few of these mask have survived the passage of time...Only a few Bottom Scratchers all with in 'the families and only 3 Sturgil Masks- One in a "museum", Alex Peirce's (Vetter) both are late model oval and mine which is round- All were made before or around the time of the arrival of the bubble machine in the US

I published and article in Discover Diving about 30 years ago about my Sturgil mask-- I will post it when I can locate a copy

Cheers from sunny shaking Kalifornia -- where it all began

Sam Miller, 111

@David Wilson

@Marie13 CE