Best swim watches

The best swim watches used to be a specialty piece of jewelry that was hard to find and even harder to afford. Today, watches that can withstand being submerged in water are far more common and easier on your pocketbook.

Swim-specific watches do some pretty amazing things, from counting and timing laps in the pool to tracking the calories you burn while exercising. Plus, they tell time. And some wristwatches have gone the smartwatch route and will even tell you what's in your email inbox or relay a text message to you.

If you're looking for one of the best swim watches, you've come to the right place. We've put watches to the test and narrowed our list of favorites to six choices. Check it out.

The Alexa-enabled Fitbit Versa 3 is a basic fitness-oriented watch that keeps tabs on your heart rate, steps taken, exercise routines, and what's happening on your smartphone. It's water-resistant down to 50 meters, so you can take it in the pool or a body of freshwater. The Fitbit Versa 3 measures swim duration and distance, giving you detailed metrics in their free phone app. The Versa 3 also tabulates other health data and exercise workouts. If you want a watch that works for all sports and won't get waterlogged, the Fitbit Versa 3 is the one to get.

The Apple Watch SE comes with smart assistant Siri baked-in for hands-free help. It's water-resistant down to 50 meters and intelligent enough to identify which swim stroke you're doing, calculate time and distance, plus monitor your heart rate during swim sessions. The SE is a smartwatch that's also a fantastic fitness watch. In addition to swimming, it'll log almost any workout, notify you of unhealthy heart rates, and detect falls. With the SE, you can also take and make phone calls, respond to texts, and use Apple Maps to navigate the world around you.

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a beautiful timepiece that doesn't look like a small computer is on your wrist. Waterproof down to 50 meters, the Vivoactive 4 automatically records swim intervals and distance and also takes note of workouts on land. The impressive 8-day battery life means you can take this watch on vacation without the charging cord. Yippee! The Vivoactive 4 doubles as a smartwatch that can play music, take calls, and receive texts.

If you don't use a smartwatch or don't want to worry about ruining it in the gym, we have a lot of love for the Timex Ironman Classic 30. It has a simple digital display, five push-press buttons to operate controls, a timer, clock, and it can count and time your pool laps. It's also water-resistant down to 100 meters, so it's perfect for all things aquatic. You can pick up the Timex Ironman Classic 30 in one of 15 colors and styles. Oh, and the battery holds out for years!

Fitness watches have a particular look that not all appreciate. If that's you, check out the SUUNTO 9 Baro & Peak. It has a classic analog-style display and lots of smart features packed inside. With SUUNTO, you can dive down 100 meters without worry. It'll also tell you the water temperature, tally up your laps, and keep an eye on your heart rate. GPS performance is stellar in open water and the pool, so you're never cheated out of a workout or burned calorie. The SUUNTO is a stunning watch that works with various health apps.

The Garmin Swim 2 is a dedicated swim watch that can also measure running and biking distances. Really, it's a well-rounded triathlon watch with a few innovative features just for water lovers. The Swim 2 excels at tracking pool laps and does a good job in open water. Stroke recognition easily pegs which swim stroke you're using and adjusts metrics accordingly. It's also just smart enough to be helpful outside the pool without being distracting. You'll get text and email notifications, though you won't be able to respond without picking up your phone.

Lap the competition with one of the best swim watches

Water-resistant and waterproof watches are far more common today than they were even a few years ago. Our staff pick is the Fitbit Versa 3. It's a fitness watch that calculates calories burned, keeps track of steps, is water-resistant down to 50-meters, and can log your entire swim workout.

The Apple Watch SE is another of our top picks. The SE identifies swim strokes, recognizes various other workouts, and is a smartwatch you can use to read email, take phone calls, and reply to texts.

If you favor a simple watch, the Timex Ironman Classic 30 can deep dive to 100 meters, plus count your times and pool laps.

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