Garmin Swim Watch
9 reviews · Statistics
Reviews
Its ok
The watch it's self is good no complaints.
I am just an average man 95kg
The band it comes with is too small, I need to stretch it to make it fit and then it's uncomfortably tight to fit on the last hole.
Can I get a longer band, of course I can but I have to fork out another $45.
I don't have an abnormally big wrist, disappointed as it's not fit for purpose until I spend another $45.
Great watch for pool swims
Very accurate, has never missed a beat in 5yrs. Have changed the battery 4 or 5 times no problems. has drill mode so you can kick and do other drills keeping your swim speed separate.
Waste of money
On its second use in the pool, water got in, and it fell apart when I took it off at home. FAIL
Does the job well
Been using mine most days for over four years, with two battery changes and haven't had any problems. It's easy to read under water and easy to pause if necessary. As another reviewer noted, it doesn't use GPS so if you get stopped in a traffic jam part way through a lap it'll record that as two laps (albeit pretty fast ones). But the overall time and stroke counts aren't affected so it's no big deal. It's sturdy enough not to mind the occasional brush with a lane rope, and the band is solid and secure with a proper buckle (unlike some devices on the market). The Garmin Connect website is much more comprehensive than a smartphone app.
Find out how Garmin Swim Watch compares to other Heart Rate Monitors
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Sad Ownership Experience
The Garmin Swim Watch came highly recommended last May (2016) and the 'general promise' was that it would run 11-15 months before a battery change was required.
The Garmin Swim was good at measuring my 80-120 laps per day in the 25m council pool where I swim. In 6.5 months of swimming 13 days per fortnight for about two hours per session, it's accuracy was either perfect or 1%-2% variance maximum from distance swum.
The memory (last 30 measurements) was good.
Sadly, this was all undone by the need to replace the battery just before x
... Read moremas 2016. I followed the video to the letter. I used proper jeweller's tools to ensure I did things well. The watch died in the very next session at the pool. A mere minuscule droplet of water got in somehow.
Built to last is garmins starap line
Which is a straight lie. Just over 2 years old. Stops working properly. Company response. Tough. Don't touch this product which works fine til it stops. A lot of money for something with such a low shelf life
great watch but.....
I have had my watch for 14months it's done the job perfectly but the battery needed replacing so took it to a watch repairer to get a new battery put in it stumped them as there are many seals they replaced the battery but would not water test the watch, just be aware of this I will contact garmin on1800235822 and will get their advice
Awesome till you need to change the battery
I loved this unit till about 18 months later I needed to change the battery. I followed their instructions and even a youtube video, but short of siliconing the back plate back on, I couldn't get the seal perfect enough. So it filled with water and that was the end of it. So if you get this watch send it to the manufacture for a battery change when it goes, it will be costly, but cheaper than a new watch.
Good - but ...
The major frustration with this watch is that it does not display the correct distance during the session (always a couple of lengths short). This is frustrating because the actual distance measured by the watch is correct (when you check the totals AFTER the session)
When I bought the watch it had old firmware and failed to count the correct lengths (it also incorrectly detected different swim strokes). After several attempts I managed to install the PC link and updated the watch firmware and since then it has correct counted the number of
... Read morelaps (but still displays the incorrect value). Actually for people considering the watch this is important to note - This watch DOES NOT CONTAIN A GPS - it detects movement and tries to guess the number of laps and swim stroke from that movement. You must enter the length of the pool and then the watch simply counts laps displaying the estimated distance. I bought this watch to replace my aging Swimovate which uses the same movement principle to count laps. Comparing the Swimovate to the Garmin - Garmin is a much nicer watch with an easy to understand menu system. The Swimovate is more accurate and cheaper. (I was no longer able to see the small lap count on the Swimovate) After buying the Garmin another swimmer said that theirs had never worked properly and had died after only a few months. After this morning's swim the inside of the my watch face was totally fogged (so clearly NOT waterproof) hinting mine may be going the same way. He has returned to using his Swimovate Clear display, easy to navigate menu system Doesn't display correct lap count (even if it has counted laps correctly), not sufficiently waterproofFind out how Garmin Swim Watch compares to other Heart Rate Monitors
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Questions & Answers
Had my garmin swim watch for three years with no problems, just replaced the battery of the third time only to find the watch has stopped working only have a blank screen, can the watch be repaired or is it a replacement job. If so what watch should I get. I only need it for swimming but would something a watch that would give me heart rate monitor as well.
Too much choice out there. I'm currently using a tom tom multi sport which has a heart tracker. Don't think repairs a possibilty. They just told me buy a new one. Mine didn't last more than 18 months. As an aside just sold the ANT stick on ebay in GB It fetched £20
The best value out there now is the MOOV ... available from AMAZON or from www.moov.cc for under $90 delivered. My daughter swears by hers (2+ years) and I have been using mine for 7 months. Comes with swimming coaching and measures individual swims to 90 minutes. I use it mine in general movement mode SIX days per week and it's good value. In saying that, I am very happy with it but am buying myself the new Apple Watch 4 for xmas.
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