Vintage Soviet belt

[tarponchik]

I got this belt as a gift from a guy in Sevastopol in 1975 and found it digging through my Dad's junk. I used it for freediving only. It has a stainless steel quick-release buckle. The belt itself is nylon.

 

[Akimbo]

That buckle design was sold by US Divers (now Aqua Lung) in the 1950s & 60s. Here is a thread with more information: quick release buckle

 

[Sam Miller III]

First appeared in US Divers 1958 catalog
page 8 upper right side of page
"Safe E Z Buckle"
Part # 7113
Price $2.50

Webbing used during that time frame was cotton
'
Weights were either cast lead or cast iron
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your belt buckle is 44 years old (2019- 1975 = 44)
Antique dealers consider any thing over 25 years an Antique

You have an antique dive belt buckle with a history and a heirloom to be treasured
Suggest that you mount it on a plaque

Sorry to disappoint you- but now you know...

Sam Miller, 111

@Marie13 CE

 

[Compressor]

Wow they are in very good shape.

 

[tarponchik]

Thanks, guys!

 

[David Wilson]

Page 67 of the 1968 Soviet Manual of Scuba Diving by S. Ye. Bulenkov et al. on my diving book shelf has the following information about weight belts in the USSR:

So much for the official English translation from 1969. And here from the same shelf is page 74 of the original 1968 Russian text of С. Е. Буленков, В. И. Тюрин, Б. П. Самойлов, О. Н. Рослак, Э. В. Чириманов: Справочник пловца-подводника (аквалангиста):

 

[АлександрД]

I got this belt as a gift from a guy in Sevastopol in 1975 and found it digging through my Dad's junk. I used it for freediving only. It has a stainless steel quick-release buckle. The belt itself is nylon.

on the picture above is WRONG way to passing belt through the buckle!
Free end of the belt should be OUTSIDE!

 

[tarponchik]

on the picture above is WRONG way to passing belt through the buckle!
Free end of the belt should be OUTSIDE!

View attachment 525332

You are most likely correct. In practice, however, this hardly matters. Also, of notice, the other end of the belt was attached to the buckle inside-out.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@David Wilson
posted:
Page 67 of the 1968 Soviet Manual of Scuba Diving by S. Ye. Bulenkov et al. on my diving book shelf has the following information about weight belts in the USSR:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had difficulty locating my Russian manual until this morning to verify the belt
My copy of " Bulenkov" was printed in the American standard 8-1/2 X 11 loose leaf format by US Department of Commerce # JPRS 47828, Same date, same illustrations on the same page.

When I obtained my copy the cold war was in progress therefore it was very difficult to obtain. As we often state in the rebel colonies "I had to move heaven and earth" for a copy.
……………………………………………...
I think @АлександрД is correct -- as displayed In Bulenkov it displayed backwards --- a true wait belt rather than a weight belt
…...………….…...…...……………….........……...…………...……………………...
Re US DIvers buckle
Buckle was last featured in the 1962 US Divers catalog
Page #18, bottom 1/3 of page
Part # 7116
Price $2.95
The webbing was "Fast drying nylon"

It is noted the buckle no longer had a perturbance on the bottom as was on earlier models of this buckle. In SoCal it was rumored but not verified that the original belt with the protuberance was the favorite of the Cousteau team. They apparently used the perturbance to hook the infamous crouch strap on their units.

It never became a favorite of SoCal divers.
…………………………….
What a huge unappreciated waste of time and effort all this research and postings have been by posters from three nations- but now we know a little history --

Sam Miller 111