An Apple Watch Swim Test

Ray Maker, triathlete and runner, has taken to his blog to further test the Apple Watch’s ability to withstand water damage by doing the first documented, dedicated lap-swimming test with the Watch.

As Maker notes, many folks have uploaded basic waterproof tests, but none have seemed to take the wearable through more strenuous activities such as diving, racing, and other high-intensity swimming activities. Because of this, Maker decided to subject his Apple Watch to a rather extreme swimming test, where he managed to go 25 minutes and roughly 1200 meters with what appears to be no damage to the Watch. Says Waker:

I’m impressed, it’s still chugging along after that – with not a single sign of any issues at all. Clearly this is all more than adequate for any sort of casual sweat or showering. Though I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out over the next few weeks just in case.

Of course, the awkward thing here is that despite this battery of tests (and others like it), Apple Watch still isn’t technically guaranteed to hold up to such activity. Even a simple shower with soap might void your warranty if Apple can determine that to be the cause of your unit’s problems. On the flip side, it’s also clear that it’s likely quite a lot harder to kill the Watch than Apple would have you believe.

Check out the source above for Maker’s full waterproofing review, as it is quite in-depth and includes a variety of videos. The author concludes that he is very impressed, especially given that Apple isn’t promoting this as a product that is waterproofed to these high-performance levels.