10 Best Waterproof Smartwatches for Swimming in 2025: Dive Into the Future

Introduction

Have you ever found yourself standing at the edge of the pool, reluctantly removing your expensive smartwatch before diving in? I've been there too. As someone who practically lives in the water half the year, I know the struggle of wanting to track my swims without sacrificing my tech.

Gone are the days when watches and water were sworn enemies. Today's waterproof smartwatches don't just survive underwater—they thrive there, turning every stroke into valuable data that can transform your swimming routine.

In this guide, I'll walk you through the best waterproof smartwatches that won't let you down when you're doing laps or exploring open waters. Whether you're training for a triathlon or just enjoy casual swimming, there's a perfect water-friendly companion waiting for you.

What to Look for in a Waterproof Smartwatch for Swimming

Before diving into our top picks, let's talk about what makes a smartwatch truly swimmer-friendly.

Water Resistance Ratings: Not all "waterproof" claims are created equal. Look for watches with at least 5ATM rating (withstands pressure equivalent to 50 meters depth) or IP68 (submersion in 1.5m water for 30 minutes).

Swim Tracking Features: The best swimming smartwatches can track laps, distance, pace, stroke type, and SWOLF score (a measurement of swimming efficiency).

Battery Life: Nothing worse than your watch dying mid-swim. Prioritize watches that can handle long swimming sessions without needing frequent charges.

Heart Rate Monitoring: Advanced swimmers need accurate underwater heart rate tracking to optimize training intensity.

GPS Capability: Essential for open-water swimmers who want to track routes and distances accurately.

Now, let's dive into our top picks for 2025!

1. Garmin Fenix 8: The Ultimate Swimming Companion

![Insert image of Garmin Fenix 8 here]

Price Range: $799-$899 (£699-£779)

The Garmin Fenix 8 sits comfortably at the top of our list, and for good reason. This premium multisport GPS watch offers everything a serious swimmer could want—and then some.

I took this beast for a test drive during my training for an Olympic-distance triathlon, and I was blown away by its precision. With a 10ATM water resistance rating, this watch can handle depths up to 100 meters, making it suitable not just for swimming but also for snorkeling and surface diving.

Key Swimming Features:

• Advanced swim metrics including distance, pace, stroke count, stroke type, and SWOLF

• Dedicated modes for pool swimming and open water

• Underwater heart rate monitoring

• Automatic rest detection

• Custom workout creation

What really sets the Fenix 8 apart is its incredible battery life. You can get up to 20 days in smartwatch mode and 40 hours in GPS mode—meaning you could theoretically swim the English Channel several times over before needing a charge.

The downside? It's definitely an investment piece. But if swimming is a serious part of your fitness routine, the Fenix 8 pays dividends in the detailed metrics and durability it offers.

2. Apple Watch Ultra 2: Innovation Meets Aquatics

![Insert image of Apple Watch Ultra 2 here]

Price Range: $799-$899 (£799-£849)

Apple's Ultra 2 is the tech giant's answer to serious athletes who demand more from their wearables. For iOS users who love swimming, this might be your perfect match.

What impressed me most during testing was the dedicated Oceanic+ app, which essentially transforms this sleek watch into a dive computer. With WR100 water resistance, it's built to handle recreational diving up to 40 meters—a rare feat for a smartwatch.

Key Swimming Features:

• Dual-frequency GPS for accurate open-water swim tracking

• Dedicated Depth app that activates automatically when submerged

• SWOLF score calculation

• Advanced stroke analysis

• Auto-detect for swim workouts

• Water lock mode to prevent accidental inputs

The bright, always-on display is easily visible underwater, and the customizable Action button can be set to quickly start swim workouts. Plus, its titanium case makes it both lightweight and extremely durable.

The battery lasts up to 36 hours in normal use and 12 hours during intensive GPS activities—not quite Garmin territory, but impressive for a device this versatile.

The main drawback? It's Apple-exclusive, so Android users will need to look elsewhere. And like the Fenix, it represents a serious investment.

3. Coros Pace 3: The Budget-Friendly Powerhouse

![Insert image of Coros Pace 3 here]

Price Range: $229-$279 (£199-£239)

Not everyone wants to spend nearly a grand on a swim watch. Enter the Coros Pace 3—a remarkably capable swimming companion that punches well above its weight class in terms of features and performance.

I was genuinely surprised by how much this watch offers at its price point. With a 5ATM water resistance rating, it's perfectly suited for pool and open-water swimming sessions.

