70 years of Beuchat wetsuits: a revolution in the world of diving

12.07.2023 - Home

Discover the story behind the revolutionary invention of the wetsuit, the garment that has enabled diving enthusiasts to explore the seabed in peace and comfort all year round. This BEUCHAT invention is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Discover the technological advances, unique performances and continuing dedication that have made the BEUCHAT wetsuit a premium reference in the world of diving. Dive into the history of this clothing and discover its various evolutions over the years.

1953: Fascinated by the sea, Georges B euchat wanted to explore the sea depths at any time of the year. However, at the time, there was no equipment to protect against the cold. In 1952, with his friend Albert Falco, he tested his first prototype underwater suit. A year later, the first isothermal diving suit was finalised. The first products were used by Captain Cousteau in his life under the sea experiment Précontinent, and in his famous film The Silent World (1955). This innovation was fundamental to the world of diving, and played a key role in the development of underwater activities. Even as materials and technologies evolve, the foundations of this innovation remain valid.

1963: The first BEUCHAT wetsuit, the Tarzan wetsuit: the famous yellow-banded wetsuit worn by Albert Falco. This wetsuit enabled diving lovers to explore the ocean floor in total serenity for the first time.

1966: The very first clothing designed specifically to adapt to women's morphology: an optimal fit and a design that meets the particular needs of women divers. The aim of this invention is to offer an optimum level of comfort and performance to all water sports enthusiasts, whether scuba diving, freediving, water trekking, spearfishing or snorkelling.

2005: The first model of BEUCHAT's flagship wetsuit was launched in 2005: the FOCEA COMFORT, a wetsuit designed to offer comfort, durability and performance to divers. It quickly became the reference in wetsuits for diving. Over time, improvements have been made to the FOCEA COMFORT to offer greater levels of comfort and performance. Each new version is made from more and more advanced materials to provide better thermal insulation and an increasingly flexible suit. Made from high-quality neoprene, it offers excellent thermal protection and great flexibility.

2012: With the Mycolors concept, Beuchat offers the possibility of differentiating itself thanks to a wide range of colours. Beuchat presents a selection of 300 possible combinations for its FOCEA Confort 3 and FOCEA premium models.

2014: Always on the quest for innovation, Beuchat offers in 2014 a unique solution in terms of clothing: The Precut system. This feature makes it possible to safely transform high trousers into low trousers to meet individual needs. But Beuchat continues to innovate with another revolutionary new feature called the Braca Concept. This simple, effective and hygienic solution allows underwater hunters to urinate without having to remove their wetsuit. The system is completely waterproof

2019: In 2019, Beuchat is the first brand to offer wetsuits with an innovative 3D photographic camouflage created by trigonometric calculation software: trigocamo camouflage. This innovation makes camouflage better and more effective thanks to the subtle blend between realism and depth of field. Thanks to this Beuchat innovation, underwater hunters have a more realistic appearance and a better ability to blend into the environment.

Innovation is a founding value of the Beuchat brand, which is why Beuchat continues to innovate today. The men and women of Beuchat, all passionate about the sea and water sports, have been imagining and creating products that meet the needs of every individual for 70 years. This involves research to improve comfort, performance and resistance in order to ensure that every diver lives the most enriched experience possible. Whether you're a scuba diver, spearfishing diver, snorkeler, freediver or even an outdoor swimmer, Beuchat thinks about your needs and continues to innovate with you in the front of the line. As a specialist, we are fully conscious of the importance of wetsuit quality, which is in our DNA. Today, we are even more rigorous about the level of technicality and quality of our wetsuits.

The Beuchat wetsuits are :

Quality

For 70 years, the quality of our clothes has been our priority at all steps, from design to manufacture to shipping.

Attention to detail

Assembling is one of the Beuchat strengths, day after day the R&D teams work on improving the methods in order to achieve the best performing and most comfortable assembly for the user. We take great care in the finishing of our suits because it reflects their quality and plays an essential role in the thermal protection, comfort and durability of all Beuchat clothes. The choice of neoprene and fabric Resistance, elasticity and warmth. : these are the three decisive factors on which we build our expertise when we choose the neoprene and fabric used for each wetsuit.

Designed in France

All our patterns are drawn up in our design office in Marseille by our team of designers and pattern makers. These patterns are important because they contribute to the comfort, performance and quality of our wetsuits.