I haven't had to purchase a watch battery in over 5 years now. I purchased the same watch, except in titanium with a black face in 2004 and loved it so much that when I saw this one I had to have it. I use this one for weekends and use my older one for work. I just wish they made the titanium one with a pink face because it is so much lighter than the stainless steel. The Eco-Drive is the the only way to go if you are tired of replacing watch batteries. It gets it's power from the sun(or any other light source). LOVE IT