Best Open Water Swimming Watches Of 2022

Today we're looking at 15 GPS watches from Garmin, Polar Coros, and Apple to figure out which watches are the best for open water swimming.
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Garmin 255 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/...
Garmin Fenix/Epix - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/...
Garmin Instinct 2 - amzn.to/3Jbq7iR
Garmin Forerunner 745 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/...
Garmin 955 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/...
Apple Watch Series 7 - amzn.to/3zC43dT
Polar Pacer - amzn.to/3zfV0hn
Wahoo Rival - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/...
Polar Pacer Pro - amzn.to/3ODqraZ
Polar Grit X Pro - amzn.to/3BycpV8
Coros Vertix 2 - amzn.to/3JfOn3b
AmazFit T-Rex Pro - amzn.to/3PKKUMm
Polar Vantage V2 - amzn.to/3Q3CwHH
Polar Vantage M2 - amzn.to/3OGUe2O
Garmin Forerunner 945 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/...
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▬▬▬▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Intro
1:05 - Testing protocol
3:04 - Why They Struggle
4:58 - Rankings
5:05 - Garmin Forerunner 945
6:10 - Polar Vantage M2
6:36 - Polar Vantage V2
7:04 - AmazFit T-Rex Pro
7:29 - Coros Vertix 2
8:22 - Polar Grit X Pro
8:47 - Polar Pacer Pro
9:10 - Wahoo Elemnt Rival
9:38 - Polar Pacer
10:05 - Apple Watch Series 7
10:45 - Garmin Forerunner 955
11:50 - Garmin Forerunner 745
12:37 - Garmin Instinct 2
13:15 - Garmin Forerunner 255
13:37 - Garmin Epix / Fenix 7
14:25 - Conclusion

[@mlegrand]

Best place to buy watches: For Dialed Cycling Lab links try: Discount code: "matt_legrand" Garmin 255 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/forerunner-255-slate-grey/?v=e2ae933451f4 Garmin Fenix/Epix - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/garmin-epix-gen-2-sapphire-white-titanium/?v=e2ae933451f4 Garmin Instinct 2 - amzn.to/3Jbq7iR Garmin Forerunner 745 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/forerunner-745/?v=e2ae933451f4 Garmin 955 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/garmin-forerunner-955-solar-black/?v=e2ae933451f4 Apple Watch Series 7 - amzn.to/3zC43dT Polar Pacer - amzn.to/3zfV0hn Wahoo Rival - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/elemnt-rival-multisport-gps-watch/?v=e2ae933451f4 Polar Pacer Pro - amzn.to/3ODqraZ Polar Grit X Pro - amzn.to/3BycpV8 Coros Vertix 2 - amzn.to/3JfOn3b AmazFit T-Rex Pro - amzn.to/3PKKUMm Polar Vantage V2 - amzn.to/3Q3CwHH Polar Vantage M2 - amzn.to/3OGUe2O Garmin Forerunner 945 - dialedcyclinglab.com/product/forerunner-945/?v=e2ae933451f4

[@ntombimadu8437]

Which a iPhone compatible

[@mlegrand]

@@ntombimadu8437 - I think every one of these watches will work with an iPhone. The Apple Watches tend to be be the most integrated with iPhones but the all of the others have some sort of iOS apps that work.

[@fitgearhunter]

Dude - your cinematography and background music overlays is just beautiful really - if that’s not too odd to say. And great overall concept and testing. Excellent work.

[@mlegrand]

Thanks buddy! I was trying to make the intro nice 👌

[@kingjustice1831]

I agree FGT! Matt is very talented when it comes to his production quality.

[@mlegrand]

@@kingjustice1831 🙏

[@fitgearhunter]

@@kingjustice1831 off the charts, for sure - sorry for delayed response - just caught this one

[@TomislavLifelovero]

Matt, thanks a lot for this video! I was watching your workouts on Strava and expecting something great. And you have exceeded my expectations! 15 watches tested multiple times on 1km route - wow - huge respect!

[@mlegrand]

Thanks Tomáš! I actually hide a lot of activities on Strava but didn't mind if some of these were showing. It was a lot of watches to test but it was also a lot of fun.

[@patrickdaly7053]

Great comprehensive video Matt, thanks!

[@mlegrand]

Thanks Patrick!

