Vintage SOS Piston Style Depth Gauge

[Shoe2Dive2011]

Recently found this gear and would like to get some more information and possibly entertain an offer if anyone is interested. The actual gauge is in perfect condition and looks to have never been used. The box is not in good shape but still holds the gauge inside and the original instructions are there and in good shape.

I tried a couple local pros and have not received any more information than I already know. Which is not much. I'm interested in finding out manufacturing dates, when and by who it would have been used by (other than the obvious), etc. And of course if there is any value I am interested in that as well.

Thanks for any info/help!

 

[Diver0001]

That's a rare find.

I honestly don't know if SOS still makes diving gear. I only know them as a manufacturer of household faucets and such.

What I do know about them is that they were active in the late 60's and early 70's and were one of the early manufacturers to make automated decompression gauges. They didn't work very well as their most popular design quickly gained a poor reputation and the dubious nickname "bend-o-matic".

This gauge also shows calibration for popular stop depths for decompression diving so it might have been an early 70's "back peddle" from the bend-o-matic days. Just based on that, I'm going to venture a guess of about 1970 for the age of it, but I'll admit that it's something I've never seen before. I do know that their products in the United States sometimes went to market under the Scubapro tag and I know the European model of this device was printed in Metric with the same stop depths calibrated.

As for price. I'd say it belongs in a museum. I bet you could sell it to a serious collector who doesn't already have one for $100 and up.

R..

 

[regulator bj]

There is a German Web site "Dive Gauge Museum" has one in his collection puts the date of manufacture at 1980 the company SOS also made a "Deco Meter" in the same style.

 

[Diver0001]

Nice detective work, bj.

Confirmed that the German collector puts the date of manufacture round about 1980.

R..

 

[Shoe2Dive2011]

Thanks gents. I appreciate the quick response. That is a lot more than I had. So now the only question is who wants to give me $99 for it?

 

[Mike Lev]

I'll give you $99 with a nice double hose reg thrown in. I sold that gauge in the box this year. I think I got $40 if that. Good luck. People arn't paying good money for anything unless it's rare. That isn't rare. Take care.

 

[Diver0001]

Did you sell it on Ebay?

R..

 

[Mike Lev]

Yes I sold it on ebay.