Up until a couple of months ago, for the last 12 years I have used 2 Timex Ironman/Triathlon watches. The first watch is in the bottom of a 300' deep lake....don't ask how. The second watch which I purchased in March 2003 still works fine, however the face face is too scratched up for everyday use. In early Janurary of this year, I put a new battery in the watch and it now is spending time (no pun intended) as a backup in the BOB.

I wanted to buy another Timex Ironman, however with our dollar taking a beating against most foreign currencies, the price point is way too high right now. A friend has worn a Armitron brand watch for a couple of years and of which he gave some good feedback on. I purchased a Armitron model 40/8152BKGN which has essentially the same functions and features and....almost 1/3 the price of the Ironman.

With this new watch, so far, so good. I like the bigger face diameter and bigger numbers. Also having the actual day of week along the very top of the face with the date number in the middle of the watch and just below the time makes for easier reference then the Ironman. Also the functions are easier to set and adjust then the Ironman.

The only downside (comaparitively speaking) is the light is not as bright as the Timex Indiglo system.

Time will tell how the watch holds up over the next few years.