[@alexa9771]

wow, what an intro!! there is a lot of love n work in this video. U should have 1 m subs.

[@mlegrand]

Well, I'm getting close to 1M subs but it's nice to have a smaller group here that I can chat with. Thanks so much for the kind words Alex!

[@ed7268]

Thanks Matt! That's a serious amount of testing. I have just got the 955 (and am loving it) and the GPS accuracy running seems to be a step up from my 935. Haven't tried an open water swim yet, but I am unlikely to notice anything unless its way off and has me swimming along the sand! Keep up the great work.

[@mlegrand]

My running tests with the 955 are very accurate. Probably one of the best watches I’ve tested. I have a feeling the open water issues will get corrected. 👌 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@angelaangela8830]

Today my new 255 garmin arrived after watching your video. Tested on open water swimming and i am thrilled. Amazing gps signal. Thank you!

[@mlegrand]

I’m retrospect, I could have put the 255 at number one here. Such a good option. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@hulcuk]

Thanks for the content, Matt! The same issues with Garmin Forerunner 955. Each swim is significantly shorter that I expected. Glad to hear it is not only me as I was terrified with my performance :D

[@mlegrand]

I *think* Garmin is aware of it and should be able to fix it with a software update. It's an odd one because the 255 is spot on and those two watches have the same chipsets. 👌

[@ZotmundSzele]

Matt, you're not just the master of cinematography but hardcore to the details ✌️

[@mlegrand]

Thank you! I really enjoy trying! 🎥

[@TheCelticClydesdaleShow]

Well done! Some epic swim time going on there, along with some incredibly solid KZbin science! Given my love for my 920XT and a complete lack of fundage to buy any other watches, I have no data about any on your list. I will say that my 920XT leaves A LOT to be desired on the OWS. As for your comment about updates on the 745XT, I think that it will continue getting updates for quite some time. Garmin still pushes updates to the 920XT quite regularly, so I'd assume they would also do so with the 745XT. Excellent video, my friend!

[@mlegrand]

That's good to know. Maybe I was too quick to write off the Garmin update team. Hope you are well buddy.

[@SmartBikeTrainers]

Great stuff Matt and nice way to get a little extra swimming 👍🏼

[@mlegrand]

Thanks! Lots of fun swims for sure. And congrats on your recent race in Ohio!!! 🙌🏻

[@tiago6197]

Great video Matt, love your content. I'm a 955 and 745 owner but I'm not a triathlete,so i don't know how they perform on open water,but in running the 955 is top notch, however in Garmin forums there are some trends of people reporting the poor accuracy of the 955 in open water swimming. Probably something they have to fix. Cheers from Portugal

[@mlegrand]

Oh, that’s actually good to know. I was worried I was doing something wrong. I’ve had great GPS tracks on runs and I’m sure Garmin will correct this OWS issue. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@bg975]

Great to meet you the other day. The video turned out really well.

[@mlegrand]

Great to meet you also! This is the video I was working on out there at Fallen Leaf Lake. I love that spot! 🏊‍♂️

[@buksi771]

Very nice video, thanks a lot! Interesting to see the forerunner 255 and the instinct 2 rank this close to each other. I think these 2 watches are so-so similar in what they offer and how accurate they are and also their price tag puts them very close. I'm kinda stucked between these 2, which would be a better choice (I don't mind the monochrome display,I think it's easier to read on a sunny day) 😅

[@mlegrand]

That's a hard call. The battery life is better on the Instinct 2 but the 255 has a few features that aren't yet on the instinct 2 that you might enjoy (things like the Morning Report). This might sound crazy but I'd pick the one that you think looks best. You do have to wear it on your wrist daily after all. 😆 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@user-ln6cx1ok7i]

255 is really impressed Thanks for yor review

[@mlegrand]

Maybe it should have been ranked number 1. It really did well during all of my testing and I have no idea why. 😆 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@kingjustice1831]

Hi Matt, I have the Tactix 7 Standard and the GPS in it is incredible! Thank you for another awesome video review. Your content is very well done and I appreciate the hard work you put in to produce these videos.

[@mlegrand]

Hi King Justice! Yeah, that should be the exact same as the Epix/Fenix 7 which tested very well for me. I would really love to test that Tactix watch some day. Looks amazing!

