If you are considering the Apple Watch as a fitness device, you may have heard that it's not recommended for swimming. The Watch has an official waterproof resistance rating of IPX7, meaning its safe in waters up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes.
That rating basically means it can handle sweat, a bit of rain and a splash or two when you wash your hands, but, Apple warns, "submerging Apple Watch is not recommended" - i.e. don't swim or dive with it.
But sports tech YouTube reviewer DC Rainmaker has tested just how waterproof the watch really is, and the short answer is yes, the Apple Watch can actually survive a lot of water.
Rainmaker conducted a series of tests: First, he jumped with it off the high dive. The Apple Watch worked fine after that, even 24 hours later.
Next, he swam with it for 25 minutes (well within its water resistance zone). Also fine.
Then he dunked it in a waterproof test chamber which put 40 meters worth of pressure on it. And it still survived, and worked fine.
Of course, it's important to note that unofficial tests are no guarantee that the Apple Watch really is waterproof enough for workouts in the pool, but it's nice to know that if you jump into a pool, ocean, or lake and then realize you didn't take your watch off, you probably didn't wreck it.
You can watch Rainmaker's complete series of waterproofing tests in the video below.