Cannot pair Airpods Gen 2 to Apple Watch 7?

My Apple Watch 7 refusese to pair with my Airpods 2. I have tried a fair amount of trouble shooting, but would love advice on further options.

I have unpaired Airpods 2 from my iPhone 13 OS 16.6

I have restarted my Apple Watch 7 OS 9.6.1

Open settings->bluetooth on Watch. Watch sees the Airpods

Place Airpods in pairing mode gears spins

Light on Airpods goes from flashing white to orange to green

Message on Watch says to "make sure device is in range and ready to pair"

This cycle happens every time

Thanks very much for more suggestions