I’m currently looking for a watch to track swimming with and also around the 200-300 USD mark. I just want an accurate watch that also displays how many calories I’ve burned, laps, etc.
Calories burned won’t be accurate no matter what the watch. That said, I’ve been happy with how my Garmin Forerunner 255 counts laps; it’s currently on sale for $230.
Hux said:
Calories burned won’t be accurate no matter what the watch. That said, I’ve been happy with how my Garmin Forerunner 255 counts laps; it’s currently on sale for $230.
Same. It works great for swimming and cycling for me.
I use Garmin Swim 2 for a couple of months and don’t have any complaints really.
Adley said:
I use Garmin Swim 2 for a couple of months and don’t have any complaints really.
I second this recommendation. Been swimming open water with it, and the GPS tracking is quite decent. Plus, it’s less expensive than the other Garmin watches.
Adley said:
I use Garmin Swim 2 for a couple of months and don’t have any complaints really.
Is there a built-in app for it?
Adley said:
I use Garmin Swim 2 for a couple of months and don’t have any complaints really.
Is there a built-in app for it?
Yes, Garmin Connect, it’s pretty decent and easily syncs with Strava.
@Adley
Alright, I’ll definitely check it out. Thanks!
I bought a Garmin Instinct for around 200 USD and it’s been great. It has improved my swim a lot.
I’ve used Garmin 645 and now Garmin 965, which are probably more expensive than you want. For what it’s worth, I found the cheaper/older Garmin to be more straightforward and often more accurate.
I used a Garmin Lily before and while it was okay, I now have a Vivoactive 5 and it’s much better. It’s more accurate and I can easily start activities, create intervals, and rest periods. In the end, I preferred the Vivoactive because it’s an all-rounder.
As a few others have noted, the Apple Watch works really well.
Apple Watch works perfectly fine too if you have an iPhone and prefer something that is not sports-specific. The Apple Watch SE fits your budget, or you can probably find a used one for cheap.
Jess said:
Apple Watch works perfectly fine too if you have an iPhone and prefer something that is not sports-specific. The Apple Watch SE fits your budget, or you can probably find a used one for cheap.
Indeed. If OP has an iPhone, it’s hard not to recommend AW.
Jess said:
Apple Watch works perfectly fine too if you have an iPhone and prefer something that is not sports-specific. The Apple Watch SE fits your budget, or you can probably find a used one for cheap.
My Apple Watch is not great about recording kickboard laps. Not sure if other watches are better.
If you have an iPhone, I suggest the Apple Watch since it has many other uses. From my experience, even older models work well to get path/time data.
If all you want is that, I’d stick with an earlier version Garmin Vivoactive. Think mine is a 3 and does all that. I paid way less than your budget, but for a refurbished model in the UK. Ignore calories though; wrist HR is terrible on any wrist device without a chest strap.
@Amory
Vivoactive 5 on sale on Amazon currently.
@Amory
There’s a decent downloadable app that handles open water pretty well. I think the Vivoactive 5 has open water built in. (I have the 4, but used the app on my old Vivoactive HR.)
I really like my Garmin Swim 2.