Pixel Watch 5 prototype recovered from the Atlantic

Google’s wearable division has added another curious leak to its record. During a recreational scuba session off the Caribbean island of St. Martin, Gearbox co‑founder Randy Pitchford surfaced with a water‑logged Pixel Watch 5 prototype. The watch, still capable of displaying the time on a partially drained battery, offers a rare glimpse at the design and hardware choices Google may be making for its upcoming smartwatch.

What the images reveal

From the front, the device looks identical to the Pixel Watch 4, keeping the familiar circular display and rotating crown. The back of the unit bears several markings that help confirm its specifications:

• 45 mm case – the same size as the larger Pixel Watch 4, suggesting Google will continue offering a single, flagship‑sized model.
• IP68 ingress protection – the rating explains why the internals survived a plunge in salty water; the seal should keep moisture out under normal wear.
• Sensors – tiny icons indicate a heart‑rate monitor, pulse‑oximeter, SpO₂ sensor, skin‑temperature tracker and an ultra‑wideband (UWB) chip for precise ranging.

These details line up with the feature set Google promised for the Pixel Watch 4, but the presence of a UWB module hints at deeper integration with Android’s location services and possible support for key‑less car entry.

A possible shift to a custom Tensor chip

Rumors have circulated that Google may replace the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear platform with a bespoke Tensor processor, similar to the one that powers the Pixel 7 series. A custom chip could give Google tighter control over sensor fusion, on‑device AI for health analytics, and power‑efficiency optimisations. If true, the Pixel Watch 5 would become the first Google smartwatch to run a Tensor‑based SoC, potentially enabling features like real‑time translation of voice commands directly on the device.

How this fits into Google’s ecosystem

Google’s strategy has been to lock the Pixel Watch tightly into the broader Android and services ecosystem. A Tensor chip would deepen that bond, allowing the watch to share more data with Pixel phones, Nest devices, and the new Assistant AI features announced earlier this year. Users who already own a Pixel 7 or newer phone would likely see smoother hand‑off of activities, faster health‑data syncing, and more accurate on‑device inference for things like sleep stage detection.

At the same time, the IP68 rating and robust sensor suite keep the device competitive with Apple’s Watch 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6, both of which also tout water resistance and advanced health tracking. Google’s biggest challenge will be convincing users to stay within its ecosystem rather than switching to a platform with a longer‑standing health‑data infrastructure.

What to expect next

Google has not confirmed a launch date, but typical product cycles suggest a reveal at the Google I/O conference in May 2027. If the prototype is any indication, we can anticipate:

• A 45 mm stainless‑steel case with a sapphire‑crystal front.
• Continued support for Wear OS 4 with tighter integration of Google Fit and Assistant.
• Potential new health metrics powered by on‑device AI, such as stress detection and advanced cardio‑vascular monitoring.
• A pricing tier that mirrors the Pixel Watch 4’s $399 launch price, though a Tensor chip could push costs slightly higher.

For now, the watch remains a curiosity recovered from the ocean floor, but the markings on its back give us concrete data points to watch as Google prepares its next wearable.

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Image credit: Randy Pitchford via X