Some people think otherwise. A friend of mine does not go aboard of an aircraft or a yacht if he is not wearing Beitling Emergency – he is very scared of travel. Once he is ashore, obviously, he is changing the watch to whatever else he brought with him.

Anyway, choosing a vacation watch greatly depends on the features you’re looking for, such as alarm, dual time zone, GMT and day/date. Deciding on these down will greatly narrow down your choices.

However, to keep this brief, here are a few to consider (with a tight budget in mind):

Casio recently released an Oceanus line of watches that are really quite nice. They might only be available in Japan, but most definitely worth a look.

If you’re looking for something rugged, Luminox has greatly updated their line of “Navy Seal” watches with many stylish offerings.

If you like ‘em big and chunky, I was always impressed by the Nixon line of wristwatches (www.nixonnow.com). Originally targeted to surfers, they have also upgraded their collection to appeal to us city-types. Make sure you look at them in person before you buy; I was surprised at their girth.

Finally, if you value style over accuracy or features, you could always buy a replica Rolex for forty bucks.

More than you need on most vacations And the thermometer is great when you have kids on vacation in hot places.