Key Swimming Features:

• Accurate lap counting and distance tracking

• Stroke analysis including type, rate, and length

• SWOLF scoring

• Open-water swim GPS tracking

• Interval training features

The Pace 3 particularly shines in battery efficiency, offering up to 30 hours in full GPS mode—outlasting many watches twice its price. Its lightweight design (just 30g) means you'll barely notice it's there during long swims.

While it lacks some of the advanced features of premium models (no music storage or contactless payments), it nails the essentials for serious swimmers without breaking the bank.

4. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic: Style Meets Substance

![Insert image of Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic here]

Price Range: $399-$449 (£349-£399)

Samsung's flagship smartwatch strikes an impressive balance between everyday wearability and serious swim tracking. With its classic rotating bezel and 5ATM water resistance, it's the watch I recommend to friends who want one device for everything.

Key Swimming Features:

• Automatic workout detection for swimming

• Lap counting and stroke type detection

• Water lock mode

• Basic swim metrics including calories, distance, and duration

• Health monitoring during swims

What makes the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic stand out is how seamlessly it transitions from business meetings to pool sessions. The rotating bezel is surprisingly useful underwater, allowing you to scroll through stats without touching the screen.

Battery life is decent but not exceptional—about 40 hours in normal use and around 8 hours with continuous GPS tracking. For most recreational swimmers, this is more than adequate.

Android users will appreciate the tight integration with their phones, though the watch does work with iPhones with limited functionality.

5. Fitbit Charge 6: The Minimalist Option

![Insert image of Fitbit Charge 6 here]

Price Range: $149-$179 (£129-£159)

Not everyone wants a full-featured smartwatch. If you prefer something more discreet, the Fitbit Charge 6 offers excellent swim tracking in a slim, band-like form factor.

Despite its compact size, the Charge 6 is no slouch in the pool. With 5ATM water resistance, it can handle all your swimming sessions with ease.

Key Swimming Features:

• Automatic swim detection

• Lap counting and duration tracking

• Basic stroke recognition

• Water lock mode

• Post-swim analysis in the Fitbit app

What I love about the Charge 6 is its simplicity—no complicated menus to navigate, just reliable tracking in a device you'll barely notice on your wrist. Plus, its 7-day battery life means you can swim daily for a week before needing a charge.

The display is smaller than traditional smartwatches, which means less information at a glance. But for many swimmers, this minimalist approach is actually a benefit, removing distractions and letting you focus on your stroke.

6. Garmin Swim 2: The Specialist

![Insert image of Garmin Swim 2 here]

Price Range: $249-$299 (£219-£259)

While most devices on this list are multisport watches that happen to track swimming well, the Garmin Swim 2 is purpose-built for swimmers. If your workouts revolve around the pool or open water, this specialized watch deserves a serious look.

Key Swimming Features:

• Critical swim speed (CSS) tracking

• Drill logging capabilities

• Underwater heart rate monitoring

• Auto-rest feature

• Pacing alerts

• Dedicated open-water swimming GPS

The Swim 2 offers incredible accuracy for lap counting—I found it to be nearly flawless during testing, even during complex interval sets. It's also one of the few watches that can reliably track heart rate underwater, using Garmin's optical heart rate technology optimized for swimming.

Battery life is respectable at 7 days in smartwatch mode and 13 hours in GPS mode, which should cover even marathon swimming sessions.

What it lacks in smartwatch features (no music, limited notifications), it makes up for in swimming specificity. This is truly a swimmer's watch first and foremost.

7. Polar Grit X Pro: The Endurance Champion

![Insert image of Polar Grit X Pro here]

Price Range: $499-$549 (£439-£479)

For triathletes and endurance swimmers, the Polar Grit X Pro offers not just excellent swim tracking but also advanced recovery metrics to optimize your training.

With military-grade durability (MIL-STD-810G) and 10ATM water resistance, this watch can handle anything from pool laps to ocean swims in challenging conditions.

Key Swimming Features:

• FuelWise™ smart fueling assistant

• Comprehensive swimming metrics

• Training Load Pro™ to monitor training strain

• Recovery Pro™ for optimal recovery tracking

• Hill Splitter™ for analyzing the ups and downs of open-water routes

What really sets the Grit X Pro apart is its holistic approach to training. While swimming, it not only tracks standard metrics but also analyzes the training load on your cardiorespiratory system and muscles separately, helping prevent overtraining.

Battery life is impressive at up to 40 hours in training mode with GPS, making it suitable for ultra-endurance events. The watch also includes sleep tracking to ensure you're recovering properly between swims.

8. Amazfit GTR 4: The Budget All-Rounder

![Insert image of Amazfit GTR 4 here]

Price Range: $159-$199 (£139-£169)

The Amazfit GTR 4 proves you don't need to spend a fortune for comprehensive swim tracking. With 5ATM water resistance and a surprising array of features, this affordable watch deserves consideration.

