I've only worn this a few times so far, as my cell phone provides regular time. I'm a distance runner who plans on running another marathon. I chose the velcro strap because I'm weary of the standard bands breaking.  It seems sturdy enough, and allows for fine adjustment as my wrist thickens with activity.  The Timex Ironman is standard. It is reliable, the numbers big enough.  The size is about right for my rather large boned wrist, although I would think they could make them a little thinner and lighter by now.  There is nothing else out there that I have seen that improves on the Timex system.  If I had the option, I would  give it 4 1/2 stars because I believe they could arrange the buttons in a way to make it more intuitive and more functional. Maybe if the start/stop were on the same buttom and lap had its own button with hold down to reset.  BUT, if they changed buttons after all these years, they'd probly tick off a lot of customers, with a watch that doesn't tick. :O)