I don’t know where Tag Heuer fits into this, other than seemingly having ludicrous stipulations to their warranty.
The specs I quoted are direct from Apple. By your definition, a submarine isn’t waterproof because if you take it deep enough, water will get in. But pedantic distinctions aside, water resistant to 50 meters is plenty of protection for water exposure I am talking about. Splashing some shower or rain water and sweat on our phones and watches is something they are more than capable of standing up to. Your unconfirmed water ingress in an apple watch of unknown generation aside.
Here is what Apple says in the larger fine print. Any water resistance is a transitory thing…
What should I avoid while wearing my Apple Watch?
Water resistance isn’t a permanent condition and can diminish over time. Apple Watch can’t be rechecked or resealed for water resistance. The following can affect the water resistance of your Apple Watch and should be avoided:
Dropping Apple Watch or subjecting it to other impacts
Exposing Apple Watch to soap or soapy water (for example, while showering or bathing)
Exposing Apple Watch to perfume, solvents, detergent, acids or acidic foods, insect repellent, lotions, sunscreen, oil, or hair dye
Exposing Apple Watch models other than Apple Watch Ultra or later to high-velocity water (for example, while water skiing)
Wearing Apple Watch while cliff diving or high diving
Wearing Apple Watch in a steam room
Wearing Apple Watch models other than Apple Watch Ultra or later in a sauna
Wearing Apple Watch Ultra or later in a sauna above 55° C (130° F)
While the above should be avoided, if your Apple Watch comes in contact accidentally with soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, perfumes, solvents, detergent, acids or acidic foods, insect repellent, sunscreen, oil, hair dye, or any substance other than water, it should be cleaned with fresh warm water and dried with a lint-free cloth. Chemicals found in these items could negatively affect water seals and acoustic membranes.
And here is the ISO Standard the Apple Watches adhere to.
So showering and sun screen can weaken any water resistance. That and other things people usually do as part of that thing called life. Who knows how much resistance is left after a year, two years, three…
My point is that you can’t rely on it being there 100%, and lasting at a functional level that protects it completely. I think ‘moisture’ could have got into mine, and it went psycho (battery level dropped to 30% from a full charge, it wouldn’t accept a charge, and went legs up on the way back from vaca. (I did not swim with it, but did workout and had to use sunscreen. They are NOT impermeable forever. (And many dive watches have ‘screw down crowns’ to make a better seal there, and true dive computers and watches often have multiple o-rings to seal buttons and rotating crowns. (I had a dive computer die so I took it apart and it had two and three o-rings everywhere, and the depth sensor was extremely well glued in. Some dive computers are filled with resin to make sure everything is sealed Many serious divers are nit going to risk their life on an Apple Watch (plus it doesn’t support air integration))
I don’t really see what your point is after all. That nothing lasts forever? I think everybody already knows that. That I should fuss over a sport watch and avoid normal sport watch use cases because they will expose it to water, and some years down the line the water resistance might fail? No thanks, it’s useless to me if I have to baby it. Yes, these devices have a life span. For mine that life span has almost always been due to obsolescence, or impact damage. Not to mention that battery failure after a few years is a foregone conclusion in these devices, and it does not have to be due to water ingress. Particularly in an apple watch that is power hungry and needs to be charged just about daily. I simply have not seen any evidence that these devices are commonly dying due to water ingress from normal use, in spite of what you might believe.
Okay, if you have infinite money to burn for devices that failed, good for you. Really.
The ‘failed battery’, wasn’t a failed battery. How does a battery go from near 100% to that level without becoming a chunk of lava on your wrist. I think that the moisture caused something to fail, or freakout at least, and my beautiful original Edition Watch was dead. I could not charge it, and it just curled up its legs and died.
So continue testing the laws of physics and whatever else. I now do a water flush sequence at least 4 times on the replacement watch, and try to not expose it to ‘nasty things’. I take it off before applying sun screen, or mosquito jizz. I really am a little more conscious of the expensive chunk of technology on my writs and don’t go boldly into batter without a passing though of the effects on the key to my food pellets. Do I suffer for all that? Not at all, but I do end up not having to swipe my wife’s Apple Watch so I can keep my rings going.
The support agent chuckled when I said that I had to ‘get my rings’. Yeah, and my food pellets. But nothing lasts forever, and if taking care of my toys makes them (potentially) last longer, I am willing to take better care of them so that it lasts until Apple releases the nest Titanium (Unobtainium?) Edition Watch.
Out of all the Apple Watches I’ve had, I have never had a battery failure.
And lack of evidence is not evidence of absence. Might I suggest going to MacRumors and searching for Apple Watch failures, and Apple Watch battery issues.
If by infinite you mean 0, which is what i have spent replacing all the sport watches I killed due to an imaginary problem of getting them wet, then sure, I have it.
Might I suggest going to MacRumors and searching for Apple Watch failures, and Apple Watch battery issues.