Buying guide
Can you shower with it?
Two ratings appear on nearly every wearable box, they measure different things, and the one that sounds like it covers swimming often does not. What each actually certifies — and what they quietly leave out.
Both tested in still water
Neither test involves movement. Swimming is not still water, and your wrist is not stationary.
Two ratings appear on almost every wearable box, they are not measuring the same thing, and the one that sounds like it covers swimming often does not. Here is what each actually certifies, and what the ratings quietly leave out.
Two ratings, two different tests
IP68 and 5ATM get printed side by side as though they are versions of the same claim. They are not.
Two digits. The first (6) is dust: fully protected. The second (8) is water: continuous immersion beyond one metre, under conditions the manufacturer specifies. Tested in still, fresh water.
Withstands pressure equivalent to 50 metres of water. A pressure test, not a depth permission — and conducted static, with the device stationary.
The crucial detail is in that last line. Both tests are conducted in still water with the device not moving. Swimming is not still water, and your wrist is not stationary.
Why movement matters. Pushing a hand through water during a stroke generates pressure well above what the static depth number implies. This is why a 5ATM device rated to “50 metres” is not a diving device, and why manufacturers specify surface swimming rather than depth.
What you can actually do
| Activity | IP68 | 5ATM | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweat, rain, handwashing | Yes | Yes | Neither rating is troubled by this |
| Shower | Usually | Usually | Heat and soap are the real risk, not water |
| Surface swimming | Check | Yes | 5ATM is the rating to look for |
| Diving, high-speed water | No | No | Needs a higher rating and explicit support |
| Sea water | No | No | Salt corrodes seals; rinse immediately after |
| Hot tub, sauna | No | No | Heat is outside both test conditions |
If swimming is why you are buying, look for 5ATM and an explicit statement from the manufacturer that swimming is supported. IP68 alone is not a swimming rating, whatever the marketing copy around it implies.
The shower question
This is the most searched version of the question and it has a slightly awkward answer: most devices survive it, and most manufacturers would rather you did not.
The water is not the problem. Two other things are:
- Heat. Both ratings are tested at around room temperature. Hot water expands the materials and the air inside the case, which stresses seals in a way the certification never examined. Steam is worse again, because vapour penetrates where liquid water would not.
- Soap and shampoo. Surfactants lower water's surface tension, which is precisely the property that keeps it out of tiny gaps. They also degrade the adhesives and gaskets doing the sealing, and leave residue under the sensor that interferes with readings.
A cool rinse is genuinely fine. A long hot shower with shampoo, every day for two years, is how a perfectly good seal stops being one.
Water resistance is not a permanent property. It is a condition the device leaves the factory in.
Why it stops working
No rating is forever, and none of the common failure modes involve doing anything obviously wrong.
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Seals age
Gaskets and adhesives harden and shrink over years. Every heat cycle, every knock and every chemical exposure takes a little.
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Drops break seals invisibly
A fall onto a hard floor can break a seal without leaving any mark on the case. The device looks identical and is no longer rated.
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Salt and chlorine attack the materials
Sea water and pool water both corrode. If the device goes into either, rinse it in fresh water straight afterwards and dry it properly.
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Charging contacts need to be dry
Charging a wet device is the most common way people actually destroy one. Dry the contacts and the strap before it touches a charger.
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Water damage is rarely covered
Most warranties exclude it even on a rated device, on the reasoning that the rating describes a factory condition rather than a lifetime guarantee. Worth reading before you rely on it.
The part nobody warns you about
The band surviving water is only half of it. The more common problem is what trapped moisture does to your skin.
A wet strap held against the wrist for hours softens skin and traps soap residue, sweat and detergent. In a humid climate that is a reliable recipe for irritation under the sensor, and it is far more likely to interrupt your tracking than any seal failure.
After swimming or a shower: rinse with fresh water, dry the strap and your wrist, and leave it off for a few minutes. It also happens to be the most common cause of poor readings, which comes back to how the band sits on your wrist.
One rating that is not about swimming at all. The first digit of an IP rating is dust. A 6 means fully dust-tight — which, in Lahore or Karachi in summer, is doing more day-to-day work than the water digit ever will. Fine dust in a strap mechanism or around a sensor is a far more frequent cause of trouble here than immersion.
Where Mesh sits
Mesh 2.0 is built to be worn continuously, which means surviving sweat, rain, handwashing and a rinse without being taken off — the specific thing a band has to do if it is going to produce a baseline with no holes in it.
For current water-resistance figures and what they cover, check the specification directly rather than this article, since ratings are device and revision specific. Read the full Mesh 2.0 specification.
Questions people actually ask
Can I shower with my fitness tracker?
Most survive it, and most manufacturers would rather you did not. The water is not the problem — heat and soap are.
Both IP68 and 5ATM are tested at around room temperature, so hot water and steam fall outside the certified conditions. Soap and shampoo lower water’s surface tension, which is the property keeping it out of tiny gaps, and degrade the adhesives doing the sealing. A cool rinse is fine; two years of hot showers with shampoo is how a good seal stops being one.
Is IP68 good enough for swimming?
Not on its own. IP68 certifies dust protection and continuous immersion under manufacturer-specified conditions, tested in still fresh water with the device stationary.
If swimming is why you are buying, look for 5ATM and an explicit manufacturer statement that swimming is supported. Marketing copy around IP68 often implies more than the rating covers.
What is the difference between IP68 and 5ATM?
They are different tests. IP68 is an ingress rating — the 6 means fully dust-tight, the 8 means continuous immersion beyond one metre under specified conditions. 5ATM is a pressure rating, equivalent to 50 metres of static water pressure.
Many devices carry both. Neither involves moving water, which is why a 5ATM device is not a diving device.
Can I swim in the sea with it?
Not advisable with either rating. Salt water corrodes seals and contacts in a way fresh water does not, and the ratings are tested in fresh water.
If it does go into sea water or a chlorinated pool, rinse it in fresh water immediately afterwards and dry it properly.
Why did my waterproof watch stop being waterproof?
Because the rating describes the device as it left the factory, not a permanent property. Gaskets and adhesives harden and shrink over years, heat cycles stress them, and a single drop onto a hard floor can break a seal without leaving any visible mark.
Most warranties exclude water damage even on rated devices, for exactly this reason.
Is it safe to charge my band if it is wet?
No, and this is the most common way people actually destroy one. Dry the charging contacts and the strap thoroughly before it touches a charger.
It is also worth drying your wrist and leaving the band off for a few minutes after swimming or showering — trapped moisture under a strap causes skin irritation far more often than seals fail.
Sources
- IEC 60529 Ingress Protection rating scheme — first digit solids (6 = dust-tight), second digit liquids (8 = continuous immersion beyond one metre under conditions specified by the manufacturer).
- ISO 22810 water-resistant watch pressure ratings — 5ATM corresponding to 50 metres of static water pressure, tested with the device stationary. Manufacturers typically specify surface swimming rather than depth.
- Manufacturer water-resistance guidance for current consumer wearables, which commonly advises against hot water, steam, saunas, soaps and high-velocity water, and recommends rinsing after exposure to salt or chlorinated water.
Ratings are device and revision specific, and this article explains what the general schemes certify rather than what any particular product supports. Always check the manufacturer’s own stated guidance for your exact model before swimming or showering with it. Water resistance is not permanent: it degrades with age, heat cycles, impacts and chemical exposure, and water damage is excluded from most warranties even on rated devices.
Mesh 2.0
Wear less.Know more.
A screenless band that tracks your heart rate, sleep and BioFuel — then stays out of the way. Available now across Pakistan.