This dawned on me a few months ago. I have a nice road bike (new in 2001) with an Octalink v1 BB cartridge. It has a little over 7,000 miles on it and is as smooth as when it was new. But... I knew it wouldn't last forever, and then I'd have to fit a new crankset. I happen to really like the Ultegra crankset I have, and I do *not* like the appearance of the current generation (or what I hear about some of them falling apart).
Luckily, I was able to source an original replacement; there were 2 (TWO!) left at the time of purchase. At least I now have essentially a lifetime supply.

Ultegra 3 x 9