AppleInsider Staff
South Korean electronics firm LG on Monday unveiled an upscale addition to its Urbane smartwatch lineup, adopting a 23-karat gold case and hardware along with an alligator strap in a new $1,200 limited edition offering.
The gold case sports a piano-lacquer gloss finish, and the band features a matching gold deployment clasp. LG says that the new luxury smartwatch is "designed with a specific wearer in mind," though that wearer is neither named nor described.
LG created the watch in tandem with American firm REEDS Jewelers, which will also handle sales of the device in the U.S. Just 500 will be made, each with a unique serial number.
Technologically, there do not appear to be any differences between the Urbane Luxe and the standard Android Wear-based Urbane line. Those devices feature a round 1.3-inch OLED display, 512 megabytes of RAM, a built-in 1.2 gigahertz quad-core processor, and IP67 dust and water resistance.
"Wearable devices shouldn't be thought of as an extension of one's smartphone but an extension of oneself," LG marketing executive Chris Yie said in a release. "This blending of craftsmanship and technology is a natural evolution of the smartwatch, which is becoming more of a lifestyle accessory than a piece of hardware. We think this is a good direction for wearables and we want to encourage this transformation."
The LG Watch Urbane Luxe will be available for approximately $1,200 beginning in October.
Andrew Orr
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
William Gallagher
56 Comments
Another instance that shows how Non-Apple hardware aims at the low-prices because they know their software isn't up to par to command 10K price tag, even though it's 23K gold as opposed to 18K gold that Apple Watches come in.
What! How does LG do 23k gold smartwatch for only 1200 Dollars? Is it 23k gold plated? It can't be a solid gold case surely! If it is Apple's 10 grand for something similar is daylight robbery!
[quote name="superjunaid" url="/t/187941/lg-announces-limited-edition-23-karat-gold-urbane-watch-luxe-smartwatch#post_2768199"]Another instance that shows how Non-Apple hardware aims at the low-prices because they know their software isn't up to par to command 10K price tag, even though it's 23K gold as opposed to 18K gold that Apple Watches come in.[/quote] I'm sure you're aware that the $349 Apple Watch shares the same software and ecosystem as the $17K Apple Watch. This watch is gold plated. That's why it is so much cheaper.
[quote name="1983" url="/t/187941/lg-announces-limited-edition-23-karat-gold-urbane-watch-luxe-smartwatch#post_2768210"]What! How does LG do 23k gold smartwatch for only 1200 Dollars? Is it 23k gold plated? It can't be a solid gold case surely! If it is Apple's 10 grand for something similar is daylight robbery![/quote] Yes this watch is gold plated.
What! How does LG do 23k gold smartwatch for only 1200 Dollars? Is it 23k gold plated? It can't be a solid gold case surely! If it is Apple's 10 grand for something similar is daylight robbery!
of course, plated. Watch Edition is solid.