Whether you're looking to track swimming workouts or just don't feel like taking it off for a shower, it's a question that's crossed almost every Apple Watch user's mind: can the Apple Watch get wet? Few things are fully waterproof, particularly when it comes to electronics, and Apple has always carefully branded their watches as water resistant. That's common in the broader watch world, and can still mean they have robust capabilities to withstand water.

While Apple Watches aren't waterproof, they are water resistant. When it comes to exactly what that means, there's a lot of minutiae at play. Water resistance is quite a spectrum, but there's a system in place to help consumers know just how much a watch can withstand — and not every model of Apple Watch is rated equally.

How a watch's water resistance is measured can be a bit confusing at first glance. It's often presented in meters, and it's easy to assume a rating of 50m means you can take your watch 50 meters underwater, but that isn't the case. Things begin to make more sense when you look at the other traditional measurement, ATM. This is short for Atmospheres, a unit of pressure, and every 10 meters of depth equals one ATM.

Together, the two values represent how much water pressure a watch can withstand. However, this testing is done under laboratory conditions — because there are so many other factors at play, like movement and temperature, how these values correlate to what you can actually do with your watch in the water isn't exactly straightforward. A watch rated 30m, for example, can only tolerate things like light splashes and rain.

In short: yes, it's generally fine to take your Apple Watch in the water, so long as it's a Series 2 or newer, but the depths you can go vary. All Apple Watches Series 2 and later have a water resistance rating of 50 meters, meaning they're okay for shallow swimming in a pool or ocean. All three Apple Watch SE models the company has released have this rating, as well. All Apple Watch Ultra models, on the other hand, have a rating of 100 meters, making them suitable for more intense activities like water skiing and scuba diving (up to 130 feet).

Besides resistance rating, there are other things to look out for when taking your Apple Watch into the water to make the experience as safe as possible. For one, not all Apple Watch bands, like those made of stainless steel or leather, are suitable for water use. It's also important to note that water resistance doesn't last forever. The longer you've had your Apple Watch, and the more it's been exposed to things like physical damage, soap, and steam can affect how the device handles water.

Apple's Water Lock is another key part of ensuring a perfect swim. It prevents any phantom touches on your screen from the water during a workout, and when deactivated it performs a series of vibrations to knock out any liquid that may have gotten inside. Water lock turns on automatically when you start a water-based workout, or can be turned on manually from the control center. So long as you aren't going deep sea diving, all these considerations will let you use your Apple Watch in the water without a hitch.