[@kingjustice1831]

Yea, I am a former Marine so you know I had to go with the Tactix! 😆 If you ever get a chance to test this model I will be front and center to watch another super review. Also, I am now a subscriber! Have a great weekend Matt!!

[@mlegrand]

@@kingjustice1831 - Thank you! I bet I can ask around and find a way to review this one. I really want to look at some of the features specific to this device. 👌

[@juananparraga]

Good job, Matt!

[@mlegrand]

Thanks Juan! This one was a big effort as far as videos goes. Hopefully it’ll be helpful for people for a while.

[@neletg]

Thanks a lot for your review, the best I've seen on KZbin. I use a ultra cheap 60€ Amazfit GTS 2 mini on the buoy and a square 5000 series G-Shock on the wrist, that's all.

[@mlegrand]

The GTS on the buoy above water probably works pretty well. When I've tested the Amazfit watches on the wrist the accuracy hasn't been great. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@surreytrailgoat5469]

great video Matt. Epix 2 is such a great great watch - i love the navigation and I cannot wait for it to get the other features the 955 has. But I must admit I also really like the Apple Watch

[@mlegrand]

This weekend I raced a triathlon with the new beta features on the Apple Watch and it seems to have worked pretty well. I’ll get to work making a video about it. 👌

[@imixmag]

Agree with the Garmin 945 issues. My friend's stats are always way off, even for the other disciplines. Great review awesome cinematography

[@mlegrand]

Thank you IMixMag! I don't know what's up with that. I'd love to figure out what's going on.

[@HoytMcBeth]

Matt - your videography just blows me away.

[@mlegrand]

Thank you so much Steve!!! I’ll continue to work at it. 👍

[@bonn1771]

this was awesome!! great editing i am still rocking my fenix3 non hr until it dies

[@mlegrand]

That's the way to do it. No need to snag new watches every year. 🙌🏻

[@PatrickDelorenzi]

Great video Matt - overall would u say that the best option for precise distances is just putting the watch on the buoy?

[@mlegrand]

Yes, absolutely! You can also try under a swim cap but if you can get the watch on the buoy and have it clearly stay above water, you'll get great results. There's also the added benefit of not needing a specific watch with the open water swimming activity type. You can put it in walk mode and keep it above water and it'll do pretty well. 👌🏻

[@thejosesino]

excellent video❤

[@mlegrand]

Thank you so much!

[@freedomfamily.8488]

amazing cinematography

[@mlegrand]

Wow, thank you so much! I really love that part about making these videos.

[@Try_n_2Tri]

Loving my new 255. No regrets and took your recommendation... now if I could just open water swim. Good review as always.

[@mlegrand]

We need to think of a good video topic that might help. Do you have a spot where you can practice open water swimming where you live?

[@Try_n_2Tri]

@@mlegrand Yes. We swim at a small lake near my place. I believe my issue is/was not having a foundation of good swim technique before going to open water. I relied on my wetsuit to correct many flaws in my technique which did not work when I got into bigger open water than I had trained. I have to get back to the pool and build proper technique first.

[@mlegrand]

@@Try_n_2Tri - Sounds like you have a good plan! 👌 This is good time of year to sneak in this open water swims. Keep me posted on how training is coming along. 👍

[@carlosmobellan9443]

Thanks Matt, that was a great video with, as you say, some surprising results. I don't have experience with all of these obviously, but generally find the Fenix models very strong, as well as the Apple Watch. Also interested to see the Instinct 2 and the FR 745 perform well, the latter is a very underrated watch IMO (I think DC Rainmaker was using it as his daily until recently). And, the FR 745 and older Fenix models can be had secondhand (eBay etc) for a significant discount, better for your pocket and the environment too! Cheers.

[@mlegrand]

That's a great point Carlos. A second hand 745 would be a really good deal these days. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@carlosmobellan9443]

@@mlegrand For anyone in Australia, the 745 is on sale for $424AUD (I assume its a run out of old stock, but who knows)

[@benbos1925]

I use the 945LTE and find it entirely accurate. I compare with the race distances, and when planning OW swims with the google maps distance measuring option. I think the biggest impact on GPS signal is cadence/stroke rate. Maybe even water conditions choppy or not. Anyway interesting and beautiful video

[@mlegrand]

I think the 945LTE is built on the same system as the 745 which tested extremely well for me. 👌 Same with running GPS accuracy and I actually compared it to the 945 and remember it being much better. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@benbos1925]

@@mlegrand it would be nice to test the battery life comparison between the 945-945LTE and the 955 ( potentially 955solar) then with the LTE on and off. Do you know if DC tainmakers analysis tool can read out battery drop stats like you get in the farm in connect app on ie a Edge 850?

