Schoolboy finds missing Apple watch on Bexhill beach after three days lost at sea

A schoolboy turned detective to return a missing smartwatch to its rightful owner - three days after the device was lost at sea.
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Nine-year-old Nicolas was visiting his grandparents in Bexhill when he found the Apple watch while playing frisbee with his family on Cooden Beach on June 3.

Grandfather Geoff Tompkins told the Observer: “On going to pick up the frisbee Nicolas noticed a black watch on the water’s edge, quite sandy, and obviously very wet.”

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After ascertaining that the watch’s owner was not on the beach, Nicolas took it back to his grandparents house.

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Mr Tompkins said: “Pressing the button displayed the time, but there was also the red ‘low on charge’ notice.

“The first thing to do was to put a notice on the Bexhill Facebook site, the next thing was to discover how we could charge the phone in the hope we could discover the owner’s details. We had no idea of knowing how long it had been in the water, but wrongly assumed it had just been lost for a few hours.

“We Googled to see how it was charged as our battery banks did nothing, and then put a message on our neighbours WhatsApp group.

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“Ten minutes later, Judy from a few doors away said that her other half has got a spare Apple watch charger and as it was very late by now, would drop it in the following morning, which she kindly did.”

When the charger arrived, Nicolas connected the watch and a phone number appeared on the screen.

Mr Tompkins said: “My son telephoned the number, and spoke to a very astounded and amazed owner, who had lost the watch in the sea whilst kite surfing three days previously!”

The watch was returned to the grateful owner, who gave Nicolas a reward.

Mr Tompkins said: “It was a very generous reward, which will keep him, and his brother and sister, in ice-cream and sweets for a long time. Honesty does pay!”