The aim of this work was to establish whether the lifetime of the junction zones in the poly(vinyl alcohol)/borate gels depended on the chemical composition or concentration of the constituents. It was found that the maximum in the distribution of lifetimes was about 0.3 s and independent of the polymer, berate concentrations and of the degree of hydrolysis of the polymer. The gels changed their non-linear rheological behaviour with age, being strain softening when freshly prepared but strain hardening after a few days. This change in behaviour was attributed to a redistribution of berate ions with time.