Sit down and have a serious discussion with any budding watch collector and you can probably bet that at some point, the two of you will eventually land on the topic of dive watches. Theres no way around it? were crazy about them, obsessed with the durability, and in some cases, Ive seen folks collect hundreds of them, if not more. But that can get, boring, right? After Oris announced the recently redesigned?Oris Regulateur Der Meistertaucher in 2017, I had been feeling a bit of dive watch-fatigue, especially after carefully reviewing my own personal collection. However, after learning more about its regulator layout and the fact that Oris was actually the first to develop a regulator-based dive watch back in 1999, I knew I had to give it a shot. The result was some time well-spent with a watch that not only taught me the importance of basic day-to-day utility, but also uncovered some new personal watch collecting preferences, which Im constantly discovering as a growing watch enthusiast.Privately held and founded in 1904, Oris is still the little guy in the grand scheme of things. But I almost wouldnt have it any other way and to me, theres a certain sense of respectable charm in what they do. Even after reviewing their most recent releases, it feels like Im rooting for my favorite indie band that still insists on ditching the tour bus in favor of the 15-passenger van-the brand does its own thing and I think many would agree that they have something for everyone. Pair that with their frequent charitable ocean conservation efforts like the Oris Hammerhead Limited Edition or the recent Oris Aquis Clipperton Limited Edition?and you have a brand thats going to grab my attention almost every time. Even without taking the specifics into consideration, the Oris Regulateur Der Meistertaucher is just a fun watch. The bright colors and the sense of discovery one feels when adjusting to the regulator display make for a great experience no matter what kind of collecting youre into. Because I knew the watch was already capable of surviving a dive expedition to one of the worlds most remote coral atolls in the eastern Pacific, I figured Id put it through more of a landlubbers test and take it on a few trails here in Washington. Unsurprisingly, the watch took everything I threw at it. So lets get down to business and have a closer look.CaseNot unlike their most popular models, the?Oris Regulateur Der Meistertaucher retains the same Aquis case shape in a very comfortable 43.5mm case diameter. The case itself is made entirely out of titanium, which also led me to experience somewhat of an adjustment period since Im not really used to its lightweight nature. Nevertheless, the weight, or lack thereof, never left me questioning the watchs quality. Its simply a matter of comfort and when you pair the watch with the rubber strap like I did, you can just totally forget the Oris is even there. I know people have waxed poetic about this kind of stuff before, but I feel like this combination automatically qualifies the?Regulateur as a perfect vacation watch.The bezel? with its matte black ceramic insert? sits flush with the case. Its pleasantly tactile, accurate, and doesnt protrude over the case too much like some other dive watches. Once again, this is a key component that works with the regulator readout and when you combine the two, the watch serves as a practical and very legible tool that measures elapsed time? but well get to that later. Other features include a screw-down crown (supports the 300m of water resistance), sloped lugs that integrate beautifully with the rubber strap, a screw-down caseback, and an automatic helium-release valve built into the side at 9 oclock. My only gripe here is how easily the titanium can scratch, but thats to be expected and part of the trade-off when you reach for an all-titanium watch. DialHeres where things get fun after training your brain to read the regulator display. The dial itself is deep black with faceted indices that give off a nice, glitzy effect whenever light bounces off of them. Thats pretty much the only element of flash youll find in this watch but its also important to familiarize yourself with the layout, which centers around two prominent sub-dials. At 3 oclock, youll find the sub-dial for hours and at 9 oclock you have the running seconds? simple enough. The large, central red hand then indicates the minutes. One of the nicest details here is the matte black treatment given to the inner portion of the minute hand, which makes it appear as if the hand is floating just over the dial. Once you get a sense of where to find the hours, its basically just like telling time on a traditional analog display.While the regulator display is easy to get used to, I found one issue that bugged me. There will be times throughout the day? say 10:15 or so? when the massive minute hand will completely cover the small hour hand in its sub-dial? or at least what its pointing to. As a result, it can be difficult to quickly get an accurate readout of the time. But, that isnt really the?Regulateurs?forte and the point here is to provide the wearer with a fast way to track elapsed minutes. If you think about it, you have to wonder why more brands havent tried executing this in their dive watches. Then again, I feel that a dive watchs true utility in the field can still be up for debate? but Ill leave that up to the dive experts to decide. Otherwise, Oris did a great job in terms of symmetry and Im grateful for the minimal and well-integrated date window at 6 oclock. Lume is also sufficient and the cool, aqua shade of BGW9 is a real treat when you manage to catch it against the straps hot red tone. [...]