[@mlegrand]

@@benbos1925 - Yes, his tool can and does show reported battery drain. LTE was a huge hit to battery when I was testing that device.

[@mironh71]

I’m using the Epix2, so great watch, especially for open water swimming 😎

[@mlegrand]

I agree 👌 Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@joaolsmatos]

Hi Matt. Thanks a lot for your video, i have the GARMIN 945 and the last open water swims, he only records the first 600 to 800m and then stops. only notice in the end of the swim... is this normal? i´ve sync with form googles but have already disconnected. Let´s see how it goes! if you can give any feedback about this would be great. thanks!

[@mlegrand]

This could happen if the watch is underwater for a bit at the 6-800 mark, loses GPS connection and never reestablishes connection.

[@matthiaszucchet]

Very (very) nice video, thanks a lot! Did you repeat the test protocol for the new forerunner 965 compared to the fenix/epix or FR255 on the buoy? Or do you have any other experience with the FR965 in open water? Besides that: Why not always swim with a watch on the buoy? I`m seriously considering that this season. You`ll of course lose any other stats such as spm etc., but for me the time I`ve swum + the accurate distance is actually everything that matters.

[@mlegrand]

I’ll do a lot more testing once the water warms up here. It was 58 last time I was in the water. 🥶 There’s not a ton of downsides to putting a watch in the open air for more accurate GPS data. Just the lost HR and strike metrics.

[@soomad]

The Polar watches having multisport at such a low price point def often go unrecognized as potential triathlon watches. Still happy with going with the Pacer.

[@mlegrand]

That Pacer did well and $200 for a tri was Watch is a really impressive deal. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@flinkwieeinwiesel5657]

Super interesting video, thank you! I am using the Polar Grit X Pro since 1.5 years, for pool training (interval, technique) and open water swimming (3-7 km freestyle). GPS signal is acceptable to me, but in the pool (in swim mode, set with correct pool length) distance is overestimated by ca. 30%. Since several months I become increasingly frustrated with the buttons: when starting or finishing laps, the button is no longer responsive and jams - not much grit in the "Grit X Pro" after all. Moving forward, I am taking a closer look at Garmin and Suunto. Manufacturers don't test swimming conditions as needed and batch variability may be huge and underestimated - I think that's bitter considering the price tag of these devices.

[@mlegrand]

I would be very frustrated with any button issues also. It’s designed to be durable. I would check in with Polar and see what they say.

[@CreteSwim]

Many thanks for helping out the OWS community with your testing! In my experience the watch distance data become inaccurate when stopping a swim because the software seems to be estimating your average speed. My Swim 2 thinks I'm moving even though I stopped. (the solution is to immediately pause recording when stopping) So, in your test, I would start recording at the first buoy and stop recording at the last buoy, without recording any turns. The buoy turns are similar to the problem of stopping. I would lengthen this straight-line course to 800m or more to represent a more typical distance and distance error for an OWS swim. For example, if the course is 100m and a watch has a 20m position error, that's a 20% error. But if the course is 800m and the watch is off by 20m, that's only a 2.5% error. You could put one or two watches on each wrist for the same swim so you'll be recording more watches for the same conditions. I'd also like to see two or more identical watches tested at the same time.

[@mlegrand]

It'd be really interesting to see two or more identical watches tested at the same time. I bet you'd still see unique tracks. Really great suggestions for future tests Paul! Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@filla_del_mar]

I'm really at a crossroads now. Recently my Garmin Swim 2, which I have been using for 3 years, has stopped working, so I'm searching for another good option for open water swimming, like distances over 14km. Instinct 2 seems to be a good option, but I really like Forerunner 255 accuracy. Thank you for this video!

[@mlegrand]

I was probably the most impressed with the 255 after testing all of these. I didn't really look at battery life usage after each of these short swims. You're talking about swimming for 4+ hours right? That's a long way.