During my testing, I found its swim tracking to be surprisingly accurate for the price point, rarely missing laps or misidentifying strokes.

Key Swimming Features:

• 150+ sport modes including swimming

• Pool and open-water swim tracking

• Stroke recognition

• Lap and distance counting

• Basic SWOLF scoring

The GTR 4 stands out with its stunning AMOLED display and impressive 14-day battery life. Even with regular GPS use for swimming, you can expect around 7 days between charges.

While it lacks the advanced training analysis of premium watches, it covers all the essential metrics most swimmers need. For those on a budget who want a capable swimming companion with smartwatch features, the GTR 4 is hard to beat.

9. Form Smart Swim Goggles: The Innovator

![Insert image of Form Smart Swim Goggles here]

Price Range: $199-$229 (£179-£199)

Breaking from traditional wrist-worn devices, Form's Smart Swim Goggles represent a revolutionary approach to swim tracking. By displaying metrics directly in your field of vision, they eliminate the need to check your wrist mid-stroke.

Key Swimming Features:

• Real-time metrics visible while swimming

• Automatic stroke and turn detection

• Compatible with smartwatches for heart rate data

• Coached workouts through the Form app

• Post-swim analysis

The real magic of these goggles is how they display information in real-time without disrupting your swim. Pace, stroke count, distance, and time appear in a small display integrated into one lens, visible with a slight eye movement.

While not a smartwatch per se, these goggles pair well with many of the watches on this list (particularly Garmin and Apple devices) to add heart rate data to their tracking capabilities.

Battery life is approximately 16 hours of swim time—more than enough for even the most dedicated swimmers. For data-oriented swimmers who want immediate feedback without breaking their stroke, these goggles are a game-changer.

10. Apple Watch Series 10: The Everyday Swimmer's Choice

![Insert image of Apple Watch Series 10 here]

Price Range: $399-$499 (£349-£449)

Rounding out our list is the latest iteration of Apple's mainstream smartwatch. With WR50 water resistance, the Apple Watch Series 10 handles pool and open-water swimming with ease.

While not as rugged as the Ultra 2, the Series 10 offers nearly all the same swimming features in a more affordable, everyday-friendly package.

Key Swimming Features:

• Automatic stroke recognition

• Accurate calorie tracking during swims

• Pool lap counting and distance tracking

• Open-water GPS route mapping

• Water lock mode

What makes the Series 10 particularly appealing is its versatility. It transitions seamlessly from work to workout, with swimming just one of many activities it tracks well. The health monitoring features are comprehensive, including sleep tracking to help with recovery after intense swim sessions.

Battery life remains the Series' Achilles heel at around 18 hours of normal use or about 5-6 hours of continuous GPS activity tracking. For most recreational swimmers, this is sufficient, but you'll need to charge it daily.

For iPhone users who swim regularly but not exclusively, the Apple Watch Series 10 offers the best blend of swim features and general smartwatch functionality.

Understanding Waterproof Ratings: 5ATM, IP68, and What They Mean

One of the most confusing aspects of shopping for a swim watch is deciphering water resistance ratings. Let's clear this up once and for all:

Important note: These ratings refer to static pressure testing in laboratory conditions. The dynamic pressure from swimming strokes or diving can exceed these ratings, which is why a 5ATM rating is generally considered the minimum for serious swimming.

FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Swimming Smartwatches

What features should I look for in a waterproof smartwatch for swimming?

The most important features include:

• Water resistance rating (minimum 5ATM)

• Accurate lap counting

• Stroke detection and analysis

• SWOLF scoring (swim efficiency)

• Battery life sufficient for your longest sessions

• Underwater heart rate monitoring (for training purposes)

• GPS (essential for open-water swimming)

For serious swimmers, additional features like drill logging, interval training support, and recovery metrics can be valuable additions.

How do waterproof ratings like 5ATM and IP68 affect smartwatch performance in water?

These ratings directly impact what water activities your watch can handle safely. IP68 is generally suitable for showering and brief swimming, but not ideal for regular swimmers. 5ATM (50m) is the minimum recommended rating for regular swimming, while 10ATM (100m) is better for diving and high-impact water sports.

Remember that these ratings reflect static pressure testing—the actual water resistance may be lower during active swimming due to the dynamic pressure created by movement.

Can I use a waterproof smartwatch for open-water swimming?

Yes, but not all waterproof smartwatches are created equal for open-water swimming. Look specifically for watches with:

• GPS functionality

• Open-water swim modes

• Strong water resistance (5ATM minimum, 10ATM preferred)

• Bright displays visible in sunlight

• Long battery life

Of the watches on our list, the Garmin Fenix 8, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Polar Grit X Pro excel particularly in open-water environments.

