Are you the kind of person who removes their watch before doing the dishes or washing your hands? If so, that’s because old habits are hard to break. Today, the vast majority of the best smartwatches are built with some degree of water resistance, so that relatively benign contact with moisture will not be fatal to your expensive timepiece. Here are the ratings and specifications you should look for, whether you wear your watch while operating a gardening hose or scuba diving.
Water-resistant versus waterproof
A water-resistant product is not waterproof, and right now, there is no such thing as a waterproof watch — though some products, like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, come close.
Water-resistant is the lowest level of protection, meaning that the item is designed to make it difficult — but not impossible — for water to seep through. Waterproof means the item is impervious to water, no matter how long it is submerged. A watch may also be advertised as “sweatproof,” but that is another measure entirely, as sweat has corrosive chemistry (water, uric acid, sodium chloride, and lactic acid) that is much more damaging to electronic equipment than plain water.
Where smartwatches are concerned, “waterproof” generally means “water-resistant as specified by the manufacturer under certain test conditions”. Water resistance is measured by Ingress Protection / International Protection (IP) or atmosphere (ATM) ratings. It’s generally either one or the other for any given item, but it’s not unknown for a dust-specific IP-rating to also apply to a smartwatch with an ATM rating.
Water resistance is not permanent and can diminish over time and under certain conditions. Dropping your watch is generally bad for repelling water, as consistent impacts can weaken resistance over time. The same goes for exposure to substances like soap, solvents, sunscreen, hand lotions, and insect repellants, as well as wearing your watch in a sauna or steam room.
If you’re shopping for a smartwatch or fitness tracker for use with freestyle swimming, make sure to check the company website and read the manual. That’s where you’ll find all relevant use parameters for the product. Search for “water-resistant” in the documentation to jump right to the critical fine print. Ignore the marketing, ad copy, and especially any images associated with the product’s use around water, as it can all be misleading.
IP rating
An IP rating is a measurement of an electronic device’s ability to withstand exposure to water and dust. This rating is published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the equivalent European standard is EN 60529. A rating of IP followed by X and a number means the item has been tested in water only. When IP is followed by both a number and an X, that means it’s been tested for dust resistance only, not for water resistance.
IP followed by two numbers means testing has been completed for dust/dirt resistance (first number) and water resistance (second number). In addition, some devices are rated IP68, a device rating standard outlined by the IEC. IP68 devices, for example, are dustproof and shielded from continuous water immersion. Here’s the breakdown to make it clearer:
- IPX0: Not protected.
- IPX1: Dripping water falling vertically (water equal to 1mm or 0.039 inches of rainfall per minute).
- IPX2: Dripping water when tilted up to 15 degrees (2 1/2 minutes in all tilt directions for 10 minutes, with water equal to 3mm or 0.12 inches of rainfall per minute).
- IPX3: Spraying water (from a spray nozzle for one minute per square meter for five minutes, or from an oscillating tube at 10 minutes with a water volume of 0.07 liters per minute).
- IPX4: Splashing water (for 10 minutes with a spray nozzle or oscillating tube).
- IPX5: Water jets (one minute per square meter for at least three minutes, with water volume of 12.5 liters per minute).
- IPX6: Powerful water jets, such as heavy spray, driving rain, boat washing, and rough outdoor sea conditions (one minute per square meter for at least three minutes, with water volume of 100 liters per minute at a distance of 3 meters or 9.8 feet).
- IPX7: Temporary immersion in water, including splashes, rain, or snow, and showering (up to 1m — about 3.3 feet of static water for up to 30 minutes).
- IPX8: Continuous immersion in water beyond 1 meter, as specified by the manufacturer. This should ring a bell for buyers because that means the manufacturer of your watch is setting the standard of how it performs beyond the IPX7 level.
- IPX9: Protected against high pressure and temperature water jets (with water volume at 14 to 16 liters per minute at a distance of 0.10 to 0.15 meters or 3.9 to 5.9 inches).
A separate Dive rating complies with EN13319 and allows for splashes, rain, showering, swimming, and diving into water, as well as snorkeling, high-speed water sports, and scuba diving.
ATM rating
ATM ratings are somewhat more popular for smaller wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers, though these can use IP ratings, too, which used to be primarily for larger items such as headphones, smartphones, and speakers. A measure of 1 ATM equals the normal pressure at sea level. Atmospheres map to pressure testing measurements, which are then translated into water depth to determine how much the device can take. For example, a smartwatch that carries a 5 ATM rating means it can withstand depth pressure of 50 meters. Water pressure can vary, particularly when swimming, so a smartwatch or fitness tracker can carry an ATM rating but still not be safe for immersion in water. Devices with a 1 ATM or 3 ATM rating should not be used for swimming.
- 1 ATM: Depth pressure of 10 meters (33 feet). Avoid contact with water.
- 3 ATM: Depth pressure of 30 meters (98 feet). You can get caught in the rain or wash your hands because there’s protection against splashes.
- 5 ATM: Depth pressure of 50 meters (164 feet). Limited submersion in water, like when swimming in a pool.
- 10 ATM: Depth pressure of 100 meters (328 feet). Extended submersion in water, like for snorkeling in the ocean.
- 20 ATM: Depth pressure of 200 meters (656 feet). High-impact water sports like surfing and jet skiing.
