Garmin - Enduro

I’ve been using Enduro (One) for a year swimming at sea. No problem on the sea water resistance at all as I will rinse with tap water every time after swimming. The only problem to me is the GPS reception despite all other functions including the total distance, pace etc are fine. My route travelled can’t be displayed on the map most of the time! I am satisfied with the made of Garmin watch but I think a strap maybe needed as the GPS reception via the watch would not function well under the sea water.

Here, here. Me too. Went from an AW6 to an Instinct 2 and eventually to a used Enduro. Couldn't be happier. I get weeks on a charge, health tracking is great, and it has all of the smarts I want but is an excellent timepiece and less of a distraction. (Bonus: new Instinct 2 + used Enduro 1 cost less than a new base model Apple Watch.) I also find the Garmin/Apple Health integration to be pretty solid. Rarely have I gone from something from Apple to something from another company and been this happy with the change.

You can get any watch you want and then just turn off Bluetooth or Or just turn off all notifications/buzzers on your watch which is what I do, my watch is my watch and just for time, activities/tracking and heart rate etc. I open connect at the end of the day just to upload info into connect During the day I receive zero notifications/buzzing or the like, it’s so good 👍 I’ve got an enduro V1 You can make them as smart or dumb as you want/need

Apple's native swim app is horrible. I used the Swim.com app for a while but requires you to use the touch screen during your workout which doesn't really work. After 6 months, I gave the watch to my daughter and bought a new Garmin. Best wishes with the app. I really liked the Apple as a watch but it just didn't cut it in the water. I did own a series 3 so maybe they are better now. The GPS tracking for open water was horrible. I swim the same loop around a lake and the Apple gave huge differences in distance every swim. The map showed me swimming through backyards and the boat launch parking lot. In the pool, it regularly missed lengths.

Maybe I just couldn't figure it out but I like a customizable data screen. I'm farsighted (like a lot of older Masters swimmers) and I want my main data screen to show the distance of the rep I'm currently swimming in large font. My old watch only showed total distance. I don't like to do math while I'm swimming. Then a customizable rest screen. For that one, I like total distance, distance of the last rep, HR, and a running timer of my rest. This is all standard stuff on any Garmin 5 button watch. A drill mode would be nice, too. I don't use a kick board. I do kicks on my back in a streamline. It's pretty easy to record kick by just doing some left arm strokes on occasion but other drills, you can't. I've heard the newer watches can record some kick board drills. At the end, I want to be able to see all the data. Stroke count, AWOLF, Avg pace and pace for each rep, and HR data for each rep. A graph alone isn't too helpful.

Garmin ecosystem is chocked full of goodness. Since I run and cycle, it’s great for multi sport. A lot of folks who only run seem to love Coros watches and their environment. I think either of those (with Strava integration) would be an improvement over your Apple Watch.

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