Smart Watches for Pool and Open Water

I've had 2 Garmins, they both died young. Then I tried a Suunto Ambit, I still have it, but it's huge and heavy and not intuitive to use. I recently bought an Apple Watch and love it for pool swimming. I bought it in December so I'm not sure yet how it will do for open water, I'm a bit concerned about its battery life. It does have a heart rate function, actually a very basic ECG function, but that data isn't downloaded into the app I use. There's probably a way to do it, I just don't know how or care to know (beta blockers on board). Not sure about temp. I've had 2 versions of the Apple Watch that I've used for swimming for a little over 3 years now. The first version that could go in the water (v2) did have some battery issues, but the later one that I have (v4) is much better. There still are a few times when I'll use the GPS for walking/hiking and then swim, when the watch will be nearly depleted afterward. Throw in a few, "mindful minutes," and it only adds to that. That said, I was a big Garmin user when I ran marathons and cycled tours years ago, and the Garmin devices I used were not without issues. It was quite common for the device to lose a charge, not charge, get locked up, have issues with HR, and I can go on. Yes the Apple Watch sometimes does have things that pop up, but between the two it is definitely my preferred device. I typically charge my watch overnight and swim early in the day, and have never had a battery issue during a swim. It has lasted the whole time through ~10 miles, without any issues. If I'm planning a late day swim (such as Roosevelt of SCAR), I'll charge during the day so it is nearly full when I begin. When I swim at a venue like Barton Springs (here in Austin), the watch will often over-calculate my distance (when put in o/w swim mode), because I'm assuming it uses cell towers. When I look at the map afterwards, it will sometimes map me well out of the water (I have heard Garmin devices can do similar). But for typical looped or point-to-point courses, the Apple Watch works quite well. As you noted, there are many non-fitness functions on the Apple Watch as well. Last summer the watch gave me an alert about AFib--I ran an ECG, called my PCP, had a real EKG conducted, and was referred to a cardiologist for treatment. Yea that would have eventually gotten caught, but the watch alert made everything happen much faster. There are many different news applications, travel applications (such as airlines and hotels), you can send/receive texts (I sometimes get text alerts when I'm swimming), Facebook Messenger, you can even receive phone calls (on some versions you can make phone calls too). As for reviewing/sharing your workouts, the Apple Watch is a bit klunky. Unless there's a method I'm not aware of, you need to use the app on your phone, and take screenshots for sharing. Garmin did have a rather robust website where you could connect with other users, and simply copy/paste links for sharing. So on that end, Garmin definitely wins right now. Neither product is 100% perfect, but the Apple Watch is my preferred device right now.

I've had 2 Garmins, they both died young. Then I tried a Suunto Ambit, I still have it, but it's huge and heavy and not intuitive to use. I recently bought an Apple Watch and love it for pool swimming. I bought it in December so I'm not sure yet how it will do for open water, I'm a bit concerned about its battery life. It does have a heart rate function, actually a very basic ECG function, but that data isn't downloaded into the app I use. There's probably a way to do it, I just don't know how or care to know (beta blockers on board). Not sure about temp. I've had 2 versions of the Apple Watch that I've used for swimming for a little over 3 years now. The first version that could go in the water (v2) did have some battery issues, but the later one that I have (v4) is much better. There still are a few times when I'll use the GPS for walking/hiking and then swim, when the watch will be nearly depleted afterward. Throw in a few, "mindful minutes," and it only adds to that. That said, I was a big Garmin user when I ran marathons and cycled tours years ago, and the Garmin devices I used were not without issues. It was quite common for the device to lose a charge, not charge, get locked up, have issues with HR, and I can go on. Yes the Apple Watch sometimes does have things that pop up, but between the two it is definitely my preferred device. I typically charge my watch overnight and swim early in the day, and have never had a battery issue during a swim. It has lasted the whole time through ~10 miles, without any issues. If I'm planning a late day swim (such as Roosevelt of SCAR), I'll charge during the day so it is nearly full when I begin. When I swim at a venue like Barton Springs (here in Austin), the watch will often over-calculate my distance (when put in o/w swim mode), because I'm assuming it uses cell towers. When I look at the map afterwards, it will sometimes map me well out of the water (I have heard Garmin devices can do similar). But for typical looped or point-to-point courses, the Apple Watch works quite well. As you noted, there are many non-fitness functions on the Apple Watch as well. Last summer the watch gave me an alert about AFib--I ran an ECG, called my PCP, had a real EKG conducted, and was referred to a cardiologist for treatment. Yea that would have eventually gotten caught, but the watch alert made everything happen much faster. There are many different news applications, travel applications (such as airlines and hotels), you can send/receive texts (I sometimes get text alerts when I'm swimming), Facebook Messenger, you can even receive phone calls (on some versions you can make phone calls too). As for reviewing/sharing your workouts, the Apple Watch is a bit klunky. Unless there's a method I'm not aware of, you need to use the app on your phone, and take screenshots for sharing. Garmin did have a rather robust website where you could connect with other users, and simply copy/paste links for sharing. So on that end, Garmin definitely wins right now. Neither product is 100% perfect, but the Apple Watch is my preferred device right now.