Bizarre find: Google apparently lost a Pixel Watch 5 prototype in the sea, and as luck would have it, someone found it

Stories of lost prototypes have a long tradition in the tech world. Just remember the iPhone 4, which someone from Apple left in a bar, becoming one of the most famous leaks of the decade. This year’s contribution to the genre is unusual already by where the alleged prototype was found — beneath the surface of the Caribbean Sea.

Photos of the Pixel Watch 5 in the 45mm variant were published on the social network X by Randy Pitchford, founder of Gearbox studio, known for the Borderlands series. According to him, his friend found the watch while snorkeling off the island of St. Martin. The inscription Pixel Watch 5 is clearly embossed on the underside, leaving no doubt as to which device the model belongs. Although the battery is dead after being in saltwater, the watch still displays the current time in power-saving mode, according to Pitchford. If confirmed, this is actually a pretty decent, albeit unintentional, advertisement for durability.

The images appear credible. Pitchford is a publicly known figure, and his own face is visible in the reflection on the watch face, which wouldn’t make much sense for an edited photo. From a design perspective, however, there’s nothing surprising about the watch. The Pixel Watch 5 looks practically identical to its predecessor, and the software cannot be examined. Google can thus calmly continue its strategy of minor year-over-year increments.

As for what’s hidden inside, official details are still missing. Speculation mainly revolves around the deployment of the Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, which Google itself mentioned as the basis for the new generation of Wear OS. This should also be related to a deeper integration of Gemini Intelligence features directly into the watch. The premiere is expected during the autumn, most likely alongside a new Pixel.

Whether the whole story is true is, of course, a question. But it’s a story nonetheless — and before Google takes precautions in the coming weeks regarding its employees who go on vacation with prototypes in their backpacks, we might get more information.

Would you believe the story of a Pixel Watch 5 prototype found at the bottom of the sea?

Source: 9to5Google