Technology has made exercising easier, more effective, and more fun than ever. Heartbeat monitors, GPS trackers, and especially fit watches that combine the best of both are a great addition to any workout.
Whether you’re training for competition or just enjoying the immense cardiovascular benefits swimming provides, it always helps to have something to track your progress so you don’t have to. From calorie counting to heartbeat monitoring to counting your laps, a smart watch can do all that – and more.
If you’re looking to upgrade your swimming game, consider equipping yourself with one of our recommendations for the best fit watches for swimmers.
Fit Watches For Swimmers With Lap Counter Comparison Chart
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1. Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch
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2. Moov 3D Fitness Tracker
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3. Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker
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4. Samsung Gear Pro2 Smart Fitness Band w/ IconX Fitness Earbuds
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5. Misfit Wearables Shine Activity and Sleep Monitor
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6. Timex IRONMAN Classic Exercise Watch
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Our Fit Watches for Swimmers With Lap Counter Reviews
From the famous technology company Garmin comes a high-end, feature-rich smartwatch for the most serious of swimmers, backed by a 1-year warranty and Garmin’s exceptional support. It boasts a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 7 days in smartwatch mode, and up to a day using the GPS features.
The Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch offers a 1.2” diameter touchscreen display with a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels so that the face is clearly visible in the pool or out. This display – as well as the rest of the watch – is waterproof up to 50 meters making it great for regular pool use.
This smartwatch comes with 15 pre-installed modes, including the vital pool mode that will count your laps, time your turns, and more. It also supports other activities like running, biking, and more that make it a great triathlon companion. In addition to tracking your heartrate, it offers stress tracking so you can know when something is elevating your heartrate and causing stress, which helps to make for a healthier you outside and inside the pool.
The Connect IQ store allows for additional modes to be installed as well as apps that help turn the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch into even more of a mini phone than it was before. You can install Uber to always know when it’s time to get out of the pool to catch your ride, a weather app to know what you’re walking out into when you leave the pool, and more.
Speaking of your phone, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch’s integration lets you sync with your phone via Bluetooth to answer texts, read email, and keep yourself informed about everything outside the pool.
- Waterproof rating: 50M
- Auto stroke detection: YES
- Easy multi-sport transitions: YES
- Good battery life: YES - Rechargeable
- Simple, accurate swim tracking: YES
- Advanced training insights: YES
- One-button triathlon transitions: WITH APP
- Extremely lightweight: YES
- Speedo On integration: NO
- Light and comfortable: YES
- Easy to use: YES
- Heart rate and stress monitoring: YES
- Compact and fashionable: YES
- Automatically and accurately tracks activities: YES
- With well-designed app: YES - GARMIN CONNECT
- With Large display: MEDIUM DISPLAY
- Multiple ways to wear: NO
- Compatibility with app: GARMIN STORE COMPATIBLE
- Swim stroke and lap counter: YES
- SPECS
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
- Contactless payments
- Downloadable additional apps and skins
- Works for yoga, running, and other exercises
- ATM underwater rating
- Syncs with smartphone/tablet
- VO2 stress tracking
This is certainly a luxury model, offering functionality similar to a smartphone while still being compact and portable like a watch. The ability to install apps for just about any functionality you need for your training is invaluable, making it not only a great swimming companion but one that will contribute to your overall health. The Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch’s ability to sync with your phone or tablet extends its usefulness as well, allowing you to track, share, and review your progress anytime. Throw in contactless payment capability and you’ve got a solid everyday smartwatch.
Rather than being a device specifically for swimmers, this model focuses on overall health and provides additionally functionality that some swimmers may not need. This adds to the price of the model, and being the most expensive on the list it may be a little bit too much for just standard swimming use.
PROS
- 15 Modes Included
- Downloadable apps
- Phone/tablet integration
- Contactless payment
- Stress tracker
CONS
- Expensive
The Moov 3D Fitness Tracker is for swimmers who only want an exercise companion as opposed to an everyday smartwatch. The tracker comes in at a mid-tier price range and focuses primarily on the triathlon sports rather than boasting support for every exercise known to man.
The Moov 3D Fitness Tracker has minimal physical features, with a simple wristband and design style. There is no display, instead relying on being synced to a smartphone with the Moov app to provide insights, real-time tracking (certain activities only), and more. This sync also allows it to provide audio feedback through the phone or Bluetooth speaker/earphones, allowing you to adjust your exercise on the fly.
When you’re in the pool, the fully waterproof device will be able to track your laps and lap time, identify your form and categorize results based on the stroke used, measure the time rested, and provide insight into how you can improve your times.
