My Garmin Fenix 5S Plus Took in Water While Swimming Despite Its Waterproof Claim

I used to wear a Garmin Fenix 5S Plus, which is advertised as waterproof up to 100 meters. However, during a routine swim in the sea—no diving involved—the watch took in water and the screen became crystallized and unreadable.

When I took it to Garmin’s Turkish distributor, Baytekin, I was told the warranty had expired and that I could buy a new model with a 30% discount. They also said they don’t import spare parts and that this is the only solution they can offer. According to them, pressing buttons underwater might have caused the damage, and they pointed to a disclaimer buried in the user manual.

Let’s be honest: no customer downloads and studies the manual for hidden warnings before buying a product labeled as waterproof. This feels like a convenient excuse to avoid responsibility. If a watch sold as “water-resistant” gets damaged in shallow water under normal use, that’s a defective product—not user error. Garmin shouldn’t advertise durability they can’t back up.