Britmarine Dive Gear ?

[Bryan]

Who knew our own Britmarine had his own line of gear ??

[Britmarine]

I wish!

In my teens, like many others in the UK, I used "Britmarine" underwater swimming gear when I went snorkelling. "Britmarine" was one of the brand names of the W. W. Haffenden Company of Sandwich, Kent, in the south east of England. Here's a timeline of the company I compiled for another diving forum:

W. W. Haffenden Timeline
1936-1938 Wallace Wilson Haffenden secures British Patents GB458155-A, GB459262-A and GB493162-A concerning improvements in or connected with bathing caps.
1946 Wallace Wilson Haffenden secures British Patent GB617684-A concerning “a bathing cap for use with or without a chin strap and having a continuous bead around the edge.”
1947 W. W. Haffenden Company founded by Wallace Wilson Haffenden and his brother Philip Wilson-Haffenden. Company located at Richborough Rubber Works, Sandwich, Kent, manufacturing rubber mouldings and Duraplug electrical accessories.
Mid 1950s “Submarine” range of rubber bathing caps, including “Clipper” and “Penguin” models, heavily advertised in the national press. Submarine rubber hot water bottles become available in 1959. Submarine Clipper range of rubber swim fins, face mask, breathing tube and combined face mask and breathing tube introduced.
Late 1950s Company acquired by London Rubber Company.
1960 Haffenden-Richborough Limited incorporated on 16 Nov 1960.
1961 Sugg Sports of Sheffield retails “Submarine Clipper” adjustable open-heel fins.
December 1962 “Britmarine” trademark registered. Serial number 72130145. Goods and services: “Swimming fins, face masks, breathing tubes, combined face masks and breathing tubes, goggles, all being sporting articles for use in under water swimming.” Serial number 72130146: Goods and services: “Swimming caps.”
Mid to late 1960s Haffenden issues a catalogue featuring Britmarine range of Neptune full-foot fins, Penguin adjustable fins with extended heel-plate, mask, breathing tube and combined mask and tube to complement their Clipper range of adjustable open-heel fins, standard mask, junior mask, breathing tube and combined mask and tube. A later edition adds a more professional-looking super mask, super junior mask and super breathing tube to the Britmarine range.
1970 On behalf of Haffenden-Richborough Ltd, Philip Wilson Haffenden secures British Patent GB1284765-A, “Swim wear”, concerning a swim fin comprising “at least one longitudinally extending reinforcing rib which has a resistance to flexure which increases abruptly at a predetermined curvature or angle of deflection.”
1972 As a result of group reorganisation, all the separate trading activities of W. W. Haffenden Ltd, Haffenden-Roxy Ltd, and Sandwich Engineering Co Ltd, are merged within Haffenden- Richborough Ltd, as a single trading unit from April 1.
Early to mid 1970s Haffenden issues at least three different catalogues with a greatly expanded range of underwater swimming equipment, including 24 different masks, 12 different snorkels and three different pairs of fins in their Britmarine and Clipper lines. One new full-foot closed-toe fin model, the Powerfin, appears to be made in England using the same moulds as the popular Champion Hydromatic fins. Most masks and snorkels claim to conform to British Standard BS 4532 of December 1969 (Specification for Snorkels and Face Masks).
Late 1970s and early 1980s Haffenden-Richborough discontinues production of masks, fins and snorkels with rubber components and briefly manufactures their Clipper adjustable open-heel fins and new full-foot fins using thermoplastics. Company soon ceases manufacture of underwater swimming products altogether.
1981 Haffenden-Richborough Ltd renamed Haffenden Moulding Company.
1997 The Haffenden Moulding Company Ltd, part of Blugilt Holdings, has operated from South-East England since 1947, has over 200 employees, and relocated to a new factory in Nottinghamshire in August 1997.
2006 Company in receivership. Current owner: Rubber Leisure Products of Malaysia.

Here's a complete set of "Britmarine" gear from my collection:

And here are the corresponding entries from an undated Britmarine catalogue (probably early or mid 1970s):
1. Britmarine Sailfin full foot fins. Britmarine Catalogue entry:

2. Britmarine Stingray mask. Britmarine Catalogue entry:

3. Britmarine Turtle snorkel. Britmarine Catalogue entry:

[Bronze06]

This sucker is on the bay at present. Brit Marine was drove out of real business and production at home and ended up being owned by over-seas concerns as many American companies up north and out on the left coast have been during the same time periods. High Labor costs, loss of quality and innovation ( in most cases) and government over-regulation and taxation. Sad. Capital goes where it grows! Contrary to Keynes, business is about making money, period!

[Britmarine]

Here's what I have about this eBay mask from my 1970s Britmarine catalogues:


PANORAMIC MASK Three piece tempered glass lens designed to give 180 degree visibility without distortion. Easy pinch compensator for equalising pressure. Strong stainless steel clamps with plated brass fittings; stainless steel buckles incorporating dual strap-lock. Twin feathered edge and fully adjustable double headstrap to ensure perfect fit.

B.122 Salamander Panoramic 1800 vision through tempered glass. Double flange. Easy pinch compensator. Stainless steel clamps.

Perhaps what is less well-known about the mask is that WW Haffenden/Britmarine also made it to be rebranded as the Healthways Scubarama Mask:



Haffenden did other rebrands, such as the "Lloyd Bridges" line in swim fins made in England and sold in the USA:


Yes, Britmarine was like so many other underwater swimming equipment companies, a casualty of rapid change in economics and technology in the final decades of the twentieth century. It was interesting, though, that Britmarine ceased production soon after they discontinued their popular and comfortable rubber fins and started making ugly uncomfortable plastic ones that didn't sell. Kinugawa of Japan refused to jump on the same bandwagon and to this day they're still in business making several styles of their popular and respected Gull Marine Sports rubber swim fins. Bucking the trend sometimes pays dividends, especially when the so-called experts get too far ahead of themselves because they think they know best and stop checking to see that the consumer public is still behind them.