It’s all planned. I am due to take ten days holiday in Iloilo in the Philippines. Iloilo City is just a 75 minute flight from Davao City. The resort itself looks most promising. It’s new and still relatively quiet, even quieter for the fact that it is the start of the low season. The summer is over, but the real monsoon season has not yet kicked in, so there is still far more hot, bright and sunny days than there are wet ones.

All well and good, but what has it got to do with Underwater Wednesday and watches? Well I will shortly reveal my official vacation diver for the 2013 summer vacation.

But first, there are some other official items that I will be taking with me. Just as there are official sodas and official tee shirts for various major events, I too have official items that make it on my vacation.Each are considered choices, chosen, as with watches, because they have certain product attributes that separate them from the crowd.

This year’s selections include:

Official shorts: Wrangler Springbreak denim cargo shorts

Wrangler make great jeans and exceptional denim shorts. These come with a button fly, and traditional cargo style flap pockets on the back and on either side. Why Wrangler and not Levi’s or any of the dozens of other brands? Wrangler jeans are made with a unique U-shape construction. Other brands have a V-shape pattern that pinches.

Official top: Nike Federer tennis shirt

Considering this shirt is 88% polyester, I was deeply mistrustful of wearing it in the tropics but incredibly, it seems to keep its cool even in the most steamy tropical weather. Fabrics have come a long way, and you can now understand why top tennis players only need to change their tennis shirt maybe only once during a three hour match in relentless heat. If it’s good enough for Roger Federer, it’s definitely good enough for me.

Official flip flops: Havaianas

I felt a bit of a fashion victim when being talked into paying considerably more for a pair of Havaianas as opposed to a more generic pair of flip flops, but I have to confess, I was surprised by the additional comfort they provide as opposed to normal flip-flops. Last year Havaianas sold 184 million pairs of flip flops, or 21,000 pairs an hour. 184 million people can’t be wrong.

Official sunglasses: Oakley Sideways

I was a firm Ray Ban fan until I recently tried a pair of Oakley’s. If you don’t want cataracts in old age you definitely need good quality sunglasses in the tropics. By the afternoon the world is just a white heat haze, so your lenses need to be of high quality to give good definition and protect your eyes from glare. The amber polarized lenses in these sunglasses offer high contrast that cuts blinding glare while enhancing visual acuity. They’re great for shallow water fishing or just watching what’s at play under the clear glistening rock pools.

Official resort: Bearland Paradise Resort, Iloilo

This is a relatively new resort about four hours from the most popular beach destination in the Philippines, Boracay. The pool looks very inviting, and the snorkelling should be excellent. The pristine condition of the waters surrounding Iloilo make it one of those places where water enthusiasts go, there’s always something fascinating to see in these waters.

Official watch: G-Shock GLX6900

It may comes as a shock that my choice of watch is so basic. It’s not even a bona fide diver. The truth is, when travelling on holiday, you’re best leaving an expensive watch – even an expensive diver – safely in its presentation box. Travel insurance for lost, damaged or stolen watches is tough to claim, they really don’t want to give you the money. This tough, versatile watch will do everything you need it to do, with dual time, moon phases, day and date, split seconds, alarm – it’s all there. What’s more it’s water resistant to 200 metres so you can snorkel or skin dive wearing this watch.  It’s a perfect choice for a vacation.