Outside of the pool it supports running, cycling, boxing, and bodyweight exercises in real-time. It can analyze form, identify when impacts are too hard on your knees, let you know when you can drop from the dreaded plank, and more.
The battery is non-rechargeable but lasts up to 6 months for exceptional convenience.
- Waterproof rating: 50M
- Auto stroke detection: YES
- Easy multi-sport transitions: YES
- Good battery life: YES – 6 MONTHS
- Simple, accurate swim tracking: YES
- Advanced training insights: YES – ON APP
- One-button triathlon transitions: NO
- Extremely lightweight: YES
- Speedo On integration: NO
- Light and comfortable: YES
- Easy to use: YES
- Heart rate and stress monitoring: NO
- Compact and fashionable: YES
- Automatically and accurately tracks activities: YES
- With well-designed app: YES
- With Large display: NO DISPLAY
- Multiple ways to wear: NO
- Compatibility with app: YES
- Swim stroke and lap counter: YES
- SPECS
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
- Audio feedback through Bluetooth
- Offers recommendations for improvements
- Supports swimming, running, and more
- Tracks pool stats and analyzes for improvements
- Tracks sleep
- 6-month battery
- App provides insight and feedback
The Moov 3D Fitness Tracker’s primary benefit is the advanced swim tracker, which allows for in-depth tracking, analysis, and insight into your pool time. From timing turns to measuring the length of your strokes, it provides enough information for you to make sizable improvements you may not have considered yourself. The 6-month battery is also incredibly convenient because you won’t need to worry about it dying on you or getting it charged.
This fitness tracker has no display or speakers on its own, instead relying on a connection to a smartphone or tablet in order for you to enjoy just about any benefit that it offers. If you don’t have a device to sync to, all your information will stay locked in the device, offering no help to you.
PROS
- Advanced swim tracking
- Audio feedback
- Analyzes results and provides insight
- Supports triathlon sports
- Sleep tracker
- Multiple colors available
CONS
- Requires a smart device to sync to
- Battery needs to be replaced after 6 months
3. Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker
The Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker is a multi-activity fit watch by active technology innovator Fitbit. It offers a rechargeable battery life of up to 7 days, a 1-year warranty, and comes in at a fair upper mid-tier price despite offering a wide array of functionality.
The Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker can be used for a variety of activities, including swimming, running, biking, yoga, and even sleeping. It uses a touchscreen display where the user can see metrics like steps taken, distance traveled, laps completed, rest time, and more at all times. Additionally, it can be synced with a PC or smart device where you’ll get more advanced information, insight and recommendations, and an overall health dashboard.
The Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker has apps that allow you to do things like check the weather, receive notifications from a synced phone, receive a customized sleep schedule, and more making it an effective all-around smartwatch-like tracker.
- Waterproof rating: 50M
- Auto stroke detection: NO
- Easy multi-sport transitions: YES
- Good battery life: YES
- Simple, accurate swim tracking: YES
- Advanced training insights: WITH APP
- One-button triathlon transitions: NO
- Extremely lightweight: YES
- Speedo On integration: NO
- Light and comfortable: YES
- Easy to use: YES
- Heart rate and stress monitoring: YES
- Compact and fashionable: YES
- Automatically and accurately tracks activities: YES
- With well-designed app: YES
- With Large display: YES
- Multiple ways to wear: NO
- Compatibility with app: YES
- Swim stroke and lap counter: YES
- SPECS
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
- Touch screen display
- Heart rate tracking
- 7-day battery
- Sleep tracking
- Supports 15+ activities
- Waterproof to 50M
- Syncs with app for PC or smart devices
The Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker offers an incredibly comprehensive and convenient dashboard when synced with a PC or smart device, allowing you to see your overall health and exercises at a glance. It also supports a wide array of activities and exercises while still being fairly priced, and offers additional features like movement reminders and breathing exercises that help to change your lifestyle.
As a multi-activity fit watch, the Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker doesn’t really do anything fancy when it comes to swim tracking. While some devices offer advanced tracking, analyzation, or insight, this model stays more on the surface than going in-depth which may make it unsuitable for advanced users.
PROS
- Supports 15+ activities
- Touchscreen display
- Syncs with Phone/Tablet/PC
- Mobile dashboard for real-time tracking
- Sleep tracking
- 7-day battery
CONS
- No advanced swim tracking
4. Samsung Gear Pro2 Smart Fitness Band w/ IconX Fitness Earbuds
This bundle includes the Samsung Gear Pro2 Smart Fitness Band as well as wireless earbuds that are water resistant to accompany you on exercises in the rain. The earbuds can be synced to the device with Bluetooth, and the Pro2’s music capability allows you to stream music without needing your phone nearby. However, they are not waterproof so you can’t listen to music in the pool.
