How do I disengage iWatch Activation Lock on an old iWatch paired with an inaccessible iPhone?

I bought a new iPhone because - as I've written previously to the community about my iPhone 13 mini's issues - TL;DR - unable to open it. My iWatch was paired to the mini. After I bought my new iPhone I wanted to pair my iWatch to it but it did not work. But because I could not access my old iPhone mini, I could not un-pair it. So, I thought if I erase it, I could then pair it with my new iPhone. Problem is Activation Lock does not allow me to do this because it is still connected - despite being "wiped" to the old iPhone mini, which I cannot access. I tried to go on iCloud and disengage Activiation lock from there but maybe since I already erased the iWatch I do not see it under my devices. Also, while I have not changed my iCloud, every few years I change my password. So when my new iPhone asks me to input my iCloud password to unlock my iWatch, it says the password is incorrect.

[Re-Titled By Moderator]