A Pixel Watch 5 pulled from the ocean just became tech's weirdest leak

A tech leak in the wild usually involves blurry photos, devices hidden behind anti-spyware cases, or someone accidentally leaving a prototype in a bar (shout-out to the Nexus 4 leak). But the alleged Pixel Watch 5 may have just set a new record for the weirdest leak ever by apparently getting discovered at the bottom of the ocean.

Over the weekend, Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford shared a bizarre story on X claiming that a friend found an unreleased Google Pixel Watch 5 while scuba diving near the island of St. Martin.

According to Pitchford, the watch was discovered underwater and appeared to still be functional despite its unexpected deep-sea adventure.

The story somehow got even stranger when Pitchford later posted an update saying the owner had already been found thanks to “the magic of the internet,” and arrangements had been made to return the watch.

The attached images are what really make this leak interesting. The back of the device clearly shows markings reading “Google” and “Pixel Watch 5,” along with labels for sensors including “SpO2,” “EDA,” “Skin Temperature,” “Heart Rate Sensor,” “Pulse Sensor,” and “UWB.” IP68 water resistance is also mentioned on the back. That’s a pretty polished-looking prototype for something Google hasn’t even acknowledged exists.

The front of the watch also looks surprisingly complete, with the familiar round Pixel Watch design and what appears to be a nearly finalized hardware build. Honestly, if someone told us this was ready to ship tomorrow, we’d probably believe them.

The timing of the leak is also unusual. The Pixel Watch 4 launched only in October last year, so we’re still very far from any expected Pixel Watch 5 launch. Yet this thing already looks production-ready.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that this is an internal prototype being tested in the wild, and then accidentally sacrificed to the ocean. Tech companies routinely test unreleased hardware outside controlled environments, although most prototypes usually don’t end up taking a scuba-diving vacation in the Caribbean.

Still, if this story and the device are legitimate, Google may really want to tighten up its prototype tracking system. A device leaking online in renders is one thing. Leaking from the bloody ocean is something else entirely.