We compared seven watches whose listings state a water rating, using only what each listing and its spec table state. The Forerunner 165 Music and vivoactive 5 name swimming modes, but their listings do not explicitly describe lap counting. Dedicated swim watches and other brands are not in this comparison.
Best swimming watch overall: Garmin Forerunner 165 Music
Best swimming watch overall: the Garmin Forerunner 165 Music, because the listing gives it a swimming sports profile and water resistance to 5 ATM, plus an AMOLED touch display, up to 11 days of battery and music storage, and it has the highest star rating here.
The listing calls it a smart running watch, with swimming among the more than 25 preinstalled sports profiles beside cycling, treadmill, elliptical trainer and Pilates. It is water resistant to 5 ATM, and the spec table gives a water resistance depth of 50 metres. The AMOLED touch display measures about 3 cm, battery life is up to 11 days in smartwatch mode, and it tracks speed, distance and heart rate and stores songs from Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music. It holds 4.6 stars from 2,415 ratings.
It suits a swimmer who also runs or rides and wants one watch with a profile for each. The honest catch: it is a running watch first, so swimming is one of 25 plus profiles rather than its main job, and it has far fewer ratings than the vivoactive 5. Its music plays through wireless headphones, and our swimming headphones guide explains which kinds work in a pool.
Best Garmin smartwatch for swimming: Garmin vivoactive 6
Best Garmin smartwatch for swimming: the Garmin vivoactive 6, because its spec table gives a 50 metre water resistance depth with swimming among its sport types, on a GPS smartwatch with a bright AMOLED display and up to 11 days of battery.
The bullets describe a bright AMOLED display, up to 11 days of battery life, downloadable animated workouts, a morning overview of sleep, recovery and HRV status, and running power and dynamics with PacePro. The swim facts sit in the spec table: a water resistance depth of 50 metres and a sport type list of fitness, running, swimming, walking and yoga, alongside built in GPS and a 1 hour charge time. It holds 4.5 stars from 3,867 ratings.
It suits someone who wants one daily watch that also goes in the pool. The honest catch: the bullets do not describe swim lap tracking, so its swim credentials here rest on the spec table rows. Our Garmin watch guide compares it with six other Garmin models.
Best Garmin smartwatch with a 5 ATM swim rating: Garmin vivoactive 5
Best Garmin smartwatch with a 5 ATM swim rating: the Garmin vivoactive 5, because the listing gives it a swimming sports app, a 5 ATM swim rating, an AMOLED display and up to 11 days of battery in smartwatch mode, and it is the most rated watch here.
The listing describes a bright AMOLED display, battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode, Body Battery energy monitoring and more than 30 built in indoor and GPS sports apps including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming and golf. The listing gives its water rating as a 5 ATM swim rating, and the spec table adds a water resistance depth of 50 metres and a 2 hour charge time. It holds 4.3 stars from 12,398 ratings across its colours.
It suits a swimmer who wants Garmin's health and sleep numbers with a named swimming app. The honest catch: its 4.3 stars are a pooled count across colours and sit below both other Garmins here, and it is a general fitness watch rather than a swim specialist. The linked listing is the Ivory colour.
Best swimming watch for Fitbit users: Fitbit Versa 4
Best swimming watch for Fitbit users: the Fitbit Versa 4, because the listing gives it water resistance up to 50 metres, built in GPS, on wrist calls and texts and 6 plus days of battery.
The listing leads with 6 plus days of battery and water resistance up to 50 metres. For training it lists a Daily Readiness Score, built in GPS, Active Zone Minutes, 24/7 heart rate, 40 plus exercise modes and automatic exercise tracking, plus a Sleep Profile, a Stress Management Score and SpO2, with Bluetooth calls, texts and notifications on the wrist. The spec table lists swimming among its sport types and an OLED display of about 4 cm. It holds 4.3 stars from 5,709 ratings across its colours.
It suits anyone already in the Fitbit app who wants a watch for the pool. The honest catch: the listing states a 50 metre water rating and lists swimming as a sport type, but its bullets do not describe swim lap tracking, and its 4.3 stars match the vivoactive 5 on a smaller rating count.
Best swimming watch for stress and heart tracking: Fitbit Sense 2
Best swimming watch for stress and heart tracking: the Fitbit Sense 2, because the listing gives it water resistance to 50 metres with built in GPS, all day stress detection and a 6 plus day battery.
