February 15, 2025

Selecting The Best Smart Watch For Tracking Swimming

Selecting The Best Smart Watch For Tracking Swimming

 

Choosing the right smart watch for tracking swimming involves considering several key features to ensure it meets your needs and improves your swimming experience. Here’s a guide to help you select the perfect smart watches that track swimming.

Swim-specific metrics:

To get the most out of your swimming workouts, choose a smart watch that offers detailed swim-specific metrics. Important metrics include:

  • Lap counting: Automatically counts laps, reducing the need for manual tracking.
  • Stroke type recognition: Identifies different swimming strokes such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
  • Swolf score: Measures swimming efficiency by combining stroke count and time taken per lap.
  • Distance and pace: Tracks the distance swum and average pace per lap or session.

These metrics provide valuable insights into your performance and help in fine-tuning your technique.

Heart rate monitoring:

While not all heart rate monitors work accurately underwater, some advanced smart watches offer reliable underwater heart rate tracking. This feature is useful for monitoring your effort and ensuring you stay within your target heart rate zones. If heart rate monitoring is essential for your training, opt for a watch with proven underwater heart rate accuracy.

GPS tracking:

For open water swimmers, built-in GPS is a must. It tracks your route, distance, and speed in open water, where pool lap counting is not possible. GPS tracking is particularly beneficial for monitoring performance in natural water bodies like lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Battery life:

Swimming sessions can be battery-intensive, especially with GPS and heart rate monitoring allowed. Choose a smart watch with a long battery life to ensure it lasts through your workouts without needing frequent recharges. Look for watches that offer at least a few days of battery life with regular use and several hours with GPS active.

Display and usability:

A clear, easy-to-read display is vital, especially in water where visibility can be compromised. Opt for a watch with a bright, high-resolution screen that remains readable underwater. Additionally, ensure the interface is user-friendly, with intuitive controls that are accessible while swimming.

Durability and build quality:

Swimming environments can be harsh, so choose a smart watch made from durable materials that can withstand exposure to chlorine, saltwater, and impact. Look for watches with reinforced glass and robust straps designed to handle the rigors of swimming.