A Date Please for this Unidentified Foursome on the Beach

[CorleyMiller]

Hello,
I was wondering if someone could help me with an approximate date for the attached photograph showing four people enjoying a day at the beach.
It was discovered amongst a small collection of family photographs in the effects of a relative who passed away some years ago.
Perhaps, if I can get a reasonable approximation of the date and the ages of the four people I could work backwards and see if I can find someone in my family tree that fits but at the moment I don’t know if I’m looking for one person or all four.
The photograph is of the printed postcard type and indicates on the rear that it was supplied by Vickery Bros of Paignton, so I’m assuming it’s taken on the beach there or perhaps another beach in that vicinity.
I’m guessing that the two ladies are possibly sisters or maybe cousins, and in their mid to late twenties?
My own guess would be sometime in the 1920’s (is that a “cloche” style hat on the partially obscured lady in the background centre?).     

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[Trishanne]

Do you think the man on the right has been paddling?  He is all dressed up in his suit with waistcoat, collar and tie and no socks!!
My mother wore a similar cloche hat for her wedding in 1929, but she lived in a small village in the north of England so could be a bit behind fashion.

[Milliepede]

Definitely a paddler!

My first thought would be 1920's also.

[alpinecottage]

I think he is wearing socks - they're just his light-coloured "summer socks".

I'd guess about 1930 or thereabouts.

[mazi]

When was the fashion for rounded collars on men’s shirts first introduced.
At the the risk of being proved very wrong I wonder if the men’s identical ill fitting suits are “demob suits”

Mike

[familydar]

Based on the broader brimmed hat being worn by the lady behind I would say possibly as late as early 1930s.  One of the OP's ladies is wearing a wedding ring.

Jane :-)

[DrDude45]

indeed it does look somewhat like a "flapper" hat of the 1920s, however, the bathing machines behind them push the date back farther.

According to the old link of the wiki on the bathing machine, it fell out of fashion in the UK and were mostly gone in the  mid 1910s around 1914.

https://web.archive.org/web/20130202064245/http://www.jasa.net.au/seaside/Bathing.htm

[CorleyMiller]

Thank you all for your comments and observations so far.

I wondered if the wristwatches were significant, at some point fashions must have changed from pocket watches to wristwatches.

Interesting point about the bathing machines, perhaps I could contact the local history centre or archive and see if they have any information regarding when they were removed.   

[CorleyMiller]

In fact I've just found an article on the BBC website stating that bathing machines were in use until the 1930's in Torbay.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/bathing_machines.shtml

The evidence and opinion seems to be in favour of a date in the late 1920's /early 1930's.
So, as my grandparents (the photo belonged to them) were born in the early to mid 1900's and the beachgoers seem to be same generation, I'm going to have to look at brothers, sisters and cousins of theirs for identification.
It could of course just be some friends of theirs in which case it's probably a lost cause