The listing calls it Fitbit's most advanced health and fitness smartwatch and describes all day stress detection with cEDA, a daily Stress Management Score, an ECG app, irregular heart rhythm notifications and SpO2, all as the listing words them. For activity it lists built in GPS, 24/7 heart rate, 40 plus exercise modes and water resistance to 50 metres, with calls and texts on the wrist, Fitbit Pay, Amazon Alexa built in and 6 plus days of battery. The spec table lists swimming among its sport types and an OLED display of about 4 cm. It holds 4.0 stars from 2,924 ratings across its colours.
It suits a swimmer who wants the fullest set of stress and heart features Fitbit lists. The honest catch: it has the lowest star rating on this page, and like the Versa 4 its bullets state a 50 metre water rating without describing swim lap tracking.
Best budget swimming watch for women: Golden Hour Digital Sport Watch
Best budget swimming watch for women: the Golden Hour digital sport watch, because the listing gives it a 5 ATM water rating, a stopwatch, backlight and alarm, large easy to read numbers and a soft silicone strap, and thousands of buyers rate it 4.4 stars.
The listing title calls it a 5ATM waterproof sport watch and a swimming watch for women, and the bullets describe water resistance of up to 50 metres that the listing says suits swimming and snorkelling but not diving. It lists a stopwatch, calendar, backlight and alarm, large numbers that are easy to read in the dark and a soft silicone strap. The spec table gives Japanese quartz movement, a 38 mm case and a weight of 37 g, and the battery is included. It holds 4.4 stars from 4,349 ratings across its colours.
It suits a woman who wants to time her swims without an app or a phone. The honest catch: the listing does not describe heart rate, GPS or swim tracking. It lists a stopwatch, calendar, backlight and alarm. The linked listing is the milk white colour.
Best budget swimming watch for men: Pasoy Digital Multi Function Watch
Best budget swimming watch for men: the Pasoy digital multi function watch, because the listing words it as a swim waterproof watch with an alarm, stopwatch, countdown, dual time and backlight, and more than 800 buyers rate it 4.2 stars.
The Pasoy is the lowest priced watch on this page. The title calls it a swim waterproof watch, and the bullets describe water resistance to 50 m with handwashing and swimming named as fine, a digital movement with alarm, stopwatch, countdown, backlight, dual time, date and week, and a battery life of more than 5 years, in an ultra light ABS shell with a rubber strap. The spec table gives a 43 mm case and a weight of about 63.5 g, and an LR44 battery is included. It holds 4.2 stars from 863 ratings across its colours.
It suits a swimmer who wants a basic, ultra light watch with a countdown and dual time; the title says men's, but the bullets call it a classic style for men and women in a unisex size. The honest catch: its listing does not describe swim tracking, it has the fewest ratings here, and the listing says not to press the buttons in the water or wear it for long underwater activities.
How to choose a swimming watch
The listing specs side by side
Only what each listing or its spec table states.
| Watch | Water rating (listing) | Swim mode named | GPS | Battery (listing) |
|---|
| Garmin Forerunner 165 Music | 5 ATM; depth 50 metres | Swimming sports profile | GPS (spec table) | Up to 11 days, smartwatch mode |
| Garmin vivoactive 6 | Depth 50 metres (spec table) | Sport type row only | Built in GPS | Up to 11 days |
| Garmin vivoactive 5 | 5 ATM swim rating; depth 50 metres | Swimming sports app | Built in GPS | Up to 11 days, smartwatch mode |
| Fitbit Versa 4 | Up to 50 metres | Sport type row only | Built in GPS | 6 plus days |
| Fitbit Sense 2 | 50 metres | Sport type row only | Built in GPS | 6 plus days |
| Golden Hour Digital Sport Watch | 5 ATM; up to 50 metres | Stopwatch only | not stated | Battery included, life not stated |
| Pasoy Digital Multi Function Watch | 50 m | Stopwatch only | not stated | More than 5 years |
What 5 ATM and 50 metres mean
The listings state water resistance ratings such as 5 ATM or 50 metres. Read those alongside the activities the listing names. The Pasoy listing names swimming but says not to wear it for long underwater activities, and the Golden Hour listing says swimming and snorkelling but not diving.
