And it cost something like $50 or $60 to have the battery replaced. Yes, that's right, the rechargeable battery didn't actually last any longer than the throwaways. And after about three years, the rechargeable battery crapped out and had to be replaced.
It turned out to be somewhat finicky-it didn't just stay charged in normal use, she had to be careful to give it quality time on a sunlit windowsill or under a turned-on room light to keep it going. My wife got herself a pretty nice one, a Citizen Eco-Drive, about $300 I think. Normaldude wrote: Suggestion: Get rid of your watches. (Note: I still have a digital watch in my gym bag, for timing my workouts, and keeping time during armageddon blackout situations, like when Hurricane Sandy knocked out power for nearly a week) It takes a few months to get used to the switch, but once people make the switch, they rarely switch back. It's like when I first cut my phone landline, and went cellphone only. But now, years later, I'm glad I made the switch, and I'm never going back. At first, it felt weird not wearing a watch. No more worrying about replacing watch batteries or watch straps.
So I donated all my analog watches to goodwill for a tax deduction. Cellphone date & time automatically updates for daylight savings time, and it automatically updates for timezones when you travel. A few years ago, I had read that the younger generation no longer wears watches, since everyone already has cellphones, which have the date & time automatically updated.