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Water resistant, water proof... or what?

osplo

osplo

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 1, 2008
356
196
The event is just over and I wasn't able to find confirmation of water resistance on any Apple Watch models... however there's a picture of a guy getting a good share of water to cool off after running or something in the Apple web site.

Any official word on this?
 
Flow39 said:
Go to the Apple Store website, click on any model, scroll to the bottom and the should be the small typed asterisk stuff :)
Click to expand...

Gee I looked everywhere but the Store. Thanks, well spotted!

I found this text:

Apple Watch is splash and water resistant but not waterproof. You can, for example, wear and use Apple Watch during exercise, in the rain, and while washing your hands, but submerging Apple Watch is not recommended. Apple Watch has a water resistance rating of IPX7 under IEC standard 60529.

Does this rule out taking a shower with this babe on?
 
I wonder if they're just being cautious, since IPX7 allows for submerging for 30 minutes up to 1 M.
 
If you google the standard it sounds like showering is totally fine. A few days back someone was pretty bitchy with me when I said you are not going to want to shower with the leather bands. The website confirms that it is a big NO. Considering the premium they are charging for leather I would not want to risk getting it wet.
 
KauaiBruce said:
If you google the standard it sounds like showering is totally fine. A few days back someone was pretty bitchy with me when I said you are not going to want to shower with the leather bands. The website confirms that it is a big NO. Considering the premium they are charging for leather I would not want to risk getting it wet.
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Well, (not to) showering with it was my biggest show stopper. If I can stand charging it every night... let it come! :)
 
I'll enjoy the peace of mind should I get caught in a storm while running/hiking/camping, but I'll play it safe and not shower with it.

IPX7 is good for this device, I guess, but not good at all for a sport-focused watch in general.
 
Was really hoping this would be a good swimming watch as the sport edition you would think would work with water sports.
 

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This was one of my biggest concerns because I am getting the sport version which as far as the band goes will be fine with water. I ALWAYS have people trying to call or text me when I'm in the shower. Obviously I don't care to answer while I'm in the shower but it would be great to see WHO is calling or texting me and if its an emergency or something I can simply ignore. Sounds like the shower wont be an issue (especially if being careful with it as I would be).

I can't wait to get the new :apple: Watch. Going to save me a ton of time and allot of annoyances with pulling out my phone constantly. I can leave the phone to when I want to have a longer conversation or browse the net/watch youtube and stuff. (more for content)
 
8CoreWhore said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

Apple will be conservative in their warning about it not being waterproof - but we see it's good to 1 meter, or just over 3 feet, for 30 minutes. So it MIGHT be ok for doing laps in a pool, but I'd wait and see on that!! -- a fall in a creek, taking showers.
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I doubt it would be okay for taking laps in a pool. "1 meter" means it is certified to resist static water pressure at 1 meter of depth. If you're swimming hard, and moving the watch through the water even near the surface, it is quite likely there will be moments when the instantaneous water pressure against the watch is greater than the static pressure 1 meter down.
 
hlevolve said:
This was one of my biggest concerns because I am getting the sport version which as far as the band goes will be fine with water. I ALWAYS have people trying to call or text me when I'm in the shower. Obviously I don't care to answer while I'm in the shower but it would be great to see WHO is calling or texting me and if its an emergency or something I can simply ignore. Sounds like the shower wont be an issue (especially if being careful with it as I would be).
Click to expand...

Water seems not to be an issue. I'm now thinking of soap and shampoo. :-(
 
avalys said:
I doubt it would be okay for taking laps in a pool. "1 meter" means it is certified to resist static water pressure at 1 meter of depth. If you're swimming hard, and moving the watch through the water even near the surface, it is quite likely there will be moments when the instantaneous water pressure against the watch is greater than the static pressure 1 meter down.
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I agree, and for that reason I'm going to edit that out so someone doesn't think it's OK.

I'm wondering about these ratings. Are they progressive? I'm inclined to think they are but even then, look at the duration of the test for IP5.. 3 minutes... seems IP5 would be similar to us showering. The wrist will be very close to the shower head at times when rinsing hair, add to this some people's showers are very powerful, and with the water hot, that affects seals as well.

In light of this, I will not be showering with mine for a long time. I want to hear others' experiences first.

And don't press buttons while it's getting wet.
 
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matt9013 said:
Was really hoping this would be a good swimming watch as the sport edition you would think would work with water sports.
Click to expand...

no. the rating is for it being static underwater. not moving. moving underwater causes different pressures. so you can't swim with it.

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8CoreWhore said:
I agree, and for that reason I'm going to edit that out so someone doesn't think it's OK.

I'm wondering about these ratings. Are they progressive? I'm inclined to think they are but even then, look at the duration of the test for IP5.. 3 minutes... seems IP5 would be similar to us showering. The wrist will be very close to the shower head at times when rinsing hair, add to this some people's showers are very powerful, and with the water hot, that affects seals as well.

In light of this, I will not be showering with mine for a long time. I want to hear others' experiences first.
Click to expand...


just don't shower! problem solved.
 
From reading the definitions it looks like you could 'hang out' in a swimming pool, with your arms under water, but perhaps vigorous swimming might be a concern.

Showering seems to be ok.

Some minimal underwater wetness at the beach should be okay.

No diving, no going under water more than 4 feet, no hot tub jets squirting at it directly.

IPX7 Withstands incidental exposure to water of up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes Indoor/outdoor use in the presence of rain, snow or brief splashes of water Any immersion of more than 1 meter, regardless of duration of immersion, or any immersion of more than 30 minutes, regardless of depth of immersion.

http://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/waterrating
 
lakaiordie said:
no. the rating is for it being static underwater. not moving. moving underwater causes different pressures. so you can't swim with it.

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just don't shower! problem solved.
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Dynamic pressure issues are a myth. See here:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f281/water-resistance-myth-vs-reality-239664.html#/forumsite/20758/topics/239664
 
douglasf13 said:
Dynamic pressure issues are a myth. See here:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f281/w...ty-239664.html#/forumsite/20758/topics/239664
Click to expand...
This is a misleading statement. For a watch rated to 30 meters, sure, there's no way you're going to create enough water pressure by swimming at the surface to exceed the pressure rating. In that sense, yes, "dynamic pressure" is a myth, in that there's no reason to buy a 100 meter watch over a 30 meter watch unless you're doing serious diving or something.

However, the Apple Watch is rated to just 1 meter, which is a much less stringent rating than the 30-meter watches your link talks about. For a 30M-rated watch, dynamic pressure is a myth, but not for 1M watch.
 
avalys said:
This is a misleading statement. For a watch rated to 30 meters, sure, there's no way you're going to create enough water pressure by swimming at the surface to exceed the pressure rating. In that sense, yes, "dynamic pressure" is a myth, in that there's no reason to buy a 100 meter watch over a 30 meter watch unless you're doing serious diving or something.

However, the Apple Watch is rated to just 1 meter, which is a much less stringent rating than the 30-meter watches your link talks about. For a 30M-rated watch, dynamic pressure is a myth, but not for 1M watch.
Click to expand...

The Apple Watch IPX7 rating of 1m is a different scale than the 30m watch rating. In fact, IPX7 is likely the equivalent of somewhere between 30m and 50m in watch water resistant terms. A 30m rated watch shouldn't even be showered with. Don't forget, IPX7 means one meter for a whole 30 minutes.

Either way, the point is that moving your arm around doesn't create noticeable pressure differences. I'm certainly not going to tell someone to swim in their Watch. That's left to our own discretion.
 
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