[@filla_del_mar]

​@@mlegrand Yes, from 4 to 12 hours of swimming (28-30 km distance). I will probably look more into 255, I think the battery should be good enough for such activities.

[@fredericmazzola7725]

Thanks for this helpful video. Amazing. What about Garmin Swim2??

[@mlegrand]

I don’t have that one but it should test exactly like the 745 as the internals are so similar. I own a lot of watches but not that one. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@fredericmazzola7725]

@@mlegrand Fair enough.Thank you for your answer

[@veerlevandegevel7822]

I am a keen open water /sea but also indoor outdoor pool swimmer and I love and trust my Suunto watch(es) . I started with Suunto 2 and had ultra/baro etc I am now at Suunto 9. Advantages for indoor: you do not have to alert watch for every ending of for ex your 200m or 100 m swim, it automatically keeps track of your sets and crawl/backstroke..., outdoors it has been more trustworthy than some Garmin watches of my friends that often ...for some reason don't track the distance correctly. Just a side note as a keen swimmer I do thinks Suunto is worth mentioning ;°)

[@mlegrand]

I really wish I had some Suunto watches to test. That’s the one brand I’ve yet to test on my channel. I’m really glad that you’re finding them accurate. 👌

[@juki009]

Great video! I am thinking of getting a Descent G1... would it be fair to place the same expectations of the Instinct2 in terms of open water tracking on it?

[@mlegrand]

Hi Juki! To be perfectly honest, I don’t know for sure. I would guess that you’d see similar performance to the Instinct 2 but I’ve never tested that particular watch. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@juki009]

@@mlegrand Maybe you can ask Garmin to loan ya one, that would be awesome hahaha :)) All of the reviews of the G1 I have seen so far only focus on the Diving aspect of the watch ... I haven't seen any commentary yet on its GPS performance, HR monitoring and other non-diving features.

[@brendanobrien9273]

Which open water watch would you recommend for someone with poor vision - i.e. big display or display that can be configured bigger or easily pinch zoomed etc ?? .... Thanks so much for all your research and such an interesting video

[@mlegrand]

I would highly recommend the Garmin Forerunner 255. You can't pinch to zoom on any metric but you could make one metric really larger per page. It's a 1.3 inch screen. The Garmin Epix 2 would also be a nice option because of the brighter and sharper screen. It's just a big jump in price. Let me know what you end up with and what you think of it. 👍

[@brendanobrien9273]

@@mlegrand Thanks so much

[@dexterbaxter4434]

Have a 955 coming my way and crossing my fingers it's what I need. Coming from the beginner Vivoactive 3 so it's a huge step up for me. Got tired of having HR disabled for swimming and no GPS. Question; I usually stick close to shore at my local pond/lake and do laps. Do you have to pause it after every lap? Fantastic content! Great studio lighting, great cinematography and music!

[@mlegrand]

Thanks for the kind words Dexter! I never pause my watch when open water swimming but that’ll make your pace slow depending on how many breaks you take.

[@dexterbaxter4434]

@@mlegrand just got it today and playing around with it. So far I'm really impressed, it seems to connect faster and automatically to my other devices unlike the vivoactive 3. Ok next question; I noticed it has triathlon for an activity. So does pressing start/stop automatically go to swimming/transition/cycling/transition/running? Does it account for transitions I guess is what I'm asking

[@mlegrand]

@@dexterbaxter4434 - press the split button for triathlon. Out of the water, press it, out of T1, press it, etc. it’ll know which order is normal for a triathlon. 👌 Keep me posted on how you like it 👏

[@dexterbaxter4434]

@@mlegrand Thanks so much! Wondering how strava will see it, if strava will automatically break the activity into its respected parts. So far only a few days in and I'm loving the 955. A few first impressions; battery life. Coming from entry level devices from fitbit and the vivoactive 3 where I had to charge the devices once a day the 955 is a dream! Broadcast heart beat to my edge 830 for 3 hours of cycling? No problem with only 1% battery loss. VO3 and others would be drained. Thought I'd miss the full touch capability of the VO3 but so far the buttons of the 955 have been fairly intuitive. Also I smaller wrists for a guy and thought the 955 would be huge but it's actually still somewhat in line of the VO3 so it hasn't been overly chunky and oversized. Will check back in once I've done a lake swim later this week.