The fitness band uses a touchscreen display for navigation and providing real-time information about your workouts. It includes apps like Map MyRun and Speedo for advanced workout metrics, analysis, and more. The information is displayed on your device’s dashboard next to your heartrate, calories burned, and more fitness-related information. Notifications from your phone will appear and can be handled from your device in some cases through Bluetooth syncing.
Depending on the way you use the Samsung Gear Pro2, the battery can last anywhere from 4 hours to 4 days, with GPS, Bluetooth, and music features using more battery than standard heartrate monitoring. It includes a 1-year warranty in case something goes wrong as well.
- Waterproof rating: 50M
- Auto stroke detection: WITH SPEEDO APP
- Easy multi-sport transitions: YES
- Good battery life: DECENT
- Simple, accurate swim tracking: YES
- Advanced training insights: YES
- One-button triathlon transitions: YES
- Extremely lightweight: YES
- Speedo On integration: YES
- Light and comfortable: YES
- Easy to use: YES
- Heart rate and stress monitoring: YES
- Compact and fashionable: YES
- Automatically and accurately tracks activities: YES
- With well-designed app: YES
- With Large display: YES
- Multiple ways to wear: NO
- Compatibility with app: YES
- Swim stroke and lap counter: YES
- SPECS
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
- Touch screen display
- Real-time activity tracking
- Connect to smartphone through Bluetooth
- Holds music playlists
- Includes speedo app for advanced swimming tracking
- Rechargeable battery
- 1-year warranty
The Fit2 is great for providing advanced workout metrics for exercises and overall health monitoring thanks to the included apps based around swimming, running, nutrition, and more. The Pro2 also allows you to read and interact with notifications from your phone when synced so you don’t have to make people wait until after you’re out of the pool.
Perhaps the largest negative of this option is that it isn’t inherently waterproof, but instead water resistant. This resistance only enables itself when you activate the waterproof mode, and if you forget before you jump into the water, it may get damaged. For swimmers, this could very easily be a deal breaker.
PROS
- Included apps offer exceptional functionality
- Plays music
- Water-resistant earbuds
CONS
- Not entirely waterproof
- Very expensive bundle
5. Misfit Wearables Shine Activity and Sleep Monitor
With a futuristic and minimalist design, the Misfit Wearables Shine Activity and Sleep Monitor is as much a fashion piece as it is a fitness tracker. With no display except for LED lights, this device does not provide real-time tracking the normal way. Instead, it needs to be synced to the app on your smartphone where you will set a customized goal before exercising and as you progress through your goal, a light will illuminate in 5-minute or 5% intervals. Once you’re done, you can check the app to access the information.
This fitness tracker is entirely waterproof, making it a viable swimming companion for those who don’t need to actively see their heartrate and other exercise information. It will count laps, record lap time, analyze speed, and more on the app but only count towards your preset goal on the tracker itself.
As a sleep tracker, this device will record the time and duration of REM sleep (when your body doesn’t move) for you to review in the morning. This allows you to address potential causes for poor sleep, and work to improve them.
The Misfit Wearables Shine Activity and Sleep Monitor is powered by a 6-month battery that will need to be replaced upon dying, and the battery is not covered by the 1-year limited warranty.
- Waterproof rating: 50M
- Auto stroke detection: NO
- Easy multi-sport transitions: ON APP
- Good battery life: YES
- Simple, accurate swim tracking: BASIC
- Advanced training insights: NO
- One-button triathlon transitions: NO
- Extremely lightweight: YES
- Speedo On integration: NO
- Light and comfortable: YES
- Easy to use: NO
- Heart rate and stress monitoring: NO
- Compact and fashionable: YES
- Automatically and accurately tracks activities: YES
- With well-designed app: YES
- With Large display: NO DISPLAY
- Multiple ways to wear: YES
- Compatibility with app: YES
- Swim stroke and lap counter: YES
- SPECS
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
- Metal disc and LED “Display”
- Connects with misfit app via Bluetooth
- Tracks walking, running, swimming, sleep
- Non-rechargeable battery
- Waterproof up to 50M
In addition to the unique style and LED setup, this model is good for simple and easy exercise recording. It is small and stylish, so you can leave it on practically all the time and once you sync it with the app, you’ll have a good amount of information to work with for your pool time.
The lack of display on this model and the “unique” light system may be a bit too unnecessarily complicated to be effective. While it is better than models with no indication at all, it falls behind those with on-device real-time tracking. It also doesn’t record pulse or heart rate – a staple for many fitness trackers.
