Some users might find smartwatches a little redundant as their small color display shows notifications and other information that they could see in their smartwatches. Of course, it is more convenient to just twist your wrist to see what’s going on than taking out another device from your pocket. That’s why manufacturers of mobile products had to improve their design and the materials used in its construction, so smartwatches could be marketed as fashion accessories rather than technological gadgets. LG launched their first smartwatch running Android Wear last year’s summer, which featured a square screen, but a little later, the company introduced the first smartwatch with a fully circular display and they haven’t looked back.
The first smartwatch from the company that was targeted to a fashion-aware audience was the LG Watch Urbane, which was introduced last March. About a month ago, the company announced a special edition of that watch featuring more luxurious materials than the regular version. It is called LG Watch Urbane Luxe and it was created with the jewelry company REEDS Jewelers. The watchcase now features 23-karat gold and the strap is made from handcrafted alligator leather. The clasp is also coated in gold and it is inspired from Cartier’s classic designs. The process of making the leather band is very complex with more than 50 separate steps and over 30 people are involved, so only 500 watches will be made.
The watch has been on pre-sale since last month and now it’s available from REEDS.com. Since this is the first luxury Android smartwatch, its price is quite high. The regular version with the Mahogany Brown leather strap costs $1,195 and there are additional colors for the leather straps which cost $195 more. The colors include Cobalt Blue, Carmine Red, Pearl White, Hunter Green and Onyx Black. The watch is compatible with devices running Android 4.3 or a more recent version and iOS 8.2 or later devices. The box packaging this device is also very unique with a glossy finish, it is signed and numbered to reaffirm the authenticity of every watch. You can check out additional pictures from our recent coverage right here.