[@mlegrand]

@@dexterbaxter4434 - I very rarely use the touch screen on the 955. I prefer buttons but that's what I'm used to currently. Glad you're enjoy it buddy! 👍🏻

[@7mariner]

Hi Matt, garmin 255s and 255 will be that same results ? I have 17cm [6.70inches] wrist, which will be better?

[@mlegrand]

Your wrists are similar to mine. I prefer the larger size but that's just me. I would expect you to get excellent open water swimming results with this watch. 👌

[@Javiercav]

I have a 945 and I also found that since 9.60 firmware the openwater GPS went to the trash. Measuring wrong distance. Or cutting the track data in weird ways, (showing 1500m swim with "ok" total distance but a gps track that only shows 300m if I measure the line ). I have a friend with a 745 that didn't update the firmware and his watch seems to be working really fine. I already have been posting in the garmin support website and even beta program but no one ever answers. I'm totally thinking on switching brand because the really bad support that garmin gives to users after they have put their money on their products.

[@mlegrand]

What are you thinking about switching to Javier?

[@hubert7734]

I’m thinking about Forerunner 255. Can I swim breaststroke and have accurate distance measurements?

[@mlegrand]

The 255 is an excellent option for open water swimming but it won’t measure well if the arms don’t come up and out of the water like free style swimming. That’s typically the spot where it can reconnect quickly with GPS satellites. I don’t know if it’d work well with breaststroke. GPS typically won’t drop the signal until you’re about 1/4 a meter under water. I haven’t done a lot of breaststroke testing. It’d be interesting to know what you find out.

[@twosteen]

I use both the Garmin Swim2 and the Coros Pace 2 for open water swimming. Strangely enough, the Coros “seems” much more accurate. I’m going to do your buoy test just to confirm my suspicions. Great video Matt-make more like it!

[@mlegrand]

Yeah, that is interesting. I would have expected the exact opposite. The Sim 2 should be similar to something like the 745 which tested really well for me. Let me know what you find out and let me know if you need help overlaying GPS data points. 👌🏻

[@HoytMcBeth]

I have the Pace 2 and I was holding out hopes that it was going to be a dark horse victor! This comment made me smile.

[@marcinkaczmarek916]

Matt, one thing I miss in every single video reviews about open water smartwatches is a GPS signal while swimming breaststroke (not freestyle). How do they do, is the GPS signal actually working? I've just tested some watches and they did not calculate the distance at all. Seems like the GPS is not tracked because hands are slightly underwater all the time? Did you ever tried to investigate this subject?

[@mlegrand]

Hi Marcin, GPS signal only penetrates the water about 1/2 a foot or so. After that you're really out of luck. These watches work by quick establishing connection and pinging satellites when you're arm is up and out of the water. Do you do a lot of breaststroke? Might be tricky to get good data. 🤷‍♂️

[@marcinkaczmarek916]

@@mlegrand Is there a way to force a smartwatch (Apple or any other) to take the GPS data from the iPhone which is in the pocket in buoy? I've just had a swim with AppleWatch + iPhone in a buoy but still no GPS points on the map :(

[@marcinkaczmarek916]

any news on that? :D

[@tilulrich]

I had the Epix gen2 the accuracy was terrible up to half the distance was missing. Even wearing the epix on the head did not help. Thought it was a faulty batch and returned the epix and changed for another: same result: way off. My old fr 735xt is much better. Waiting for Garmin swim2 and FR 945 now. Let’s see how these perform.

[@mlegrand]

Swim 2 should perform like a 745 which is a good thing. The 945 might have issues. If you still have an Epix 2, see if a software update helps. It's so odd to me that these different Garmin watches perform so differently. The 955 and the 255 should be the same (same chipset, algorithms, etc) but the 255 is somehow more accurate. I'd love to see your results when you have everything compiled. Thanks Til!

[@gustavoc.corenzan2690]

Hey Matt. I'm interested about Garmin Swin 2 as well. I'm thinking in acquire this device for pool and open water. Have you tried this one? If yes, could you share with us your opinion? Tkx

[@AlwayzPr0]

i just got my 955 in july and the open water swim accuracy sucks. it under reports my speed by 20-30sec/100yds and distance is all messsed up. i am swimming with it on my buoy until they fix it.

