Summer is more than here, it is in middle season territory and hopefully you've been able to enjoy yourself despite economic issues that have have put a damper in your summer recreational budget. Part of summer time fun is summer time gear. What better item to define this ideal (especially these days) than a value priced luxury watch born from the surf-rich shores of Hawaii. Enter one of my favorite sporty timepieces this year - the Bathys Benthic line. A watch available in various styles, pictured is the Benthic Automatic (a quartz version is also available) with a mother of pearl or solid color dial. Note that the watch is currently available with a rubber strap. The pictured metal bracelet is coming soon I hear - but I wanted to show you how pretty it will look.

The steel case (also available in black PVD) is just over 44mm wide with a rotating diver's bezel. The dial is mother of pearl, black, or orange. You'll appreciate the large sized numerals and hour indicators that are treated well with luminant. The hands are easy to read and in different shapes to assist with legibility. The automatic version has a Swiss ETA 2892 movement inside, and is possibly the best priced watch on the market with this high grade movement inside. With 200 meters of water resistance, this watch is truly a diver's buddy, a surfer's friend, or a night club companion. It comes in a rugged Pelican travel case and is well priced at just under $1,700 (likely a smidgen more with the metal bracelet when it arrives). The quartz version of the watch is less.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Japan gets a lot of special watches that we never see here - though these are usually made by Japanese watch makers. Once In a while you get Japan only watches from Swiss makers such as Tag Heuer, and I wonder why Tag Heuer thinks no one else would want one. This special Carrera watch with a black mother of pearl dial is a perfect example. Not only is the watch a handsome, but more decorated rendition of the classic Carrera watch look, but it is simply enough to be appreciated by more markets. Notice that the dial is all black mother of pearl with a slightly matte black disc as part of the hour marker ring. The look is superb and something different from Tag Heuer - that to my knowledge has never utilized any type of mother of pearl on a man's watch.

Aside from this dial difference, the limited edition Tag Heuer Carrera Black features the same 44mm wide steel case and Tag Heuer Calibre 16 automatic chronograph movement as the rest of the modern Carerra watches. I've always loved bracelet of this watch that has mirrored certain Omega watch bracelets and features satin and polished steel finishes. Eventually Tag Heuer will upgrade the aluminum bezel (they look great but can be easy to scratch). Although Japan, like other Asian countries, is known to prefer smaller watches, I enjoy seeing the popularity of a 44mm wide model just as this there. 600 of these black mother of pearl Carrera watches will be available - in Japan only starting in July.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

One of the trends I have been seeing lately is people taking existing work and re-utilizing it in new and exciting ways. A great example is Candace K, a California-based designer who works with Chinese gambling chips. The chips are antiques, delicate engraved mother of pearl pieces which Candace K surrounds with gems and strings on leather, silver, gold or beaded necklaces. The pieces start at around $400 but cost as much as $20,000 depending on the other materials used. The chips themselves each have their own story the more intricate the chip, the higher the status of the user. The designs can be ordered online and are also at Fred Segal and at the Ice Accessories store in the Caesar's Palace Forum Shops in Las Vegas.

The latest pens from Krone feature mother of pearl which has been hand painted in a gradient way sweeping up from the tip of the pen. The pen has a brushed metal cap and an 18K gold nib. The pen is also available as a rollerball. There are 388 of each color (azure, coral, goldenrod and chartreuse) in rollerball and fountain pen designs. The fountain pen sells for $1,195 and the rollerball is $1,120.