Basic gear from mid-twentieth-century Italy: Mares and Pirelli

[Angelo Farina]

It must be mentioned that the trademark Mondial was quite popular here in Italy in the sixties and at beginning of seventies.
It was not perceived as a French word.
Mondial was a manufacturer of motorbikes, which won a number of world championships in the fifties.
More info here: Mondial (motorcycle manufacturer) - Wikipedia

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for putting me right here, Angelo. Certainly a change in mask naming practice for Mares after using the names of Ligurian seaside beauty spots!

 

[David Wilson]

On to the Mares Corsara diving mask, here in 1968:

Initial impressions are probably that it closely resembles the Mondial, which we reviewed at the weekend. No caption to the mask image in 1968, but one was forthcoming in 1969:

Italian: "Articolo 1116 Corsara. Maschera di buon campo visivo. Tenuta perfettamente stagna. Ridottissimo volume di aria. Cristallo temperato. Estetica nuova e originale. Bordi e flangia in gomma molto morbida. Reggetta in ABS in un vasto assortimento di colori. Bloccaggio automatico del cinturino. Naso anatomico per una facile compensazione."
English: "Item 1116 Corsara. Wide vision. Absolutely watertight. Air volume reduced to a minimum. Tempered glass lens. Aesthetical new and original form. Edges in very soft rubber. Framed in ABS in a varied colour-assortment. Self locking head-strap. Nose-pocket for easy equalization."
French: "Article 1116 Corsara. Large champ de vision, étancheté parfaite. Volume d'air très réduit, vitre trempé. Nouvelle forme originale et moderne. Bords et rebords en caoutchouc très souple. Cerclage en ABS de différentes couleurs. Blocage automatique de la courroie. Forme anatomique du nez pour faciliter la compensation."

Note the emphasis on low volume and the presence of a plastic frame, both characteristic of a new generation of diving masks.

 

[David Wilson]

Here is the mask in a 1970 Mares English-language catalogue:

So the model now comes with two rims, one red and the other white that can be exchanged swiftly. It has also acquired a purge valve.

1974

So the Corsara acquired a mini version that year.

1976

Back to colour again and a more obvious dimensional distinction between the Corsara and its "Mini-Me". The description indicates a desire for the Corsara to be a "universal", general-purpose mask.

1970s

Mini Corsara (yellow frame) and Corsara (red frame) are respectively 7 and 8 on the left in the lower catalogue image above.

 

[David Wilson]

We'll finish off with a few auction pictures of the Corsara:

So much for the Mares Corsara. We're running out of Mares diving masks whose début was during the 1960s. There are two more to consider, both dating from 1969: the Anatomic and the Elite, which we'll review next time. Stay safe!

 

[David Wilson]

The Anatomic and the Elite were two Mares diving masks that first saw the light of day in 1969:

Italian: "Articolo 1115 Anatomic. Ridottissimo volume d'aria per una facilitata compensazione in apnea. Cristallo temperato. Colore nero. Speciale intelaiatura rigida che garantisce una perfetta impermeabilità."
English: "Item 1115 Anatomic. Air volume reduced to a minimum for easy equalization when diving without breathing apparatus. Tempered glass lens. Colour: black. Special reinforced plastic liner, which ensures watertight seal.
French: "Article 1115 Anatomic. Le masque des grandes profondeurs. Voiume d'air très reduit pour faciliter l'équilibrage
en apnée. Verre trempé, structure rigide qui donne une étancheté parfaite. Coloris noir."

Italian: "Articolo 1117 Elite. Dalla linea elegante e funzionale, permette la massima visibilità mantenendo if volume interno in dimensioni contenute. Fascetta esterna in acciaio inox, cristalio temperato con elegante intelaiatura, che ne garantisce l'assoluta impermeabilità. Rifinita con estrema cura, aderisce morbidamente al viso grazie alla speciale mescola in neoprene e al bordo a doppia flangia."
English: "Item 1117 Elite. Of an elegant and functional design for maximum visibility, minimizing the air volume between diver's face and lens. Rim in inox steel, tempered lens with a slanted plastic liner for perfect seal. Finished with extreme care, fits the face perfectly owing to, the special neoprene construction and sealing edges."
French: "Article 1117 Elite. Forme élégante et fonctionnelle. Large champ de vision et volume d'air très réduit. Bande en acier inox, vitre trempé avec profil en plastique qui assure une parfaite étancheté. Matériel de néoprène spécial, adhérant au visage avec souplesse, bord a double boudin."

So two quite similar masks in construction with nose pockets and that ubiquitous "liner" for watertightness. Interesting that the French caption defines the Anatomic as "le masque des grandes profondeurs", the mask for deepwater diving, but neither the Italian nor the English version includes this description. In any case, the Anatomic vanished from the market after 1969.

