TECH NEWS – It’s amusing when an unreleased Google project surfaces at the bottom of the ocean, but that’s exactly what happened!
The story seems ripped from the script of a James Bond thriller. A diver recently found a Pixel Watch 5 prototype that a Google employee had accidentally dropped in the water while swimming in the Caribbean. The watch is now circulating on social media. Randy Pitchford, the head of Gearbox, recently recounted a bizarre incident in which his friend found a smartwatch while diving near St. Martin. Upon closer inspection, the diver realized that the smartwatch was the unreleased Pixel Watch 5. This prompted him to try to contact the former owner using internet searches.
Pitchford later revealed that they had made contact with the owner of the Pixel Watch 5 and were arranging to return the device. Naturally, this incident caused quite a stir on social media. Marques Brownlee, a YouTuber, commented on Pitchford’s original tweet, writing that this was perhaps the most Google-like thing that had ever happened.
A friend of mine found this watch a few days ago ~underwater~ when he was scuba diving near the island of St. Martin. He noted that the reverse of the watch indicates that it is a Google Pixel 5, which has not yet been announced, let alone released. It seems to be fine. The face… pic.twitter.com/Mnenov1sFE
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 31, 2026
Update: Thanks to the magic of the internet, I am now in touch with the owner and we’ve arranged for its return. If you find something that isn’t yours, pay it forward and try to return it to its rightful owner. https://t.co/NaqUHuvJmM
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 31, 2026
Even before its dramatic unveiling, the Google Pixel Watch 5 was expected to feature a familiar round design, thinner bezels, and size options of 41 mm and 45 mm. It was also expected to have an improved sapphire crystal display for enhanced durability and an OLED screen with a peak brightness of approximately 3,000 nits. The smartwatch will likely run on Google’s new Wear OS 7 system and be powered by either the new “NPT” Tensor chip or the Qualcomm W5 Gen 3 chip.
Pitchford and his team are taking an entirely appropriate approach: since this is a prototype with a rightful owner (who undoubtedly received a serious scolding from Google for losing the product), they want to return it. At least they won’t pocket it or sell it on eBay to a more resourceful fan. The smartwatch’s underwater life is over, and it’s on its way back to its owner.
Source: WCCFTech
