The digital watches with the "traditional" light are not usable in any real life scenario - though they do rouse some degree of nostalgia.. I traded mine for the eletroluminescence version, the Illuminator (A168). The name alone is cool, it reminds me of the 80s, and you could vividly envision David Hasselhoff wear it in Knight Rider or Don Johnson in Miami Vice. It has a nice blue backlight that actually enables you to tell time in the dark while being supercool. It's dirt cheap, water resistant and probably shock proof. I use it for riding my bike.