INTRODUCING: A different kind of dive watch – the Oris Regulateur ‘Der Meistertaucher’
If you dive, or even if you don’t, then you may know that a diver’s regulator is the hub of their equipment – it is what makes breathing underwater possible, after all. We may not be referring to that type of regulator here, but the latest offering from Oris, the updated Regulateur ‘Der Meistertaucher’ (Master Diver), has been purpose-built for divers with a dial design seldom seen on a dive watch. In fact, Oris is the only manufacturer that currently offers a regulator dial on a dive watch – pioneered back in 1999 and featured in a handful of their collections, including the Aquis line, to which the ‘Der Meistertaucher’ belongs. So, what is a regulator dial? First introduced in observatories of the 18th century, these dials were found on highly accurate clocks that clockmakers would use as a reference when setting or regulating the pieces they were working on. They’re distinctive thanks to their non-coaxial layout, meaning the hour and minute hands are separated, with the minute hand traditionally remaining in the centre while the hour hand is shown on a separate sub-dial – it’s located at three on the ‘Der Meistertaucher’. What this means is that the watch shows the…
The post INTRODUCING: A different kind of dive watch – the Oris Regulateur ‘Der Meistertaucher’ appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Given that 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Sea-Dweller, Rolex’s iconic deep diver, we were pretty confident that we were going to see an updated version at Baselworld. And the Big Crown did not disappoint, offering a brand new Sea-Dweller, the reference 126600, which quickly became one of the most talked-about watches of the fair. Now, any new, top-line release from Rolex will get people fired up, but the increased size, the single line of red text and – most significantly – the addition of a Cyclops really stirred debate. As is always the case with watches, it’s best to see them on the wrist, which is where our video review comes in… Rolex Sea-Dweller (ref. 126600) Australian pricing The Rolex Sea-Dweller, $14,400
Aside from Big Bangs, Hublot is perhaps best known for their prolific, and occasionally surprising, partnerships. One of the most interesting, from a design and technique perspective, is Hublot’s relationship with Italia Independent and their famous frontman – Lapo Elkann. If you pay even the slightest bit of attention to the world of men’s style, you’re probably all too aware of Elkann. If you’re not down on the difference between spritz and sprezzatura, Elkann – grandson of billionaire industrialist and sartorial icon Gianni Agnelli – is a staple of the style and society pages. He’s also the founder and driving force behind Italia Independent, which is best known for producing high-fashion eyewear, but is also a fully-fledged design agency in its own right. It should come as no surprise that Hublot’s Italia Independent collaboration focuses on unusual materials. While we’ve previously seen Texalium-infused timepieces, this time around they’ve opted to play with more traditional textures – the classic cloth of fine tailoring. The full collection consists of six different Classic Fusion watches, each incorporating a different woollen cloth – tartan, Prince-of-Wales check or houndstooth – on the dial and strap. It’s a bold look, but one entirely in keeping with both Hublot’s ‘art of fusion’…
It’s easy to get distracted by the brightest, shiniest watches of Baselworld; the watches that live up to the marketing parlance of ‘novelties’. But sometimes the real winners are the quiet achievers. I suspect Omega’s redesigned Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m will be one of these winners. The AT (as it’s often called) has long been the go-to casual dress Omega, the obvious choice for those looking for an alternative to the storied Speedmaster or the sporty Seamaster. This year that choice just got easier. The dial has been significantly improved, with less busy text, a new horizontal stripe, and a newly positioned date window at six, giving the whole dial really strong vertical balance, which looks great on the wrist. The changes don’t stop there either – the case (in 41mm and 38mm) has been subtly updated, and the crown has been modified to make it slightly more ergonomic. And of course they’re Master Chronometers, powered by mighty METAS-certified calibres. This particular model comes in at $7250.