[@mlegrand]

Super sorry about that Harrison. Come on Garmin. What's going on here? Seems perfect on the 255 and I have to think those two chips sets are very similar. At least Garmin is aware and working on it.

[@AlwayzPr0]

@@mlegrand i hope soon because my suunto spartan hr from 4 years ago tracks better :O at least we have multi band GPS?

[@luanmai1984]

How about garmin Enduro? Appreciate for help

[@mlegrand]

The new Enduro 2 should test exactly like an Epix 2. The Epix 2, Fenix 7, Enduro 2 and Tactix are all basically the same Watch.

[@luanmai1984]

@@mlegrand thanks for your information 😊

[@OTIS8883]

So no swim 2? I was gifted one and the distance is quite off like 50 -60% off

[@mlegrand]

I just don’t happen to have that watch. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@tristan_4506]

Where would you rank the Garmin Swim 2

[@mlegrand]

In line with the Garmin FR 745 as they have similar internals. I just don’t happen to own that one. Sorry about that.

[@pavan20100611]

Great video as always… First one to comment

[@mlegrand]

Thanks so much Pavan Takkalaki! I really appreciate you watching these. 👍

[@adhajamil4263]

my fenix 7 solar sapphire.pool swimming always measure over 150-200m 😅

[@mlegrand]

Pool swimming is different, it measures lap turns and arm strokes. I’ve noticed all of these watches struggle at some point. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@radarh7910]

Where is Suunto on the that test, or list 🤔

[@mlegrand]

I've never tested a Suunto watch on this channel. I've reached out them a few times and they haven't responded. 🤷‍♂️

[@toktickbanana8651]

I have Apple Watch S7 , Garmin Epix gen 2 and Coros Vertix 2. In term of HR measurement under water, Apple Watch S7 is the best HR accuracy. The rest cannot measure correct HR data during swimming.

[@mlegrand]

Measuring heart rate during swim is extremely difficult. I'll do some more testing on the series 7 and the series 8 but I don't tend to trust any wrist optical heart rate data while swimming. I think the way to judge this would be a good chest strap (with strong connection) that stores HR data on the device and syncs afterwards as a control. And then compare those numbers closely to the AW. Thanks Frozen Blaze.

[@alanthompson637]

Strange. I looked up this video after having repeated inaccuracy with my new Fenix 7. Yet this review as it at number 1. My own experience has my distance down by at lease 30% on every swim. I've not done anything scientific with the test but since buying the Fenix 7, I've gone from being a swimmer who could easily average under 2min per 100m, to a swimmer who can't get under 3min per 100m. Either the measured distance is very wrong or the new watch is weighing me down. Also, a quick search of Garmin forums shows this as a problem suffered by numerous other users. If some Fenix 7's are accurate and some aren't, maybe there is a manufacturing issue. However, Garmin seem to be ignoring the problem? Maybe in fear of a recall! PS Great video.

[@mlegrand]

Hey Alan, I've only tested the Epix but have the Epix/Fenix 7 as #1. The numbers you're seeing are eerily similar to the issues I'm seeing on the 955. I wonder if there are some new issues showing up in software on these devices. What firmware version are you running? I think the good news is that Garmin is aware of the issue and hopefully is working on a software fix. Thanks for posting your experience. 👍

[@alanthompson637]

@@mlegrand the historical data I have was all recorded on a Fenix 5. It always had variations but was far more accurate than the Fenix 7.

[@mlegrand]

@@alanthompson637 - I think this is the same issue as what I was seeing on the 955 in this review. 😬 Hopefully Garmin will fix it quickly.

[@alanthompson637]

Just an update. After lots of correspondence with Garmin and no sign of a fix for the inaccurate distance result. The Fenix 7 is going back for a refund.

[@mlegrand]

@@alanthompson637 - Thanks for the update Alan. I wonder what's going on here. I was thinking that this was a known issue and as such expected Garmin to be working on a fix. What's interesting is, this is 100% software. The GPX files are showing good accurate tracking. There's some odd disconnect for calculating distance from that GPX file. You can even pull your own GPX file into a different program and get perfect results. It's super odd.

[@angelaangela8830]

no suunto 9 peak?

