Swimming Watch

What do you want the watch to do? If you just want stopwatch, lap and split timing then the Time Ironman is a simple, dependable watch.

I think Garmin has a watch specifically for swimming. I don't know much about it but somehow I think is counts laps (i.e. can be used indoors)...and then does the math for splits and such. Dan

I have a Garmin Swim. It's a solid watch, but I think the "swim features" are more "gee whiz" than actually useful. The waterproof feature is great (but you can get that elsewhere) Lap counting works very well, but I never have a hard time counting laps The stroke counting feature doesn't work accurately for freestyle or backstroke, as it captures motion from only one hand, e.g., "5" on the stroke count could be 9, 10 or 11 actual single arm stokes depending upon which arm you start pulling with and which arm you end with. I recognize you'd need to have two "bands", one for each arm, to get accuracy, but, for me, knowing if I did 9 or 11 strokes are very different answers. My humble opinion is that swim watch technology is still in "beta" mode in terms of adding any real value to a swimmer.

About two years ago, I bought my Garmin Swim and have been very happy with my purchase ever since. I only had to change the battery once, just a couple of months ago. I previously owned the Poolmate and the Finis Swimsense and wasn't nearly as happy for different reasons. DC Rainmaker has a very thorough review of the Garmin Swim.

I have a Garmin Swim. It's a solid watch, but I think the "swim features" are more "gee whiz" than actually useful. The waterproof feature is great (but you can get that elsewhere) Lap counting works very well, but I never have a hard time counting laps The stroke counting feature doesn't work accurately for freestyle or backstroke, as it captures motion from only one hand, e.g., "5" on the stroke count could be 9, 10 or 11 actual single arm stokes depending upon which arm you start pulling with and which arm you end with. I recognize you'd need to have two "bands", one for each arm, to get accuracy, but, for me, knowing if I did 9 or 11 strokes are very different answers. My humble opinion is that swim watch technology is still in "beta" mode in terms of adding any real value to a swimmer. Unlike you, I have a hard time counting laps beyond three but counting strokes I manage just fine; so I don't depend on the watch for that. :) If you keep your stroke count consistent and start and finish with the same arm at all times, you will probably know whether "5" means 9 or 11, just in case you intend to come back and analyze your data. You might not be using the feature but apart from counting laps, the watch shows the most recent interval pace and the rest timer is useful for maintaining your send-off intervals. Pace clocks are not common where I swim so I like that feature a lot. Naturally, there are always things to improve but considering the state of the art in swim watches, the Garmin Swim does a pretty good job. It isn't exactly cheap but well worth the money.