Should you leave water lock on all the time?

To what end?

All water lock does, is prevent the screen and side buttons from doing anything, until you deactivate water lock. Which seems like it would be a very annoying way to use your Apple Watch.

But keeping your Apple Watch in water lock mode would not hurt anything.

And it does not change the water resistance level of the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is always the same level of water resistance.

So what is your goal?

BobHarris wrote:

All water lock does, is prevent the screen and side buttons from doing anything, until you deactivate water lock. Which seems like it would be a very annoying way to use your Apple Watch.

Slight correction: the side buttons can remain active with the water lock enabled, as pressing both buttons together is how a swimming workout can be paused or resumed without first releasing the water lock.

But yeah, leaving the water lock enabled does not alter the provided water resistance—the water lock is a control lock, and not a means to alter inherent water resistance