Swimming with Titanium Watch

[Fatyank]

I have a Series 5 Titanium watch with SS link bracelet. It’s warmed up fast here in AZ. In the 100s already. Going to get in the pool. I will be changing the link bracelet for either a sports loop or sports band (I have both). Will pool water do any harm to the titanium watch?

 

[iamasmith]

I've never heard of anything to suggest any of the watches priior to series 2 having and problems with water. I always swam with my SS watches (prior to the pools being closed here for the lockdown) so I wouldn't hesitate to use a Ti watch there myself.

I think the link bracelet concerns are more around water potentially hanging around in the links and holes for a long time. I'm only surmising really but I know they don't recomment the Milanese loop either for swimming.

 

[44267547]

I have a Series 5 Titanium watch with SS link bracelet. It’s warmed up fast here in AZ. In the 100s already. Going to get in the pool. I will be changing the link bracelet for either a sports loop or sports band (I have both). Will pool water do any harm to the titanium watch?

Chlorine from the pool shouldn’t have any effect on the titanium casing. However, What you could find that might happen, [as it has with other members], is the chlorine from the pool can have a reaction with the Oleophobic coating, causing it to look ‘blurry or hazy‘ on your display. It’s not common, but it’s certainly something that can occur. But it probably depends on the chlorine content in the pool and how often you swim in a pool.

 

[gnasher729]

I would personally keep any watch away from water unless it is sold as diving equipment. No matter how water resistant or water proof it is supposed to be. I'd interpret "water proof" as "no need to panic if you forget to take it off in the shower", but would never intentionally leave it on in the water. But that's just me.

(There was a sad/funny story on another website about a young person buying a Samsung Galaxy phone, being told in the shop that it was water proof, and when she took it for swimming, it was not. It turned out that back when this particular phone was the most expensive Samsung phone, it was water proof. New cheaper models with the same name were not. )

 

[dwsolberg]

There's a very small chance it might cause a problem that you might notice. Personally, I wouldn't think twice about it.

 

[russell_314]

I would personally keep any watch away from water unless it is sold as diving equipment. No matter how water resistant or water proof it is supposed to be. I'd interpret "water proof" as "no need to panic if you forget to take it off in the shower", but would never intentionally leave it on in the water. But that's just me.

(There was a sad/funny story on another website about a young person buying a Samsung Galaxy phone, being told in the shop that it was water proof, and when she took it for swimming, it was not. It turned out that back when this particular phone was the most expensive Samsung phone, it was water proof. New cheaper models with the same name were not. )

I take my aluminum Apple watch in the pool swimming all the time for the past two years (year and a half maybe?). The AW is advertised as usable for swimming since it will track that as exercise. I wouldn't take a phone in the pool swimming. The problem with phones is they lack proper waterproofing seals. When they're brand new they meet the IP67/68 or whatever spec so the advertisements are true when they show it going in the water. The problem is as you handle it or carry it in your pocket it flexes causing the seals to fail. I learned this the hard way with the iPhone 7 Plus. It's aluminum so I'm sure it flexes quite a bit but I don't know if I would even trust the stainless steel frame of the 11 Pro Max due to its size. I don't suspect the watch has much flex because it's so small.

 

[whsbuss]

What about polls that are salt water based for chlorination? Our community pool uses that.

 

[Capeto]

I was using my S3 for swimming at my gym's pool and after a while, my watch's speaker got busted - it permanently sounded like it had water in it. Admittedly, I also showered with it afterwards, so it's possible that it was the soap that busted it, but I'm not taking any chances.

 

[TiggrToo]

I would personally keep any watch away from water unless it is sold as diving equipment. No matter how water resistant or water proof it is supposed to be. I'd interpret "water proof" as "no need to panic if you forget to take it off in the shower", but would never intentionally leave it on in the water. But that's just me.

Newer Apple Watches are advertised as not only safe to use in a pool, but even have features usable while swimming.

Apple Watch User Guide

Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app on iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using Apple Watch and discover all the amazing things it can do.

support.apple.com

That aside, my Series 3 is "waterproof" but I still freak out when it rains and I've never gone swimming or hottubed etc. with it.

 

[44267547]

What about polls that are salt water based for chlorination? Our community pool uses that.

Try not to overthink it. All you need to do is once you’re through with the watch swimming in a pool or ocean of that sort, rinse it off with fresh water, then dry it off with a clean microfiber towel. That’s exactly what Apple recommends for Maintenance.

