Watches
Product 2020
Woman, Man
We unpacked the Garmin Swim™ 2 with a little caution. Even if the version 2 replaces the original model, why launch a product dedicated to a single sporting activity, swimming? Secondly our concern was its perceived quality: made entirely from composite materials, very small compared to other watches (monster-size) on the outdoor market and extremely light (we weighed it in at 38g), difficult to take it seriously. And yet, during this test that lasted several months, we certainly changed our minds about its capabilities.
Let’s start at the beginning, setting it up. Once the Garmin Connect application is downloaded on your smartphone, synchronizing via Bluetooth with the Garmin Swim™ 2 is a piece of cake. You discover both Garmin’s Connect beautiful interface (Suunto with its application is clearly lagging behind) and the watch’s first features. We won’t trail off a list of its many specifications (the Garmin technical sheet is available on the brand’s website) but rather focus on our field (water!) experience with the Garmin Swim™ 2.
The very slightly stretchy watch strap is made from a durable material. It is tough and comfortable under the wrist on both sides but it becomes stiffer at the wrist bones. If you have wide wrists, the strap’s opening on the upper part is not as comfortable as other models on the market. But once in the water, this tiny discomfort disappears. After we thought about it we decided that this strap shape undoubtedly has a utility: to keep the back of the watch firmly positioned on the wrist in order to make the HR sensors work better. The watch is so lightweight, that in everyday life ,but also and especially in the water, you totally forget about it.
Kitted out with five buttons, the Garmin Swim™ 2 is not an ergonomically simple model, you need to memorize each access to the functions and errors, trial and error are essential when learning how to use it. Overall, this Garmin Swim™ 2 reminds us of the Garmin Forerunner 45 that we tested.
The nice surprises were revealed when swimming and trail running.
We were very skeptical that the heart rate sensor could deliver reliable information when swimming. Even if you shouldn’t take all its indications to the letter, the displayed values are very close to those when you use a heart rate monitor chest belt. So this significant quality should be taken into account when purchasing, for someone who specifically wants to refine their training and define thresholds. And if you want even more precision, you can purchase the Garmin HRM Swim™ heart rate monitor chest belt. The data is recorded and can be viewed when you get out of the water.
Training, this little watch lets you manage your swimming speeds. It is very practical provided you specify the speed that you want to swim 100 meters (you will have specified the pool’s length): an audible alert sounds when the swimmer is supposed to turn at the end of the length. You must, of course, hear the alert: water noise, breathing, swimming cap, etc. can make it difficult. But, we liked this program, which means for example, that you can manage a test over 1500 meters. Don’t be too ambitious and program a target pace that is too high, otherwise you will end up having the ring tone sounding in the middle of the pool!
The other program that we liked is called the Critical Swimming Speed Test (CSS). It helps you find the ideal speed, the ratio between speed and fatigue.
Classically the Garmin Swim™ 2 recognizes the various swim strokes, it indicates the SWOLF, HR alerts, etc. The other interesting tip is the automatic Rest. When you train, especially a technical session, you have stop periods at the end of the length to listen to the coach’s instructions or to simply recover. These short moments distort data. The Garmin Swim™ 2 detects these moments if they exceed more than fifteen seconds and creates a “rest interval”. When we resume swimming, the watch restarts.
In terms of counting lengths, and therefore distance, the Garmin Swim™ 2 performs averagely compared to watches on the market, which aren’t necessarily exclusively dedicated to swimming. Over several sessions, it did even worse than a Suunto 3 Fitness.
By the way, the Garmin Swim™ 2 is a waterproof to 5 ATM but it is not a diving watch, just in case any of you would be tempted by experience… We weren’t able to test the watch in open water. But from a practical point of view, it is undoubtedly interesting because of its mini format and design: it fits easily under a wetsuit and its discreet buttons do not catch on the neoprene.
Battery life is not great but largely sufficient for swimming and trail running (short to medium outings). Garmin displays seven days in smart-watch connected mode, thirteen hours with GPS + HR measurement. Seventy-two hours in swimming + HR. These figures seem slightly exaggerated to us.
The Garmin Swim™ 2 is not only a watch specifically for swimming, it is also useful for running and cycling thanks to the GPS, Glonass and Galliléo recordings, which allow you to analyze the sessions. We didn’t test it biking but, we largely explored it running and trail running.
If you can’t program split sessions, or a track, you do have access to distance, speed, cadence, HR (on your wrist), altitude, etc. These are basic but effective. The Garmin Connect analysis are easy to consult and synchronization smooth.
There are some GPS errors. During an excursion we followed a rocky ridge, the Garmin Swim™ 2 track shows the runner in a passage in the void. Ditto on a forest track, the track doesn’t follow the route faithfully.
But let’s look at the tracking of a very top-of-the-range watch, the Suunto 9 Baro. Worn at the same time as the Garmin Swim™ 2. The errors are as numerous on a watch that is in theory supposed to be more efficient.
Then there are the little Garmin Swim™ 2 extras, not essential but so practical! We used three particular ones every day.
The first one is its ability to manage music, straight from your wrist. A long press on the lower left button allows you to play your songs, go to the next one, etc. It’s simple and effective.
The other is the “Find my phone” function. A long press on the upper left button and you can access a series of commands: On/Off, Timer, Alarm, Do not disturb, and Find my phone! Once activated, a ringtone sounds on the phone and a message also appears.
Smartphone notifications also show up on the watch. Of course the screen is small, but we can get an idea of the notifications’ content. In general, even though the screen is smaller, we found the displays very legible: large letters and numbers and most of all, accessible lighting function (upper left button) to immediately improve reading it in low-light conditions, with the sun behind it, etc.
The watch is charged using a four-pin plug same as other Garmin watches. Again, it’s simple and effective.
The question remains: who is this Garmin Swim™ 2 designed for? Not a triathlete who doesn’t have access to transition management with this watch and doesn’t have sufficient autonomy to go long distances. On the other hand, a pure swimmer, who doesn’t want to have a big heavy and complicated watch, would be happy with the Garmin Swim™ 2. Also it’s useful for running and cycling excursions with a pretty good GPS geared for leisure rather than competition.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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