For my pains, I'm marathon-training at the moment - or I'm trying to, when my battered, disgruntled knees decide to let me. I invested in all the appropriate kit several months ago, although having spent a considerable amount on shock-absorbing trainers, sweat-wicking running tops and magic socks (which really *are* magic, but that's another review), there wasn't much left over for a sports watch.

As such, this fellow fitted the bill pretty well - it's cheap, at around £8 (a lot less in your local odds-and-sods shop), it's basic and it's pretty sturdy. Made of a continuous rubber loop with the actual watch face sunk into the front, there's not much that can go wrong here - and even if it did, the price is modest enough that you're not going to break down bawling in the street if it does meet an untimely demise.

If Supermarkets made own-brand watches (and they probably do, actually), this'd be it - it really is as basic as a watch comes. Its list of functions is fairly to the point; it tells the time. That's it. No stopwatch, no alarm, no satellite-guidance systems - there's one button set into the back that's used to set the time, and that's it. As such, perhaps it's not quite the perfect running watch, as a stopwatch would certainly be handy. But as something cheap and simple that lets you keep a rough track of your run times, it's a decent option. What's more, it's well-designed and has a certain visual appeal - available in a rainbow of colours, it's clean and simple, bright and eye-catching, and is easy to put on and take off. The rubber stretches slightly when you loop it over your wrist, and although there's not much give in it, it doesn't feel like it's about to break, and so long as your arms aren't too fat, it'll last you.

The display's small, showing only the hour and minute - the former above, the latter below, with no space for frivolities like seconds - but it's pretty clear and easy to read. All in all, the watch does what it promises to well enough, so it's a decent buy just so long as you're not expecting anything but the most basic of the basics. It serves me well in my amateurish trundles around town, but more serious runners will need something that does a little more. Depending on your viewpoint, this is either a very basic, functional watch or a tacky piece of junk that barely justifies the price - I'd tend towards the former, personally.