 

[iamasmith]

I don't even dry mine off, I just make sure it's had a seriously good rinse in fresh water and that I've pushed and turned the crown a lot during the rinse.

 

[topbin]

I (used to!) use mine for swimming twice a week, and never take it off in the shower. I've had the 3, and now on the 5, and no issues with either. The 3 was more difficult to get the water out but sometimes you just had to activate the water mode and turn it off a couple more times to get it out.

I am pretty keen on making sure if any soap gets on it or similar then to rinse it quickly, and always keep it on in the shower after a swim to rinse off the chlorine, but it's meant to be used for swimming, so use it!

 

[Defender2010]

I have a Series 5 Titanium watch with SS link bracelet. It’s warmed up fast here in AZ. In the 100s already. Going to get in the pool. I will be changing the link bracelet for either a sports loop or sports band (I have both). Will pool water do any harm to the titanium watch?

Paddling pool? Backyard pool? Your username doesn’t suggest you’ll be swimming lengths of an Olympic length pool. Why not leave it off if all you’re doing is sipping beer in a pool in the back yard?

 

[Fatyank]

LOL. Well said Defender 2010. That name actually came from when I was racing Minis in the UK back in the 80s. I’ve dropped over 100 pounds of weight in the last year but still like the name.
I walk/swim laps in my community pool as part of my exercise routine. Every other day I do a 5 mile walk in the morning and opposite days I’ll spend an hour or so in the pool. Great exercise, low impact. I track everything on my watch as I don’t take my phone since I have cellular/GPS watches (Series3 and 5). For peace of mind I’ll just use my Series3 Aluminum (It was a gift from my wife’s boss) in the pool and Series 5 for my walks. I use only the 5 at this time but just updated and recharged my 3 today so I can use both.
That brings up a question. Will the activity app track exercise etc from two different watches (same iCloud account) done on the same day as one activity on my phone(11 Pro Max) or two separate activities?

 

[jraske77]

I’ve worn an Apple Watch while swimming since the first Apple Watch. At that time Apple stated you shouldn’t, but the reality was that swimming with the Watch was fine. Read this:

A Watch, Water and Workouts • furbo.org

The most common question I get about my Apple Watch is this: “Is it waterproof?” Everyone from followers on Twitter to Laguna Beach lifeguards have noticed that I wear my watch while swimming and want to know how this new device holds up when it comes in contact with 71% of the Earth’s surface...

furbo.org

I think Apple wanted to wait to have actual customer data before announcing that the Watch was safe for swimming.

Now, I’m sure there are individuals whose watch was damaged from swimming. That does not mean that event, while admittedly problematic for the owner, was statistically significant or indicative of the overall safety of swimming with an Apple Watch.

If your watch is under warranty you should swim. Try it. Clearly it’s not an issue or Apple would not state this was safe, create workouts for swimming, etc. And if it breaks you can ask Apple to repair the device.

Look, things break. Don’t let fear of broken devices deprive you of their utility. I write that as someone who freaked out over every scratch or ding in any possession.

 

[millerj123]

My wife and I both have series 2 watches. We swam with them in our back yard until we got rid of the pool last fall. No issues. I also leave mine on in the shower. I've had mine for just shy of 3 years now.

 

[Fatyank]

Thank you for all the replies. I think my real concern is the Titanium finish. Will chlorine damage it? I do have Apple Care+ so if everything goes south with the watch, I‘ll give Apple a call.

 

[UKBeast]

I have a Series 5 Titanium watch with SS link bracelet. It’s warmed up fast here in AZ. In the 100s already. Going to get in the pool. I will be changing the link bracelet for either a sports loop or sports band (I have both). Will pool water do any harm to the titanium watch?

I used to swim 2,5 to 3 km per session / 3 times a week until lockdown closed pools. nothing happened

just use silicone band you will be fine.

 

[44267547]

Thank you for all the replies. I think my real concern is the Titanium finish. Will chlorine damage it? I do have Apple Care+ so if everything goes south with the watch, I‘ll give Apple a call.

There is no ‘titanium finish’ (It’s metal in its raw form), however, there is a fingerprint resistant coating on the titanium casing from the factory. That likely diminishes through touching, but using the pool will have no effect on actual titanium metal itself.