Aside from its round P-OLED screen and stylish case design, the G Watch R is remarkably similar to the original LG G Watch. But as just about anyone could guess, consumers will be paying a premium for that style when the round Android Wear device is released later this year. If LG's German press release announcing the G Watch R is accurate, it's going to be quite a premium indeed. The PR lists the suggested retail price as 299 euro, a full €100 more expensive than the G Watch. It also gives a slightly more precise release date: October.

€300 is approximately $395, but thanks to the economics of releasing electronics and other high-value goods in Europe, the American price will probably be much closer to $300. That's still a hefty premium over the $230 G Watch, and $50 more expensive than the similarly stylish Moto 360 is expected to cost. Again, that's an educated guess on my part, but I'd be very surprised if the US price for the G Watch R exceeded $325.

Die LG G Watch R wird in Deutschland ab Oktober zu einem UVP von 299 Euro verfügbar sein. Auf der IFA in Berlin ist die G Watch R vom 5. Bis 10. September am LG-Stand in Halle 11.2 bereits zu bewundern. Google translation: The LG G Watch R will be available in Germany from October at a recommended retail price of 299 euros. At IFA in Berlin Until September 10 at the LG booth in Hall 11.2 already admire the G Watch R on 5.

More than any segment before it, smartwatches make technology and fashion collide, and it looks like LG is counting on those good looks to drive some profit. Granted, that circular screen uses the same technology as the bendy LG G Flex, which probably drives the price up a little.

So what say you, frugal and/or fashionable readers? With non-screen specs being almost identical, would you pay a 100 euro premium for a smartwatch that looks like a real watch?

Source: LG Germany - thanks, Juhani Lehtimäki!