Which smartwatches are best for tracking swimming metrics like SWOLF or stroke count?

For advanced metrics, Garmin's swimming-focused watches (Fenix 8, Swim 2) lead the pack, offering the most comprehensive data. Apple watches also provide excellent stroke analysis and SWOLF scoring. For budget options with good metrics, consider the Coros Pace 3 or Amazfit GTR 4.

Are waterproof smartwatches suitable for diving or snorkeling?

Most swimming smartwatches are suitable for snorkeling, but only a few can handle diving:

• For recreational diving to modest depths (up to 40m), the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with the Oceanic+ app is specifically designed for this purpose

• Watches with 10ATM ratings like the Garmin Fenix 8 and Polar Grit X Pro can handle snorkeling and surface diving

• For serious scuba diving, you should use a dedicated dive computer rather than a smartwatch

How accurate are swimming trackers in measuring laps and distance?

Accuracy varies significantly between models. Higher-end watches from Garmin, Apple, and Polar typically offer the most precise lap counting, with error rates below 1-2%. Budget options may occasionally miss laps or miscount during complex interval sets.

For maximum accuracy:

• Ensure you've set the correct pool length in your watch settings

• Use strong, distinct push-offs from the wall

• Maintain consistent stroke patterns

• Update your watch to the latest firmware

Do waterproof smartwatches support heart rate monitoring while swimming?

Yes, many modern waterproof smartwatches offer underwater heart rate monitoring, but with varying degrees of accuracy. Optical heart rate sensors (the type used in most smartwatches) face challenges underwater due to water flow and movement.

For the most accurate heart rate data while swimming:

• Wear your watch snugly but comfortably

• Consider watches specifically optimized for underwater heart rate (like the Garmin Swim 2)

• For maximum accuracy, pair compatible watches with a dedicated chest strap designed for swimming

What is the battery life of the best waterproof smartwatches for swimming?

Battery life varies dramatically between models:

• Garmin Fenix 8: Up to 20 days in smartwatch mode, 40 hours in GPS mode

• Coros Pace 3: Up to 20 days in regular use, 30 hours in full GPS mode

• Apple Watch Series 10: About 18 hours in regular use, 5-6 hours with GPS

• Amazfit GTR 4: Up to 14 days in regular use, 7 days with heavy activity tracking

For long-distance swimmers or triathletes, prioritize watches with extended GPS battery life like the Garmin Fenix 8 or Polar Grit X Pro.

Can I wear a waterproof smartwatch in the shower or sauna?

While most waterproof swimming watches (5ATM or higher) can handle showering, saunas and steam rooms present additional challenges:

• Heat can degrade seals and adhesives over time

• Steam can potentially penetrate even water-resistant watches

• Rapid temperature changes can cause condensation

For longevity, I recommend removing your watch before entering saunas or steam rooms, even if manufacturers claim they can handle these environments.

Are there affordable options for waterproof smartwatches with good swim tracking?

Absolutely! Several excellent options exist under $200:

• Amazfit GTR 4 ($159-$199 / £139-£169): Comprehensive tracking, 14-day battery

• Fitbit Charge 6 ($149-$179 / £129-£159): Great for casual swimmers

• Coros Pace 3 ($229-$279 / £199-£239): Slightly above $200 but offers premium features at a mid-range price

These watches offer good swimming metrics without breaking the bank, making them ideal for recreational swimmers or those just getting started with swim tracking.

Final Thoughts: Choosing Your Perfect Swimming Companion

Finding the right waterproof smartwatch comes down to understanding your specific needs as a swimmer. Consider these factors:

For Competitive Swimmers: Prioritize detailed metrics, drill logging, and precise lap counting. The Garmin Swim 2 or Fenix 8 would be ideal choices.

For Triathletes: Look for multisport capabilities with strong swim features. The Polar Grit X Pro or Garmin Fenix 8 excel here.

For Casual Swimmers: Focus on comfort, ease of use, and versatility. The Apple Watch Series 10 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic offer excellent all-around performance.

For Budget-Conscious Swimmers: Consider the Amazfit GTR 4 or Coros Pace 3 for the best value.

For Open-Water Enthusiasts: GPS accuracy and battery life are crucial. The Garmin Fenix 8 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 are top contenders.

Remember that the best watch is ultimately the one that fits your specific swimming routine and lifestyle. Whether you're diving into competitive training or just looking to track your occasional laps, today's waterproof smartwatches offer incredible tools to enhance your swimming experience.

Have you tried any of these watches? Which features matter most in your swimming routine? Dive into the comments and let me know!