BEST VALUE (ANALOGUE)

Timex e Compass 2009 £95

While most of the analogue mountain watches we looked at do little more than tell the time and possibly offer a stopwatch facility, the Timex e Compass also features a built-in compass. It requires careful calibration but it proved to be pretty accurate as long as... Click here for full review and star rating

BEST IN TEST

Nite MX20-202 £220

Tough, practical and great on the hill, all Nite watches self-illuminate at night thanks to gaseous tritium light source (GTLS) technology, making them easy to read in all conditions. The Nite MX20-202 is water-resistant to 200m, and features a twisting bezel, stainless... Click here for full review and star rating

BEST VALUE (DIGITAL)

Origo Rendezvous Peak 2009 £119

Light, comfy the Origo Rendezvous Peak is a great watch that’s a cinch to find your way around. You can scroll different modes or use the hot buttons to take you directly to either Compass or Altitude: a great feature that required far less faffing. The weather... Click here for full review and star rating

MOST INTUITIVE

Timex Expedition WS4 2009 £150

The Timex Expedition WS4’s fantastic widescreen means you can get a great deal of info at a glance. It’s surprisingly comfortable and intuitive. The ‘analogue’ watch in the top corner turns into a north-pointing compass needle. And there’s also room for the... Click here for full review and star rating

MOST TECHNICAL

Suunto Vector 2009 £150

Chunkier than the Suunto Core, the Vector is more user-friendly. It also costs less and could have more functionality for most hill-walkers. There’s a clear box on the main screen for barometric trends, and you can scroll between altimeter and barometer... Click here for full review and star rating