Stopwatch vs app swim timing, done properly either way.
Three watches and a median time is proper stopwatch timing. Here is what changes, and what doesn't, when a club replaces stopwatches with synced phones.
Stopwatches and cards, in plain terms.
Stopwatches and paper cards are the original way a club times a lane without automatic equipment. Done to Swimming NSW's chief timekeeper training, that means a chief timekeeper overseeing the meet and ideally three timekeepers per lane plus two reserves, with the official time taken as the median of the three watches. It suits any club with willing volunteers but no equipment budget, and it remains the fallback whenever phones or touchpads aren't available.
Stopwatches compared with EasyMeet.
| EasyMeet | Stopwatches & cards | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment needed per lane | Two phones (your own) | Ideally 3 timekeepers' watches, plus 2 reserves |
| Timers recommended per lane | 2 | 3, plus 2 reserve timekeepers |
| Official time method | Auto-averaged when two taps agree within 0.30s | Median of three watches |
| Results typed up afterwards | ||
| Clocks agree between lanes | N/A, each watch independent | |
| Meets Swimming Australia record rules | Hand times, not sanctioned | Needs automatic equipment or 3 digital watches to 1/100s |
Stopwatches remain a dependable, zero-tech fallback.
If a club has no phones to spare, no wifi or mobile data at the venue, or simply wants a backup that needs no charging and no signal, three stopwatches and a paper card per lane is still a sound, well-understood method.
- No phones available for every lane
- No wifi or mobile data at the venue
- A true backup method with nothing to charge
No phones, no wifi, just watches and a card.
Keep a watch at each lane as backup while you trial phones.
- Run one club night on EasyMeet with a stopwatch at each lane as backup
- No results to write on a card or type up afterwards
- Same volunteer judgement call when two timers disagree
- Your first meet is free on any plan, with every feature and no card needed.
Stopwatch alternative questions
How many timekeepers does a lane need with stopwatches?
Done properly, a chief timekeeper oversees the meet, and each lane ideally has three timekeepers plus two reserves, per Swimming NSW's chief timekeeper training. The official time is taken as the median of the three watches, for example 2:39.01, 2:39.12 and 2:39.14 giving an official time of 2:39.12.
Can a club still set records with stopwatches?
Under Swimming Australia's rules, records need either automatic timing equipment or three digital watches reading to a hundredth of a second. A single stopwatch is not enough for a record-eligible time.
How is EasyMeet different from a stopwatch?
It is still hand timing, just done on phones instead of watches. Two timers per lane tap FINISH as their swimmer touches, and when both taps land within 0.30 seconds of each other, EasyMeet averages them into the official time automatically. Further apart, the lane is flagged for the recorder to decide, the same judgement call a chief timekeeper makes with three watches.
Does EasyMeet remove the need for a chief timekeeper's judgement?
No. Any lane where the two taps disagree by more than 0.30 seconds still needs a human decision, made on the Run screen by the coach or recorder. EasyMeet replaces the watches and the paper card, not the judgement.
Should we keep stopwatches as backup?
That's a sensible habit either way. Stopwatches and paper cards need no phones, no wifi and no power, so keeping a watch at each lane as a fallback costs nothing and covers you if a phone drops out.
Is switching from stopwatches to EasyMeet a big change for volunteers?
Not really. No contracts, no per-swimmer fees, no sales call needed. A timer still watches their lane and taps the moment their swimmer finishes, just on a phone screen instead of a stopwatch button, with no results to write on a card or type up afterwards.
See exactly how phone swim timing works lane by lane, the timing accuracy numbers, or browse every alternative side by side.
Sources, checked October 2026
Retire the clipboard, keep the watch as backup.
Free for your first club night.