Best Waterproof Smartwatch of 2024: Review and Buying Guide

Anyone who knows a thing or two about smartwatches will agree that Garmin is the brand to beat when it comes to superior quality smartwatches. That’s why it’s not surprising to find the Garmin Vivoactive 4 taking the top spot on our list of the best waterproof smartwatch.

If you chill out a lot around the poolside or you enjoy swimming in the pool, you may as well buy the Vivoactive 4 as your digital training assistant. The watch provides impressively accurate swim tracking capability and stores your metrics in the Garmin Connect, where you can view data on your swimming time, distance, SWOLF, speed, pace, stroke, and more.

You can even view real-time data underwater through the transflective display, as long as you remain within the recommended 5 ATM waterproof rating. Purchasing the Vivoactive 4 gives you access to tons of free downloadable apps, widgets, and watch faces to help you personalize your smartwatch.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch is designed to help you balance your mind and body. It does this efficiently with features that remind you to keep moving and functions that track your sleep cycle. You can manage stress levels with a built-in breathing exercise and guided meditation apps.

The smartwatch is rated 5 ATM, meaning you can take it for swimming, as long as you are not diving or snorkeling. Also, you want to keep it away from high water pressure, whether from a faucet or shower. You can expect up to 3 days of continuous use before charging, and you can power up wirelessly.

You can pair the watch with your Android or iOS smartphone through a Bluetooth connection, and if you have a smart home, you can control your appliances from your watch.

Fitbit Versa 3 is a cute, slim design smartwatch that works well in the pool. It is rated 5 ATM but doesn’t support open water swimming. This option is great for people who are not too keen on swim data. While it can track swim data, such as duration and distance covered, it won’t show you SWOLF data and stroke type.

You can customize the watch to suit your lifestyle so that it gives you bedtime reminders and control smart home devices using voice commands (built-in Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant). The GPS is quite accurate and can track your activities during hiking, cycling, or running. You can later check the intensity map of your exercises inside the Fitbit app.

You can expect the battery to last for about a week before changing if you only use it in smartwatch mode. Of course, switching to GPS tracking mode will considerably reduce battery life.

If you want a smartwatch suitable for intense watersports, such as sailing, swimming, and snorkeling, the Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire might be just what you are looking for. This watch is waterproof rated at 10 ATM, meaning it can withstand water pressure equivalent to 100 meters.

The durable construction ensures that the smartwatch is resistant to discoloration, and the stainless steel bezel can withstand the stress of everyday use. The battery life is an impressive 50 hours in battery saver mode and up to 20 hours in GPS mode. If you use it as a simple watch, it can last up to 3 weeks before needing a charge.

The sports and fitness smartwatch includes training features that provide advanced running dynamics, recovery advisor, and more. You can choose from five different styles, including gray with a leather strap, rose gold-tone with a white band, and more.

Vivoactive 3 is an excellent smartwatch choice for individuals who are serious about their fitness goals. The device comes with a built-in GPS feature and can track a wide range of activities, including pace, mileage covered, and stress level. It can even monitor your heart rate.

The watch is packed with plenty of swimming-dedicated apps to track and record your swim data, making it a great pick if swimming is your thing. It has a 5 ATM rating, so you can wear it while swimming in shallow waters or training in wet conditions.

If you enjoy listening to music while you train, this might not be the best pick for you unless you want to bring your smartphone along for your training sessions. However, the smartwatch has a huge plus, and that’s the contactless payment that allows you to make payment by simply placing the watch next to a payment terminal. Of course, you will have to link it to your payment cards first.

People who prepare a smartwatch that actually looks like a traditional watch instead of a sports watch might like what Apple has done with the Watch Series 6. It combines the superb swimming features from previous iterations into one larger design that allows you to have a better view of metrics.

The device is quite accurate and collects a great deal of swim data, including lap counts, distance, average pace, and can even differentiate between the various strokes you use during swimming.

The watch has both pool and open water support and is rated 5 ATM, so you don’t have to worry about taking it off when chilling by the pool or beach.

Germin Venu is a full-color touchscreen display smartwatch, the first from the brand. It is an excellent swim-tracking watch that lets you see your metrics (stroke count, pace, distance, calories, and SWOLF) in real-time.

The watch keeps a record of your stroke type, and you can view your data at the end of your swimming session directly on the smartwatch or in the Garmin Connect app. It also monitors your heart rate while you are underwater and offers a rest timer. The watch also supports third-party apps such as Strava.

In addition, Venu provides easy-to-follow, animated workouts right on your screen. These include yoga, strength, Pilates, and cardio. Garmin Venu is rated 5 ATM, but it is best suited for the pool. You don’t want to be wearing this into the open water on a weekend.

This is another entry from Garmin, and like other products from the brand, the Forerunner 235 is an excellent option, even though it is a lot more affordable.

The smartwatch is specifically designed with runners in mind, so you can count on this model if you are looking for a training companion to help you reach your goals while hitting the pavement or trail in both dry and wet conditions.

It tracks your heart rate, distance covered, pace, calories burned, stress level, and more. Besides showing your statistics, it uses the data to suggest useful coaching tips to help you attain your training goals. You can expect the battery to last for up to 9 days in normal mode. Switching to GPS tracking will dramatically reduce battery life to 11 hours.

Garmin Forerunner 235 has a waterproof rating of 5 ATM (50 meters), making it safe to use for shallow-water activities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a touchscreen function because it is an older smartwatch model from Garmin.

If you prefer a slimmer and smaller Samsung Galaxy smartwatch that works well for the pool, you should look at the Active 2 model. Rated 5 ATM (50 meters), you can use this smartwatch both in the pool and open water, as long as you are diving.

This watch comes with dedicated tracking features that let you view your strokes, distance, and other metrics from the super AMOLED display. You will also find useful stats in the Samsung Health app.

You can use the smartwatch all day without noticing it on your wrist due to its lightness, slim-fit, and comfort level. However, wearing it throughout the day might not be possible because you might need to charge the battery quite often.