A new leak suggests the long-rumored project has been revived—is a full reveal at Meta Connect coming next?
Just when we thought the idea had been finally laid to rest, the saga of Meta’s on-again, off-again smartwatch continues. According to a new report by DigiTimes, Meta has revived its ambitious smartwatch project, with development reportedly restarting in early 2024.
The report suggests that, once again, the core feature intended to set the device apart is a built-in camera. This time, however, the watch is being positioned as a companion device for the company’s upcoming smart glasses, rumored to be codenamed ‘Celeste’. While details are scarce, the leak indicates we could see a tease—or even a full reveal—of the wearable at the upcoming Meta Connect event on 17 September.
Of course, this is all incredibly familiar ground. As we first covered in 2021, the original plan for the watch, codenamed ‘Milan’, featured a detachable design with two cameras: a 5MP front-facer for video calls and a 12MP rear camera for taking photos on the go.
After Milan was reportedly shelved in September 2022, a new leak in early 2023 suggested a ‘v2’ edition was still in the works, designed to get users accustomed to a form factor that could be used as a controller for future Metaverse devices.
A smartwatch concept that finally makes sense?
So, why revive the project now? It’s naturally hard to say, but the rapid advancement of AI in smart glasses—and Meta’s specific success in the area — has likely played a significant role.
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While a wrist-mounted camera for photos felt gimmicky when we first reported on it years ago, a camera intended as an input for AI-powered visual intelligence—much like the one on the Ray-Ban Meta glasses—makes far more sense in 2025. It could provide real-time information about the world around you, working in tandem with glasses and potentially even the Quest VR ecosystem.
Given Meta’s history of experimenting with and ultimately shelving its smartwatch plans, we’re not holding our breath just yet. However, by shifting the focus from simple photography to a tool for its broader AI and mixed-reality ambitions, Meta may have finally found a compelling reason for its camera-watch to exist. All eyes will be on the Connect event to see if this long-rumored smartwatch finally steps out of the shadows.