I bought one of these in 2002. I have it on my wrist as I write this now. I have changed the battery twice in that time. It might have lost 4 minutes total time in the ten years I have worn it. I am using the original band. Just take it off and throw it in the wash and it cleans up fine; dries quickly, too. Over the years it has taken a beating, but has never failed. The tritium has dimmed a bit, but it is supposed to. The crystal has cracked, and it gets a bit of moisture under it from time to time but it never fails to keep me on time. It has also lost a few of numbers on the rotating bezel, but that's ok too. I bought it because of its simplicity to read, before my catarac surgery. I liked it so well, I just never stopped wearing it, even though I could wear one of my siekos or casios if I wanted to. It's a fantastic watch I can't praise enough. I'm about to buy another one and put this one out to pasteur. Oh, the stories it could tell. It has been a true friend and a faithfully companion.