[@mlegrand]

I have yet to test any Suunto watches on my channel. I’ve reached out to them but no luck as of yet. Hopefully someday soon. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@gerhardtekes2418]

No tests for the most popular and best price/benefit, such as Amazfit Bip s, Amazfit U Pro, .....

[@mlegrand]

Sorry Gerhard, I only have so many watches. The one AmazFit watch I tested was the T-Rex 2 and it didn't test super well in my opinion. Have you had any luck with any of these watches? What are you swimming with?

[@hrzambranoc]

and garmin swim 2?

[@mlegrand]

Hi Henry, I actually don't have a Garmin Swim 2 believe it or not. Good news is it *should* test very similar to the 745 because it uses the same technology under the hood. That's a good thing and I'd expect to see a low error % in the range of about 5% as opposed to the 10-15% average among the watches tested.

[@tomfluffer7055]

I had the Garmin FR 955 for about 1 week. It was nable to track open water accurately, pure garbage compared to the Swim2 or the Fr945 which i own as well. I sent it back, since i cannot use it. It's a pity since i was really looking forward to the FR955, but this is a gamebreaker for me.

[@mlegrand]

Totally understandable Tom. I think this is excellent feedback for others to read. I think the Swim 2 has similar results to the FR 745 which has always been surprisingly good in my testing. The issues with the 955 are super odd. ( I didn't see them with the 255) If you actually take the .fit or .gpx file and use a different tool for calculating distance, it'll re-measure and give you accurate data. Crazy. Somehow this watch is plotting GPS points correctly but inaccurately calculating distance. Or at least that's how it appears to me. It's a known issue and I have to imagine Garmin can fix it. We'll see. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@mlegrand]

Also, reading up on it, this issue should be fixed as of about 17 days ago. forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-955-series/298162/open-water-swim-distance-differs-from-the-track-recorded-todays-swimrun-352m-vs-approx-750m-unacceptable#pifragment-1279=14

[@elvinhuseynli6578]

what about 935 ?

[@elvinhuseynli6578]

Open Water Forerunner 255 Series Forerunner 735XT Forerunner 745 Forerunner 935 Forerunner 945/945 LTE Forerunner 955/955 Solar

[@elvinhuseynli6578]

not all garmin watches have open water profile. so how did you test these watch which do not have open water profile? i post here watchs which have open water profile

[@mlegrand]

Hi Elvin, unfortunately I wasn’t able to test every watch ever made by Garmin. I was mostly aiming to test the modern stuff but I did test the 945 and 745. The 945LTE tests similarly to the 745 because they have the same chipsets. I did own the 935 and it always seemed accurate when open water swimming. Thank you for watching and taking the extra time to comment. I really appreciate it. 👍

[@vittorioreina2956]

@@mlegrand Great video! I bought a 935 after the battery of my (great) 735xt died. I have to say that the 935 is quite bad in open water swimming as it cuts distances and I cannot use to check improvements in trainings and performances. The same happens to my triathlon team mates. For this reason I am thinking to go to the 255... hope this will be better!

[@mlegrand]

@@vittorioreina2956 - Honestly, things might change with software updates but the 255 has been one of the best OW swim watches I’ve ever tested. It’d be a great option. Let me know what you end up with and how it works out.

[@joaoserdoura4581]

Sunto?

[@mlegrand]

I would have really loved to have tested something from Suunto. Feels like a big miss. I just personally don’t have access to any of their watches. Hopefully I’ll get to test their watches in the future.

[@TestTheTech]

Noticed the same short reported distance for 955 on my test. Fenix 7X seems spot on (at least with latest 10.X alpha firmware) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ-4n4OHi6uafa8.

[@mlegrand]

I swam with the 955 this week with the latest software and it nailed the distance. Enduro 2 measured short. I’ll need to check exact software versions. You should also try taking the GPX swim data from the 955 and plug it into a different software to see if it calculates the correct distance. Crazy that this open water swimming big is just some mixed up math somehow. 😬.

[@TestTheTech]

@@mlegrand if i use "distance correction" from Strava, distance is reported correctly; also exporting gpx to Google Earth or other gpx reader, resulting in a correct distance. Firmware for Enduro 2 is now the same as Fenix 7 line up (Since 10.X Alpha).