A water rating is not swim tracking
The Forerunner 165 Music listing names a swimming sports profile and the vivoactive 5 a swimming sports app, without explicitly describing lap counting. The vivoactive 6, Versa 4 and Sense 2 state a water rating and list swimming as a sport type in their spec tables, but their bullets never describe lap tracking. The Golden Hour and Pasoy listings describe stopwatches plus alarm and calendar functions, but do not describe swim tracking.
Pool, open water and GPS
GPS only earns its place outdoors. Five watches list it: the Forerunner 165 Music in its spec table, and the vivoactive 6, vivoactive 5, Versa 4 and Sense 2 as built in GPS. Neither budget listing mentions GPS, and no listing names an open water swimming profile. Our swimming goggles guide covers the other half of the kit.
Battery and charging
The three Garmins state up to 11 days of battery, the Forerunner 165 Music and vivoactive 5 in smartwatch mode, and the two Fitbits 6 plus days, and their spec tables each list a charging cable. The two digital watches are listed as battery powered: the Pasoy listing states a battery life of more than 5 years, and both listings say the battery is included.
Smartwatch extras or a plain stopwatch
The Forerunner 165 Music displays incoming message and call notifications, while the two Fitbits list on wrist Bluetooth calls, texts and notifications. The Forerunner also lists music storage and Garmin Pay. The Golden Hour and Pasoy listings describe a backlit stopwatch with an alarm and date instead of those extras.
Frequently asked questions
Which Garmin watch is best for swimming and running?
The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music: the listing calls it a smart running watch and lists swimming among more than 25 preinstalled sports profiles, with water resistance to 5 ATM. For a daily smartwatch that also goes in the pool, the vivoactive 6 gives a 50 metre water resistance depth in its spec table.
Is a Fitbit waterproof enough for swimming?
The Versa 4 and the Sense 2 both state water resistance to 50 metres and list swimming among their sport types. Neither listing describes swim lap tracking, so they are fitness watches you can wear in the pool rather than swim trackers. The Versa 4 is the better rated of the two.
What is the best smartwatch for swimming?
For a smartwatch first and a sports watch second, the Garmin vivoactive 6: a GPS smartwatch with a bright AMOLED display, up to 11 days of battery and a 50 metre water resistance depth in its spec table. For a named swimming mode, the Forerunner 165 Music and the vivoactive 5 both list one.
What is the best waterproof fitness watch for swimming?
The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music: its listing states water resistance to 5 ATM, a swimming sports profile, heart rate and distance tracking and up to 11 days of battery. The vivoactive 5 is the most rated watch here with a 5 ATM swim rating, and the Fitbit Versa 4 suits anyone already using the Fitbit app.
What does 5 ATM or 50 metres mean on a swimming watch?
The listings use 5 ATM, 50 metres or both; these are water resistance ratings, not lap tracking features. The Golden Hour listing names swimming and snorkelling but excludes diving. The Pasoy listing names swimming and says not to wear it for long underwater activities.
Do these watches count laps in the pool?
The Forerunner 165 Music names a swimming sports profile and the vivoactive 5 a swimming sports app, but neither listing explicitly describes lap counting. The vivoactive 6 and two Fitbits give water ratings without describing lap tracking. The Golden Hour and Pasoy listings describe stopwatches, with no swim tracking described.
Can I swim with a cheap digital watch?
Both budget watches here explicitly name swimming. Golden Hour states 5 ATM and up to 50 metres, with a stopwatch, backlight and alarm. Pasoy states 50 m with a stopwatch, countdown and dual time. Neither listing describes swim tracking, and the Pasoy listing says not to press the buttons in the water.
Which of these swimming watches suits open water?
No listing here names an open water swimming profile. The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music lists GPS in its spec table and a swimming sports profile, and the vivoactive 5 lists built in GPS and a swimming sports app, but neither listing says how it handles open water. The Versa 4 and Sense 2 also list built in GPS.
How long does a swimming watch battery last?
The Garmin Forerunner 165 Music and vivoactive 5 state up to 11 days in smartwatch mode, the vivoactive 6 up to 11 days, and the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 state 6 plus days. The Pasoy digital watch states a battery life of more than 5 years, and the Golden Hour listing says its battery is included.
