The Apple Watch has been put through its paces on more than one occasion since its release last month and all of the tests have indicated that the device is far more waterproof than Apple claims. Now, triathlete Ray Maker has put Apple Watch through a trio of intensive tests that further prove the device’s ability to withstand exposure to water.
First off, Maker conducted a 1,200 meter swim during which he wore an Apple Watch Sport. In his post recapping the tests, Maker noted that the Watch withstood the swim without any hiccups, but pointed out that the device doesn’t have any built-in options for tracking swimming like it does for other physical tasks. The wrist detection feature of Apple Watch also didn’t work very well while underwater, which in turn led to inaccurate heart rate measurements, Maker claimed.
Following the swim, Maker decided to wear his Apple Watch while diving into a pool. Maker and his assistant wore Apple Watch while they jumped off of a 5m platform, 8m platform, and 10m platform. Apple’s wearable was able to withstand all three of these dives with no harmful consequences, as Maker notes in the video below.
Finally, Maker placed his Apple Watch in a waterproofing chamber. The Watch features an IPX7 water-resistance rating, which means it can withstand 1 meter of submersion for 30 minutes. Maker defied that rating and sent Apple Watch through automated test cycles in the water chamber at 40 meters deep. The trend continued with this test as Apple Watch emerged from the chamber without any issues whatsoever.
Whether or not any longterm problems surface from excessive exposure to water remains to be seen, but for now, it appears that Apple Watch is far more waterproof than Apple leads on. Warranty concerns remain, however, for those who expose their Watch to intense conditions.
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I took a shower with mine once, and didn’t brave it after that… Really would like to have confidence enough to swim with it though. I go every Saturday and would appreciate keeping my watch on the full day and not taking it off for 4h b/c swimming.
I went to the spa with it. Soaked it hot tub with no problem. Then dry and wet saunas.
Its made well.
Thanks for the comment…took mine into the spa today for about an hour — totally fine. Yay!
Swam with it in a pool all week last week and it was fine.
Water doesn’t kill your Apple Watch, it kills your AppleCare. ;)
Ray is the best resource around re analysis of fitness tech. I can’t wait for his in depth review.
Go buy one, swim 250 laps, dive to a depth of 500 meters and report your findings back to us.
I wonder if the wrist detection would work better if you put some heart rate monitor gel on your wrist before getting in the pool, as a way to keep some of the water out.
Electrode gels are water based, and so would wash off very easily.
And on top of that, the Apple Watch wrist detection and heart rate measurements are optical, not electrical.
I’m not overly impressed by the watch exceeding spec once or twice. I would like to see if it survives a trip to the pool a couple of hundred times, before I went swimming with mine.
Also, I’d like to see it worn in heavy sunshine for a couple of hundred days and THEN taken to the pool or beach a few times. Heat, UV and time will be what kills the dinky little rubber gaskets.
I’ll have more confidence in version 2, once everyone has thoroughly abused version1 for a year or so.
That said, I have no problem using mine in the shower, which is all I really wanted in the first place.
I went swimming with mine yesterday after reading this, and after a lap in one of those lazy rivers at a waterpark, it turned off. It eventually came back on and is working, but I don’t think that I will do that again.
I haven’t submerged mine in water yet or even used it in the shower. I am taking the cautious route by removing it prior to showering. After seeing the videos, though, I am confident it can survive anything I’d put it through (which wouldn’t be much).
My main concern if I were a swimmer would be the buckle coming loose. Imagine surfing or swimming in any body of water and your watch comes off your wrist and sinking to the bottom. Judging from these videos it doesn’t seem likely, but it would still be a concern of mine only because it’s such an expensive item that I’ve yet to trust.
They dove from 10 meters hight, not 10 meters under water .. what a misleading title!
these types of pools are rarely 10 meters deep, usually about 5-6 tops.