Huawei Watch revealed ahead of MWC press conference - and it is beautiful

Simply called the Watch, Huawei's first Android Wear smartwatch has appeared online and in an advertisement at Barcelona airport - just a day before the company's Mobile World Congress press conference.

First appearing in an advert at the airport, and then in two official Huawei YouTube videos a day later, the Watch is one of the best-looking wearables yet, with attention paid to design and craftsmanship in a way we have not seen from many of Huawei's rivals.

The Huawei Watch has a round face with a diameter of 42mm - the standard size for large traditional wristwatches - and will be sold with straps of two different widths (21mm and 18mm) to cater for men's and women's wrists.

Running Google's Android Wear, the Watch offers Google Now interaction via a microphone, and shows notifications from your Bluetooth-connected smartphone, as well as walking directions, weather forecasts, information for upcoming flights and more.

Designed for business, casual and sports use, the Huawei Watch has a wide range of faces to chose from in its settings menu, and the company has designed a number of different metal, rubber and leather straps which are all interchangeable.

There is also a range of health and fitness tracking features to keep tabs on your walking and running, plus a heart rate monitor on the back of the case; this is also where Huawei has placed the watch's charging port.

In a nod to traditional watches - and the upcoming Apple Watch - Huawei has given its watch a crown; mounted at the 2 o'clock position, it is used to turn the watch's screen on with a press.

Keen to market the wearable as a stylish wristwatch first and a gadget second, Huawei describes the Watch's creation as a "timeless design story," and is at pains to show how the product is made from stainless steel and sapphire crystal (instead of glass), just like traditional high-end watches.

Huawei's Mobile World Congress press conference in Barcelona takes place at 13:30 on 1 March, just hours before HTC is set to announce the One (M9), followed by Samsung's Unpacked event, where we will see the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Both HTC and Samsung are also tipped to be announcing new smartwatches of their own at MWC this week.

IBTimes UK is in Barcelona and will be reporting from Mobile World Congress throughout the week with news, interviews and hands-on first impressions of all the latest smartwatches, tablets and wearables.