The minute this watch came out of the box, the smell (I'm assuming from the plastic or silicon the strap is made of) hit me. I knew there was no way I could wear the watch to the New Year's Eve party as I'd planned. Someone else I know who got this watch told me the smell dissipates in a few days. This has not proven to be true of mine. I waited over a week before I even wore it for the first time and the smell was still a bit off-putting but not quite as awful as it had been. However, after a whole day at work, I was nauseous from the smell and couldn't wait to take it off.

The watch face is pretty, I love the gold numbers and tick marks for the minutes. The watch crystal appears to be somewhat telescopic because the numbers on the watch face are very clear to see, even down to the sweep of the second hand. Thus far, the watch has kept excellent time.

The band, as noted, is some kind of silicon or plastic and is very lightweight. It is very soft and non-abrasive on the wrist, which is good, though I found the 2 "belt loops" to keep strap in place a bit obtrusive when writing due to their thickness.

The watch itself is also lightweight. Unlike the metal Invicta watch I ordered 3 years ago (and sent back), the watchface on this watch is of "normal" size (the metal watchface was enormous and looked out of place on my wrist) and the weight of the watch is nice and light (the weight of the metal watch was substantial.

If it were not for the smell, the watch would score a rating of 4 out of 5 stars (it's a nice-looking, lightweight watch--nothing fantastic). However, given that the smell has kept me from wearing the watch but for one time, and even that time I couldn't wait to tear it off, there's no way I can give it 4 stars. I have reduced my rating to 3 stars because the smell was and continues to be overpowering and nauseating to me almost 2 weeks after opening it. What a shame.

UPDATE 11/12/12: After 11 months, I can finally wear this watch more often without being bothered by the smell. It is not comfortable enough (thanks to the big strap-catching loop on the bottom) for me to wear daily, so I wear it as an alternative to my gold-tone watch when I am wearing silver jewelry, etc.