Pebble teased last week that it had "something special" to announce on Jan. 6, and it wasn't kidding. The company today took the wraps off of Pebble Steel, its newest wristwear that promises to provide the same smartwatch experience as the original Pebble but in a more refined, premium package.

As its name suggests, Pebble Steel is made of CNC-machined stainless steel and includes a Gorilla Glass display and an anti-fingerprint coating. Pebble has also taken this opportunity to throw an RGB LED in the lower left corner of the Pebble Steel's e-paper display that can be used to quickly identify the unit's charging status. The company says that Pebble Steel features the same five to seven day battery life as the original Pebble.

Pebble Steel will be available in Brushed Stainless and Black Matte versions, both of which will include a matching metal band as well as a black leather strap. Pricing for Pebble's new smartwatch is set at $249, and orders are being accepted at getpebble.com starting today, Jan. 6. The new Pebble Steel is expected to begin shipping on Jan. 28.

Pebble today also had a bit of news to share about its official appstore. The company says that it plans to launch the Pebble appstore "by the end of January," giving owners of its smart wristwear a centralized location to search for and install new apps and watchfaces. The Pebble appstore will be integrated into the official Pebble apps for both iOS and Android.

While there's nothing wrong with the design of the original Pebble, some folks likely felt that the device didn't give off a premium vibe, and as a result they may have chosen to not wear it in certain situations or even passed on buying a unit altogether. Pebble Steel changes that, offering a similar experience in a more luxurious package. The new unit looks pretty classy, and I'm betting that there are more than a few people that'll finally join the Pebble bandwagon now that the device is available with a higher-end design.

What do you think of the Pebble Steel? Will you be pulling the trigger on this stainless smartwatch?

Via Pebble