Can you see time/lengths on screen whilst pool swimming?

[kitenski]

I'm considering an AW3, sport is key, I will normally train once or twice a day, inc pool swims.

Just re-reading dcrainmakers review and he says the screen is off when pool swimming, this could be the deal breaker as I often glance at my watch when pushing off either to double check my lap count or to see my time to check how hard the next length needs to be if doing pace work.

Can anyone confirm that the screen is off during a swim and I couldn't glance at the screen to see speed or lengths whilst during a swim?

regards,

Greg

 

[Mr-Fly]

You can see some stuff on the screen, but i dont remember them in detail. What I know is you definitely see Total Time and Distance. When I do a swim with 50m length, it counts good.
Detailed information can be seen afterwards on the iPhone.
What you can do, if you stop, you can pause with both side buttons and unlock the screen and try to see more, but I dont know what you can see there.

Edit: It looks like this: https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2016/09/apple_watch_swim_in_progress.jpg

 

[kitenski]

thanks for the reply, now even more confused as the dcrainmaker review states:

More importantly is that using the default app the screen turns off automatically when you start swimming. So if you’re accustomed to tilting your wrist just slightly underwater when you push off the wall to see pacing, time, or distance, you can’t do that. The screen will remain black/off. So it’s really only useful after a set when you’re at the wall.

 

[Mr-Fly]

Just my experience: the watch turns on immediately after the turn. A slight press on the display turns the display on, even under water. Just the usage of the Touch Screen is blocked until you turn the crown. I usually do it this way: before shower I turn the watch on, select the training, start the training and immediately press both buttons for pause. I shower, go into the pool. When on the pool end, i press again the two side buttons, pause stops and it begins to count. I swim some length, if I want a rest, I press again the pause. If I ever want to see the meters or time I just tap the display, even while swimming under water. At the end, I pause again, go to the shower. Clean up the watch from the swimming water (chlorine etc.) and then dry it. Then turn the crown so it will spit the rest of the water.
Then I use the touch screen to end the training.
Works good for me.

 

[kitenski]

Just my experience: the watch turns on immediately after the turn. A slight press on the display turns the display on, even under water.

thanks, but want to be 100% clear on your reply. Are you saying I need to tap the display to see it, or that it will turn on automatically if I just touch the side of the pool, push off, with a glide and continue swimming? During the glide I usually glance at my watch.

 

[Mr-Fly]

For me it turns on for some seconds when I glide. Don't know how long. I usually tap it when I want to see the time during the swim or when resting on the side.

 

[GhostMac24]

Just checked this out this morning during my swim. When it says it "turns off" the screen, what they really mean is that they lock it out like you can do when you select the water drop so there are no inadvertent presses of the screen from water, etc. When I want to get a status update I just tap on the screen and it lights up with the current metrics and then I continue on.