Huawei unveils new smart watch to challenge Apple in luxury wearables market

Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei has unveiled its first smartwatch that is aimed at the higher end of the wearables market, a week before Apple is expected to host an event to present a rival device.

The 42mm in diameter "luxury" watch would be the world's first wearable with sapphire crystal glass, Richard Yu, chief executive officer of Huawei's consumer business group, said at an event in Barcelona on Sunday, ahead of yesterday's opening of the Mobile World Congress.

The firm unveiled its watch line in classic, business and sporty versions, while at the same time, across town, South Korea's LG Electronics launched a similar round-faced model.

Pairing the watch with a smartphone running Android, users can receive text-message notifications, emails, calendar reminders or incoming phone alerts.

It is not, as some analysts had hoped for, a watch that can operate independently from a smartphone, using its own SIM card.