While swimming at Burleigh Beach on October 19, Tim Armitstead lost his watch when it slipped off his wrist.
“I caught a good wave, came up for air, and realized my watch was missing. I thought, ‘Oh no’,” Armitstead recounted.
Remarkably, the watch drifted approximately four kilometers north, eventually landing on the sands of Nobby Beach three weeks later.
The discovery was made by Gold Coast Councillor Nick Marshall and his daughter during a stroll.
“This Apple Watch just washed right up to us,” Marshall explained.
Upon finding it, Marshall and his daughter charged the device, uncovering a screensaver photo of a man with a young child.
“We put that on social media and said, ‘Do you know the owner?’” Marshall said.
After that proved unsuccessful, the community provided a crucial tip.
“The side part of an Apple Watch, if you hold down the medical ID section it comes up with a name,” Marshall said.
“So we were able to track down Tim via that.”
Armitstead was contacted through LinkedIn.
“I get this random message on my LinkedIn,” Armitstead said.
“It just in capital letters said ‘I’ve found your watch’.”
The Apple Watch was returned to Armitstead in working condition.
“Hasn’t missed a beat. Nothing wrong with it at all,” Armitstead said.