 

[David Wilson]

The Mares Elite survived into the 1970s. Here it is in 1974:

1975

1976

Italian: "ELITE. È una maschera a vetro unico; la tenuta è assicurata da una elegante fascetta in acciaio inox."
English: "ELITE. Single lens. Watertightness ensured by an elegant stainless steel strip."
German: "ELITE. Besitzt ein durchgehendes Glas; die gute Paßform wird durch einen eleganten Inox-Sprengrahmen begunstigt."
French: "ELITE. Masque à verre unique dont l’étanchéité est assurée par une élégante bande en acier inox."
Spanish: "ELITE. De vidrio unico. Impermeabilidad asegurada por una elegante banda de acero inoxidable."

Five European languages! The stainless-steel rim also survives into the 1970s, despite the inexorable rise of plastic.

And here is a 1950s catalogue page including the Elite:

The Elite is Number 1 in the top picture, where it is the leftmost mask on the top row.

To finish off, some auction pictures of Elite masks:

So much for the short-lived Anatomic and the longer-lived Elite. We'll move on next time to Mares diving masks first appearing in 1970.The qualifying models include the Nuovo and the Onda. See you then and keep safe in the meantime.

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks, Sam and Jale!

On to Mares diving masks whi9ch made their début in 1970. First, the Nuova:

Rectangular masks had been around since the 1950s, when their capacity for wider vision was first recognised. By way of example, Edouard Godel, successor to Louis de Corlieu, French inventor of swim fins, gave the shape to his flagship mask, the "Cyclope", citing "très grande surface de visibilité", a wide field of vision, as a key feature alongside a split strap and an uncrushable skirt:

The Mares Nuova did not appear in subsequent catalogues. Another model with the same fate was the Onda:

An oval design this time with a stainless-steel rim, compensator and drain valve unsealed at the user's discretion.

 

[David Wilson]

There are examples other than the Nuova and the Onda of Mares masks introduced in 1970 without evidence of later availability. Here's the Piccolo:

"Companion to Piccolo Snorkel" is a reference to the Mares Piccolo Snorkel Mask we will be reviwing later in this thread. Here's a sneak preview of this companionpiece:

So the Piccolo is an oval model designed for the youth market.

Here is another 1970-only mask, the Pirata:

I rather like the expression "Squared Aviator styling" applied to this mask. The rectangular shaping is present, as is the Mares style "nasal pocket" featuring a purge valve. Here are some auction pictures of the mask:

I'm going to leave it there for today and when I return at the weekend I shall review a mask I see I have omitted, the Ventosa, which arrived in 1969 and lasted well into the 1970s. I'll also be looking at another two Mares 1970 masks that didn't endure, the Rapallo and the Sea King. Meanwhile, keep safe!

 

[АлександрД]

Mares exported the Vedo optical diving mask to the UK as early as 1964, when it appeared in the underwater catalogue of Lillywhites of London:
View attachment 604269
It did not appear the following year, however, which suggests British divers might have found the process of installing prescription lenses an overcomplicated matter.

French ads for the mask appeared in 1966 and 1967:View attachment 604270

View attachment 604271
Both advertisements draw attention to the fact that Enzo Majorca set a world freediving record using a Mares Vedo mask.

The 1969 Mares catalogue gave a prominent place to the Vedo, now the "Nuova Vedo" or "new Vedo", including a caption in three languages:
View attachment 604272
Italian: "Articolo 1111 Nuova Vedo. La più pratica ed economica delle maschere ottiche attualmente in commercio. Viene normalmente fornita con vetri piani e complanari, per cui può essere usata anche da coloro che non necessitano di lenti ottiche. La minima distanza lente-occhio e la corretta distanza interpupillare. garantiscono il massimo campo visivo. Le lenti già inserite nelle apposite guarnizioni, si innestano nelle sedi con semplice pressione."
English: "Item 1111 Nuova Vedo. The most practical and economical mask for substitution with prescription lenses, presently available on the market. As a standard supplied with plaln glass lenses, so that the mask can also be used by people, who do not need spectacles. Close-to-face design and the correct distance between the pupils of the eye secure a maximum visibility. The glass lenses, already provided with a rubber rim, can be easily installed by a simple press."
French: "Article 1111 Nuova Vedo. Le plus économique des masques optiques actuellement sur le marché. Très pratique, il est delivré avec deux verres optiques neutres qui permettent l'utilisation à tous plongeurs. La distance minimum oeil-lentilles et celle interpupillaire assurent un champ de vision très large. Les lentilles équipées de joint sont montées par pression."

Note the design changes, in particular the use of a single outer lens and the modified nose pocket.

Soviet masks: Russian models
Звезда (Star) mask