Speedo Aquacoach
Swimovate, creators of the revolutionary wrist-mounted swimming computer, the Pool-Mate, has teamed up with Speedo to help develop its Aquacoach watch. The four-year agreement allows Speedo to use Swimovate’s lap-counting technology.
Speedo’s Aquacoach isn’t just a lap counter, though. It also estimates calorific expenditure and compares up to 50 sessions stored in its memory.
The watch itself is nicely styled and relatively small, so doesn’t interfere with your stroke in any way. It counts how many strokes you’re doing per length – great if you’re trying to improve your technique – and your speed per 100m, so you can assess the quality of a longer workout easily.
This sort of technology is ideal for the self-coached swimmer, as getting accurate information on splits, stroke counts and the like has always been tricky without a coach on poolside.
The Aquacoach can’t offer feedback on your technique directly, but its ability to measure so many metrics effortlessly and accurately means tracking your own progress in the pool is relatively easy.
Is it any better than the Swimovate, though? It’s hard to say. Based on looks alone it’s sleeker but in terms of value the £69.99 basic Pool-Mate model wins hands down. And for £109.99, the Pool-Mate Pro offers a USB download facility to track sessions on a PC, which makes the Speedo look a little overpriced and under-gunned in comparison.
Contact : www.speedo.co.uk
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
