it keeps GOING and GOING and GOING and GOING and

When I was a senior in high school, my friend gave me this watch as a graduation gift. That was back in 1999 and I still use this watch every day. It simply refuses to die! I am a big fan of digital watches. I guess I just never got the concept of "big hand and little hand", but I can assure that I can tell time ;)) Anyway, my friend who worked at Filenes at the time, most assuredly bought this watch at a greatly discounted price. But, I digress.

Here are some things that I have notice about the watch over the past 8 years:
1. Indiglo
The feature that I really enjoy playing with the most is the INDIGLO. I remember, at the time, this a pretty "new" feature on watches and it was pretty cool. There are times that it has come in at the most opportune moments. When I was working in the basement, the power went out and I needed to know the time. Well, I didn't need to get a flashlight to find out. All I had to do was to turn on the Ingiglo and there it was! Besides that, I use it to entertain my small cousins. When I see them, I can amaze them with my "magic" watch.

2. Timer/Stopwatch/Alarm/Hourly chime
The timer and stop watch have actually become features of the watch that I came to need but never really anticipated that I would ever use. Oftentimes, as an undergraduate and research assistant in a chemsitry laboratory, I would have to time experiments for how long reactions would need to be checked or when to add the barium sulfate solution to cause the precipitations. I would often be doing many different procedures at once. So, I would set the timer on my watch to help me keep track of when the next step in the experiment would take place. It took a lot of pressure off of me from having to constantly check the clock.

The hourly chime I have used only rarely because it seems to annoy alot of people around me when we are talking about a topic or if I am in a movie or somewhere interesting.

The alarm I actually used only recently when I have had to stay overnight at the hospital. However, the alarm is kind of quiet and not really loud enough to wake me up. I overslept. Since then, I have used other things as alarms, but not this watch.

3. The Battery??
I don't what this thing runs on. Maybe I don't wanna know. But in the 8 years that I have used, I have yet to replace the battery. This is totally amazing to me because all of the watches that I have had previously, including other TIMEX watches, have needed to have the batteries replaced after about 3 years or so.

And, the thing is, the watch has never had a sign of trouble or weakness. It always gives the correct time and functions perfectly 100% of the time. I guess it is just a mystery. And no it does not work on solar power as a back up, at least that is not listed in the manual.

4. The Wristband
In the past 8 years, I have had to replace the wrist band once. The wristband is a velcro strap. I actually like it alot because I don't have to worry about it falling off at all. It is more convenient than having the buckly-style watch strap or the metallic clip style.

However, over the years the velcro became fuzzy and it would come to the point that the strap would not hold very well. I think there were times when I was washing my car and this could have loosened the strap as well. But, anyway, after a few years of this loose band, I finally went to Walmart to get it replaced. It cost about $7 and the person at the watch stop did it for me. I watched her fiddle with it for a few minutes and it actually looked a bit tricky to manipulate. So far, the new band has been holding up well.

Overall, I would say that is a great watch for the person who is not terribly about watches. I have a nicer Seiko watch for when I go out but I don't like to use it every day. This watch has been reliable, working round the clock for the past 8 years. I am just grateful that it has worked so well for so long.