Dear Summer: I know you gon miss us. Actually, it feels like we missed summer; we can hardly believe it's the August Bank Holiday weekend and nearly Labor Day, the unofficial end of summertime. Where does the time go? And how does one track it?

With a watch, of course, to remind us of the summer that was (or wasn't). Here are some of our favourites from the past few months. So sit back, turn on some Jimmy Buffett and enjoy the summer we missed.

Islander is the house brand of Long Island Watches, whose founder, March Frankel, is a pretty prolific YouTuber. A two-watch-wearing technical guru (he was an aerospace engineer before founding Long Island), we're a fan, and his online store features lots in the ‘$500 and less space.’ ($500 and less space. Forgive us.)

Including this one. Divers tend to be pretty chunky; they need to be useful when you're checking out/trying to avoid being eaten by marine life. This one is not; it's only 11mm thick. Powered by a Miyota automatic movement, the 40mm diameter allows for easy readability underwater, while still looking good while enjoying Mai Tais on the North Shore of Long Island. (That's where Port Jefferson is, btw—Great Gatsby country.)

40mm, stainless steel case, 150m water resistance, Miyota 9015 automatic movement.

The Swatch-Omega Moonswatch collaboration has been both controversial among and highly successful. There are definite haters out there, though we're inclined to think that there's more reporting on the hate than actual hate, if that makes sense. Anyway, building on the successful disaster (as these folks called it), Swatch took another one of their heritage brands, Blancpain, and brought us the Scuba Fifty Fathoms.

This watch features Swatch's proprietary SISTEM 51 movement, which is visible in all its artistic glory through the exhibition caseback. Nine colours, which in some cases are inspired by the nudibranch, a marine creature better known as the sea slug. It's all a bit OTT, but what can we say? The watch vibes summer, and that's the goal here.

42.33mm diameter, 48mm lug-to-lug, bioceramic case, nylon strap, SISTEM 51 automatic movement.

When we imagine a summer watch, it’s probably going to look a lot like this. Bulova introduced the Coral Reef earlier this year, and the watch world went abuzz. Bulova! Fun! Who knew? We're sure that many people did know, but it's nice to have a reminder now and then.

At 41mm, and with a 100m water resistance, you could actually snorkel while wearing this. The case is made of hybrid ceramic, and if we were chemists, we could discuss the relative merits of hybrid ceramic vis-à-vis bioceramic, but we're not. The strap is made from recycled ocean plastic, which is reassuring to know; you're helping to save the planet, one watch purchase at a time.

41mm ceramic case, 100m water resistance, nylon strap, quartz movement.

One for that final summer jaunt to Martha's Vineyard or the Côte d'Azur. French brand Yema has made a yachting watch you can actually yacht in. The oversized 9 o'clock countdown subdial is designed to help the helmsman reach the starting line at full speed, a necessity for those going for glory at the local regatta.

Even more impressive are the twisted, or lyre lugs, a nod to the renowned watch designer Gerald Genta. Mention this to any watch aficionado, and they will nod approvingly. With a Seiko Mecha-Quartz movement and 100m water resistance, this is a fab watch. If this were the only thing you carried away from summer 25, you, sir, have won the season.

38.5mm case, 46mm lug-to-lug, stainless steel case, 100m water resistance, Seiko mecha-quartz movement.

Now this is a brand with history. Founded in the mid-19th century by father and son Charles-Félicien Tissot and Charles-Émile Tissot. The younger Charles spent a good deal of his professional life in czarist Russia before returning to Switzerland to form a joint venture with Omega. And today, like Omega, the brand is part of the Swatch group. Also like Omega, the brand is into its sports: check out the shot clocks at any NBA game.

The brand introduces this watch with "In crystal clear waters, you can see the sun's rays breaking through the surface. In your mind, only calm...." Um, ok. At 36mm, it's on the smaller side (and making it unisex) and with 300 meters of water resistance, it's a proper diver. The ceramic dize bezel makes this a watch that punches well above its weight. And the pièce de résistance...it comes with a quick-release bracelet.

36mm Stainless steel case and bracelet, 300m water resistance, Swiss quartz movement.

We're loving whatever it is in the water that is inspiring legacy brands to dig into their back catalogues. This watch was cool when it was introduced in 1969, and it still looks cool today. The reissue really isn't that far off the original design; the first Pogue was automatic, while this runs on Seiko's proprietary solar-quartz movement.

This Pogue has nothing to do with the legendary London punk band The Pogues, but is named after US astronaut Colonel William Pogue, who wore an original one to Skylab in 1974, the last mission to the space station before it fell on Australia.

41mm diameter, 45mm lug-to-lug, stainless steel case and strap, Seiko v192 solar movement, 100m water resistance.

Watch500 publishes twice a week: Watch500 Weekly covers news, releases, and industry insights, while The Five brings you themed watch picks (like these). Get the best of the $500 watch world - new releases, brand discoveries, industry news, and the stories behind timepieces that are eminently affordable.