PROS
- Slick design
- Low-cost
- App provides good information
- Waterproof to 50m
- 6-month battery
CONS
- Requires app
- Lacks display
- Doesn’t monitor heartbeat
6. Timex IRONMAN Classic Exercise Watch
If you’re looking for a men’s everyday watch that also works in the pool, you may enjoy the affordable Timex IRONMAN Classic Exercise Watch due to its budget price range, variety of colors, and basic exercise features.
The Timex IRONMAN Classic Exercise Watch features a large digital face that shows the time and date standardly, but can also act as a stopwatch, timer, alarm, and lap counter with the press of a few buttons.
It is graded to be water resistant up to 100M, making it work for deeper depth swimming outside of just the pool and the 10-year battery means you won’t have to worry about it dying on you. Add in the 1-year warranty, and you’ve got a solid value watch.
- Waterproof rating: 100M
- Auto stroke detection: NO
- Easy multi-sport transitions: YES
- Good battery life: YES
- Simple, accurate swim tracking: YES
- Advanced training insights: NO
- One-button triathlon transitions: NO
- Extremely lightweight: NO
- Speedo On integration: NO
- Light and comfortable: YES
- Easy to use: YES
- Heart rate and stress monitoring: NO
- Compact and fashionable: YES
- Automatically and accurately tracks activities: NO
- With well-designed app: NO
- With Large display: YES
- Multiple ways to wear: NO
- Compatibility with app: NO
- Swim stroke and lap counter: YES
- SPECS
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
- 100m water resistance
- Large digital display
- Tactile buttons on sides
- 30-lap memory
- Wide array of colors
- Up to 10-year battery
Being rated for 100M depths, the Timex IRONMAN Classic Exercise Watch is a solid option for snorkeling and ocean use that extends past just the pool. It is also very cheap – by far the cheapest model on our list.
In terms of being a swimmer’s watch, this model doesn’t really excel in the role. It offers no advanced information or diagnostic, instead simply acting primarily as a stopwatch and lap counter. Additionally, all the functions are manual, so you’ll need to mark the laps yourself and start/stop your exercise to time it.
PROS
- Affordable
- Doubles as everyday watch
- Stopwatch and lap counter
CONS
- Tracking features are manual
- No advanced swimmer’s information
- No apps
Choosing the Fit Watch for You
When it comes to finding the best fit watch for swimmers, the ideal choice will depend on your specific needs. Budget, style preferences, and other factors play a major role in how useful a specific companion will be for you. Below are some questions to consider that will help you make your choice.
Where Do You Usually Swim?
Every model of swimmers’ fit watch has its own waterproof or water resistance rating to let you know the depths you can safely reach with it on. As most pools are less than 50 meters deep (the most common rating amongst our recommendations), your decision won’t be affected much by the rating. However, if you plan to dive, snorkel, or do other activities in the ocean or deep water, you’ll want to consider a model with a higher waterproof rating.
Do You Plan To Use It for Activities Other Than Swimming?
Whether you live in the water or vary your exercises with some biking or running determines if you need a device with multiple activities supported. Many will work for running, biking, and swimming, but for those who enjoy yoga, strength training, golf, and other activities, it may be worth upgrading from just a swimming tracker.
Would You Like To Track Your Heart Rate While Swimming?
Your heartrate plays a significant role in the quality of cardiovascular benefits you’ll get from swimming, so if you’re looking to maximize your fat burning, monitoring your heartrate may be a necessity for you.
Do You Want to Pair It With Your Smartphone to Receive Notifications?
Many higher-end activity trackers offer Bluetooth support for connecting to a smartphone, which lets you use the touchscreen display to read and even respond to notifications while you’re taking a breather. Not needing to hop out of the pool and dry off just to respond to a text can be incredibly convenient!
How Would You Prefer to Transfer Your Swimming Data?
While some fitness trackers lack on-device tracking and information about your workout, many offer an app that can sync with your phone, tablet, or PC’s Bluetooth or wireless connection to analyze the information from the fit watch. If you don’t want this advanced insight into your workouts, you may be able to spend less for a simple lap counter/stopwatch fitness tracker.
Final Verdict
A fit watch is a great tool for swimmers who want to improve their times and burn more calories, and if you’re looking for additional workout features, you’ll find plenty of them. However, depending on your needs you may not need to splurge on the best of the best.
Any of the 6 fit watches recommended in our best fit watches for swimmers round-up review should serve you well. However, for the best overall swimming tracker and overall fit watch, our choice would be the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Smartwatch due to the wide array of apps and features it contains. Anything it doesn’t have natively can be downloaded from the Garmin store, so you’ll always have some way to use it.
The best fit watch for swimmers alone would likely be the Moov 3D Fitness Tracker, as it tracks a wide array of advanced swimming information that is available once it is synced. It is also incredibly affordable for what it offers.