Improve faster in the pool with the right smartwatch

Most triathletes will dive at anything to help make the swim easier. A reliable smart watch with relevant data tracking can help your session go smoother, keep you motivated and provide useful feedback.

One of the first considerations is whether or not your current smart watch is user friendly in the pool. Some have better functionality and precision than others when it comes to pool and open water swimming. Accurate lap counts and the ability to track non-swimming set like kicking using a drill setting will allow you to count the length a smart watch can’t inherently recognize. This ensures all your effort is reflected in the data and training software.

Screen size is also important as is backlighting, especially in open water swim when you may be floating around far out in choppy water trying to read your watch face. In this case, GPS is also important for tracking distance when you can’t rely on counting lengths of the pool.

Dial in your swim sessions with the right data

Feedback such as stroke rate and pacing offers valuable insight into your technique and racing skills. If your stroke rate is low during sprint intervals the watch has helped you identify an area you can work on to improve speed. If the data shows uneven pacing on a longer tempo set than you know you need to work on managing effort more evenly.

There are a lot of choices on the market and it can be a challenge to wade through all the options. We review three popular and effective models for 2025 that can help you make waves in your swim training this year.

Garmin Swim 2

This watch is a great option if you are looking to add a watch just for swimming. Maybe you already have an high-end watch that you use for running and cycling, and the addition of a dedicated, swim-specific watch is all you need to complete your set.

The Swim 2 is a standout in that it has wrist-based heart rate. Most triathlon watches don’t have a heart rate function while swimming, unless you wear a waterproof chest strap, which adds about $150-200 to your overall cost. The wrist-based function works in both the pool and open water modes. Having accurate heart rate zones for swimming is a valuable tool when setting targets for swim sets to ensure you are working hard enough on the fast-paced sets and keeping the easy sets easy.

The latest 2025 model records lengths, distance, pace, stroke count and type, SWOLF and has a built-in GPS for much less than a multisport watch at C$349.99.

Suunto Race S

This model has multisport functions on top of its impressive swim functionality. It has a touchscreen that displays distance, stroke rate, count and type, and pace. It standouts with its automatic intervals in the pool and its heart rate variability (HRV) function. The HRV component helps inform sleep and recovery and reports on training readiness. This can help you adjust intensity appropriately during your swim session.

Knowing if you are fresh for all out sprints or should pivot to longer tempo sets will help set you up for a quality session that you can execute well and adapt optimal from. In a lightweight durable titanium, this watch will set you back C$649.

Polar Vantage V3

The AMOLED screen is ideal for screen viewing, especially in lower light such as when you are out on the open water on a cloudy day. It sports all the usual swim functionalities of most watches, but standouts with one unique feature.

This watch is able to detect various swim stroke in the pool. It knows the difference between freestyle and breaststroke. This adds a layer of accuracy to your swim data as pacing is now associated with different strokes instead of lumping paces from all strokes together. Now when you review your data you can see stroke-specific pacing, allowing you to more easily set targets for sets other than your standard freestyle workouts.

The GPS function for open water swimming is accurate and reliable. Beyond its standout swim functionality, the watch measures skin temperature, which is a unique function that can help inform how heat impacts your sessions. That data can help design sessions more appropriately around heat and when doing heat specific training.

All the other typical functions of a multisport watch are present. It comes in at a higher price point for C$899.99.

Make the best use of your time in the pool

Depending what you want to measure and target specifically in swim training, one of these watches will deliver. Having a tool that is simple and stress-free when using in water reduces the normal anxiety that can often accompany any swim session.

Targeted data that will help you or your coach design a more specific swim training program that can ensure you are using your time in the pool effectively and working on the elements that will give you the biggest gains.