Possible Google Pixel Watch 5 surfaces in strange underwater find

A possible Pixel Watch 5 has appeared in one of the stranger wearable leaks we have seen for a while, after it was reportedly found underwater near St. Martin. The watch appears to carry Pixel Watch 5 branding on the back.

The story comes from Randy Pitchford, who posted on X that a friend found the watch while scuba diving near the island. According to the post, the device seemed to be fine, with the display showing an empty battery icon while still keeping enough reserve power to show the correct time.

That is a wonderfully odd way for an unreleased smartwatch to surface. Most leaks arrive through regulatory filings, retailer listings, app code or factory images. Not this one.

The back of the watch does the talking

The face looks very familiar, with the same rounded Pixel Watch style Google has used across the range. The real clues sit on the underside.

The rear casing appears to show “Google” and “Pixel Watch 5” branding, along with markings for SpO2, skin temperature, EDA, UWB, pressure sensor and IP68. A 45mm marking also seems to be visible, although the angle and reflections make some of the smaller text harder to read.

So based only on the visible caseback text, there is no obvious new sensor category here. Previous reports have suggested Google could move the next watch to an in-house Tensor chip, with newer CPU cores and a more efficient 3nm design.

Of course, a printed marking can mislead, images can be altered and prototype units do not always reflect final retail hardware. Still, the combination of the physical design, rear markings and the odd discovery story makes this harder to dismiss outright.

Not much design change on show

Assuming the device is real, the leak does not show a dramatic design shift. The watch looks close to the current Pixel Watch formula, with a curved circular case and a fairly clean underside layout.

The lack of visible software also limits what we can take from this. The device was not shown running Wear OS in any useful way, and the low battery screen does not tell us much about new features. So for now, this is more about existence and markings than function.

The internet enjoyed this one

The reaction has been almost as interesting as the leak itself. One widely shared reply called it “maybe the most Google thing to ever happen,” which neatly sums up the mood around the post. Google hardware has a long history of early appearances, misplaced prototypes and unusually public leaks.

Other comments have been more sceptical. Some users pointed out that the watch looks very similar to the current Pixel Watch design, while others questioned whether the “5” marking could have been altered. That is fair, because a leak this unusual needs more caution than a clean FCC filing or official support page slip.

Still, the story has the kind of weirdness that makes it hard to ignore. A possible Pixel Watch 5 turning up underwater before launch is exactly the sort of thing people remember, even if the visible hardware changes end up looking fairly modest.

Pixel Watch 5 will likely arrive in September or October if Google keeps to its usual schedule. Until then, these images give us a strange early look at what may be the next model, but not much in the way of confirmed upgrades. Oh, and if you are wondering, the watch is reportedly being returned to its owner.