A while ago, I was in the market for a sports watch. Having had issues with my small wrists and the size of most sports watches (which I blogged about here), I eventually settled on an Apple Watch. It wasn’t my first choice – I really wanted a Garmin – but it was a good second best option, and small enough not to look ridiculous on me. I really came to love the thing. It provides good statistics on running, swimming, and biking. Especially while I was training for my half marathon that never was, it was really great to track distances and progress. But I also loved it for swimming and biking. I even came to enjoy the other smartwatch features I never thought I really needed, such as calendar reminders or the ability to reply to a text message from my wrist when my phone was hidden somewhere in the depths of my backpack. The features I found annoying, I just turned off.
And then on Monday morning, in a jet-lagged haze (I got back from a work trip to the US on Sunday), I accidentally dropped my watch on the tiled bathroom floor. Even before picking it up, with a sinking feeling I knew what I would find. The poor thing had really face planted into the tiles. And indeed, the screen had completely shattered. I had a “this is why I can’t have nice things” moment right there. But alas, it was too late.
It also has to be said that I’m sometimes not very smart. I hadn’t bought the extra Apple Care warranty for it, and now it’s going to cost me an arm and a leg to replace the screen. It’s so expensive that for the same money I could buy a decent Garmin replacement.
I’m considering it. As much as I loved the Apple Watch, I still think I would love a Garmin more because of the added functionalities for athletes and longer battery life (I’m also informed they are sturdier, which at this point is probably not a bad idea). At the same time though, my wrists haven’t grown since I was last looking for a watch, and Garmin hasn’t seen the light in the meantime and produced a smaller model I like. As I’m hemming and hawing, for now I really miss my Apple Watch. I went swimming without it today, and as I miscounted my lanes I thought back wistfully to the times I could have just tapped its screen to see how much I’d already done. Sad times! :'(
I know some of my fellow bloggers really aren’t into the idea of tracking, but personally, I love it. I find it motivating and helpful as a training tool. So I will be doing something about it – just not entirely sure what yet. Do you all have any advice?
Look for a local place that does iPhone repairs. They might be able to help with your Watch too.
I did that and it’s not easy! I couldn’t find a place where I live, but online I read that even if some places do it, the watch might not be reliably waterproof afterwards, and as a swimmer that is crucial for me. But I will look a bit more to see if I can find something.
Oh, yes, that’s likely true. I know something about iPhone repair and the waterproofness definitely suffers. 🙁
My Fitbit Versa 2 looks a bit like an Apple Watch. The internet tells me it’s 2-6 mm wider, depending on the Apple Watch choice, but about the same height. Might be an option for a fitness oriented replacement, though I don’t think I can respond to messages on it, just view them.
I looked into the Versa before buying the Apple Watch, but it didn’t have some features that I really wanted, especially for swimming. I’ll look back into it to see if these have improved. Thanks 🙂