MIL-STD-810G rugged ratings
The most common standard for rugged devices is MIL-STD-810G, an overarching classification with many durability subcategories, like protection against drops and impact. This standard relies on a battery of tests that simulate environmental conditions like shock and vibration. For example, the MIL-STD-810G’s shock test requires 26 drops across five devices onto 2 inches of plywood over concrete. While product manufacturers must meet those specifications to sell to the military, consumer products like smartwatches can tailor or abbreviate the tests they perform. For non-military purposes, the standard describes 28 variable tests that engineers and designers can tailor and select to “generate the most relevant test data possible.” Here are just a few examples.
- 500.5: Low-pressure altitude
- 501.5: High temperature
- 502.5: Low temperature
- 503.5: Temperature shock
- 506.5: Rain
- 507.5: Humidity
- 510.5: Sand and dust
- 512.5: Immersion
- 514.6: Vibration
- 516.6: Shock
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has been through a serious evolution where water-resistance is concerned. The first-generation Apple Watch had a water resistance rating of IPX7 under IEC standard 60529, but this has been dramatically improved over the years. Now, the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch SE have a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means they’re great for swimming in both a pool and the open sea, but you should refrain from taking them into more serious underwater territory, like scuba diving, water-skiing, or anything else that involves high-pressure water jets or higher pressures than surface level water.
If more extreme water activites are the goal, then check out the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple’s biggest and most expensive smartwatch has a water resistance rating of 100 metres under ISO standard 22810, and is suitable for recreational scuba diving up to 40 meters and high-speed water sports. Going past 40 meters? Best to leave your Apple Watch behind entirely.
As ever with any water-resistant smartwatches, make sure to clean your watch with fresh water and dry with a lint-free cloth after it comes into contact with anything that isn’t clean, fresh water. Minerals in sea water and even soaps can cause corrosion if left on a device, so it’s important to clean it off as quickly as possible.
Samsung Galaxy Watch
If you’re looking for Samsung’s best waterproof watch, then you want the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. However, unlike the similarly named Apple Watch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is not suitable for scuba diving or other extreme water activities. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is water resistant for 10 minutes in water with a depth of 100 meters according to the ISO22810 standard. On the plus side, that test took place in salty and chlorinated water, so it’s rated to work in those particular environments, and it also benefits from an IP68-rating, which clears it for submersion in up to 1.5 meters fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
The cheaper Galaxy Watch 7 sports similar ratings, topping out at 5ATM, but a similar IP68 rating. Like the Ultra, it would be best used for surface-level swimming in the sea or pool.
Pixel Watch/Fitbit
Google’s smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3, sports a similar performance to other smartwatches in the same bracket. It has a water protection rating of 5 ATM under ISO standard 22810:2010 and with a dust and water protection rating IP68 under IEC standard 60529. Like the Galaxy Watches above, this watch it best used in relatively shallow water, and should not be used for diving or activities involving high velocities or temperatures of water. So no saunas, water-skiing, or scuba diving.
Google also owns Fitbit, and so it comes as no surprise that the Fitbit Charge 6 has the same specifications and limitations as the Pixel Watch 3, with a rating of 5ATM and a warning not to use it during activities involving water at a high velocity or high temperature. Notably, there’s no mention of a separate IP-rating, which importantly means no dust-resistance, so keep it away from dusty environments and sand.
OnePlus Watch
OnePlus is a relative newcomer to the wearables scene, but it’s already got its smartwatches up to standard. The OnePlus Watch 3 has a water resistance rating of 50 meters under the ISO standard 22810:2010. OnePlus is more specific about where you shouldn’t take the watch though, listing hot water showers, saunas, hot springs, deep (scuba) divings, and diving (from a board) as unsuitable. There’s also no IP-rating, which means dust-ingress isn’t protected against. And as always, clean it after any immersion.
Garmin
Garmin makes a variety of sports watches often geared at specific activities, and correspondingly, have a wide range of specifications.
Most Garmin watches have a good level of water-resistance, with even the relatively cheap Forerunner 165 sporting a 5ATM rating and the Vivoactive 4 being rated as “swimproof”. Head up the scale in terms of expense and you can see that score rise. Rugged watches like the Fenix 8 have a RATING OF 10ATM, which means they can withstand pressures equivalent to a depth of 100 metres, and are described as being suitable for splashes, rain or snow, showering, swimming, diving into water, snorkelling, and high-speed water sports.
So far, so standard. But Garmin has you covered if you want something more diving-focused. The Descent G2 is Garmin’s standard diving watch, and it’s a doozy. It’s tested to engineering standard EN13319 for dive compliance up to 100 meters, and so it suitable for scuba diving, snorkelling, and high-speed water sports. Want to go one further? The Descent Mk3 is rated up to 200 meters, but has a price tag to match. That one’s for the serious divers.
Bottom line
Getting the best performance from your smartwatch — and keeping it safe in the process — means knowing what you intend to use it for and making sure that the product is up to the task. When you’re buying a smartwatch, do not rely on ratings or marketing copy, because the meanings of ratings can vary according to what the manufacturer tests and the testing protocols. Instead, go by the manufacturer’s product guidelines of what kind of immersion the product can withstand.
Assume that any waterproof claim is limited to less than 1 meter (3 feet) unless otherwise stated. Also assume that buttons, ports, and dials cannot be used while the device is exposed to water. In all other instances where you don’t know for sure, use your common sense to protect your valuable device, and err on the side of caution. If an activity sounds dangerous to your device, it probably is.
Don’t forget about your watch band. Metal or leather in water is a definite no-no, but silicone or nylon sport bands should stand up to water just fine. While manufacturers test under lab conditions, the real world often presents tougher challenges to your smartwatch, and no device will stand up to abuse, regardless of how rugged it is.
