Wednesday night was the club swim night. This post summarises some unscientific glances at everyone’s wrists over the last few weeks on those Wednesdays and the post presents an aggregate view of ‘sports watches worn’.
Lane 6 is the faster lane with lanes 5/6 having some national-standard swimmers/triathletes. Swimmers in Lane 1 would be in their first year. Most of the athletes from Lane 3 and above would be at least of GB Age Group standard.
I thought it was an interesting exercise as most people wore a (sports) watch despite it being of limited use in a coached session, offering little over and above the pool clocks that are available. Those that didn’t have a sports watch were typically either women or beginners in lane 1. I contrast this with a HM last year where, even in some of the faster pens at the start of the race, less than half of the runners (male/female) had any kind of sports watch.
- Lane 1 – 4 people, one old Garmin. Rest with none.
- Lane 2 – 6 people: Apple Watch 2, 2x 920XT, one old Polar
- Lane 3 – 8 people: TomTom Runner 3, 1x V800, 1x AMBIT3, , 2x 920XT
- Lane 4 – 7 people: 3x 920XT, 1x AMBIT 3, 1x Fenix 3
- Lane 5 – 4 people: 1x 920XT (occasional HRM-TRI)
- Lane 6 – 3 people: TomTom Runner 3, Timex Ironman
I also contrast this to a few years ago where, in my mind, fewer people wore watches for swimming. Yet it seems that now the majority of people, in my limited sample, do have some form of sports watch. The stand-out thing for me is the lack of Fenix 3s (one!!) and a preponderance of 920XTs (that’s the collective name for a group of Garmin triathlon watches). Most of the swimmers take triathlon seriously in some way, shape or form and their choice of ‘appropriate’ watch seems to reflect that.
Well, I thought it was interesting.
What’s the situation at your pool?
Last Updated on 13 January 2026 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Maurten — the race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mix engineered to be easy on the stomach.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — the small adapter that keeps your charging cable tidy at the stem. Essential for race day.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session.
- Ravemen FR300 — front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Garmin watch.
- Stryd — the footpod that brings running power to your Garmin. The single most useful running upgrade I have made.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — the power meter pedals most serious cyclists end up choosing. Accurate, easy to move between bikes.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
It might be that the 5s is just hard to get. My local bike shop just can’t get them in. I have one on order but it keeps getting pushed back.
I did exclude me wearing a 5X 😉
Wouldn’t swimming with a 5X be like dragging an anchor?
yes. I bought it as an excuse 😉