LG announces limited edition 23-karat gold 'Urbane Watch Luxe' smartwatch
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.
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.
Comments
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.
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.
It has to be plated. 23 karat gold is WAY too soft to be used for a watch case or even jewelry. 18 Karat is about as pure as you can get and achieve ANY semblance of durability and mechanical stability. 23 Karat plated will not hold up to daily wear either due once again to the soft nature of that pure of a gold layer. And as is obvious, $1200 is WAY off the mark for even a 10 karat solid gold case.
of course, plated. Watch Edition is solid.
Solid 23K gold would be around $2800 for 3 ounce watch. My SS Apple watch weighs 3.2 ounce according to the postal scale.
May be worth you buy 100's of this LG gold watch and melt them down to retrieve gold and sell gold at profit. Gold is above $1100 OZ. Other than that, no value.
Credit where it's due: I have to say that it looks only mildly ugly. (Although the gold is a little too yellow).
Credit where it's due: I have to say that it looks only mildly ugly. (Although the gold is a little too yellow).
yes but you know what they say, beauty is on the inside....
which means in this 'case' not so much
It's a handsome looking piece. I'll give it that.
This is a very smart move by LG--limited editions mean limited write-downs.
Quote:
LG says that the new luxury smartwatch is "designed with a specific wearer in mind," though that wearer is neither named nor described.
At least they know that only one person is going to buy this thing, even if they don't yet know who that person is.
No. It would be far more than that. $2800 might be the price of the gold itself, but then you've got to multiply that price by at least 5 times to derive the price of the case. And remember that gold weighs more than SS does. In addition, the LG case is bigger than the Apple case. It could easily weigh 6 oz if the case were actually made of solid 23k gold.
I hope you aren't being serious.
http://www.kitco.com/ind/Albrecht/2015-04-13-The-Apple-Gold-Watch-To-Contain-Half-Ounce-Of-Gold.html
Your link references a patent but this has never been confirmed by Apple. One thing we do know from people who have held both is the gold watch is heavier than the stainless steel watch.
The "Gold Edition" only has about a half ounce of actual gold in it. Apple has a special and unique process they've used to minimize the gold needed. It's not solid gold.
http://www.kitco.com/ind/Albrecht/2015-04-13-The-Apple-Gold-Watch-To-Contain-Half-Ounce-Of-Gold.html
It's solid 18 karat gold, which automatically informs that it is an alloy. Its not pure, no watch or jewelry is.
Whatever their specialized alloying process, the testing of the metal must show a sufficient gold component to be rated 18k
http://www.goldpriceoz.com/gold-karat.html
EDIT: Here's the source article:
http://howtospendit.ft.com/technology/77791-the-man-behind-the-apple-watch
and another with a clearer explanation:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2015/03/09/apple_watch_edition_the_company_found_a_trick_to_use_as_little_gold_as_possible.html
If you read the article I linked it explains why Apple can reduce the gold content compared to others but still claim 18K.
The article is vague, using words like "suggests" and doesn't connect how this process, even if used, would either circumvent or conversely not meet the 18k testing standard.