These Apple Watch prototypes date from a year before it was even announced

Apple Watch Prototypes Source: GIULIO ZOMPETTI

What you need to know

New Apple Watch prototypes have surfaced after an Italian was able to buy them.
He says the came from e-waste facilities.
They have markets consistent with Apple prototype devices.

Apple released the first Apple Watch in April 2015 and since then it's become the dominant force in the smartwatch market. But before there can be any product, there must be prototypes. And some Apple Watch prototypes dating to around 2014 have surfaced after they were picked up from e-waste recycling facilities.

As Motherboard notes, Giulio Zompetti, a 27-year-old from Northern Italy isn't saying exactly where these things came from as you might expect. But he does say that while they're all broken, all of the important parts remain. He hopes to repair the prototypes and then sell them on.

And, according to Motherboard, it looks like these are in fact the real deal – they have all the markings of an Apple prototype.

Source: GIULIO ZOMPETTI

Some of the watches display a rare logo reminiscent of the Star Wars' Death Star, a logo that's been displayed on iPhone prototypes in the past. Zompetti has a history of obtaining rare prototype Apple devices, and he believes these are authentic Apple devices. The markings, QR codes, and logos on them are reminiscent of prototype iPhones Motherboard has seen and used in the past.

We often see prototype iPhones, MacBooks, and more appear on eBay of all places before they mysteriously disappear. Apple Watch prototypes are rare, however, and it's super interesting to get a glimpse at one from before the world even knew what an Apple Watch was.