Pebble Debuts Beautiful Time Steel Smartwatch

Pebble is rolling.

A week after the ridiculously successful Kickstarter debut of the new Pebble Time, smartwatch maker Pebble is back with an even newerwatch, the Pebble Time Steel.

The Pebble Time Steel is a more premium version of the Pebble Time, which has raised a Kickstarter record $12 million and counting. Its body is made of stainless steel (hence the name) and is available in silver, black, and gold finishes.

The Pebble Time Steel also comes with both a leather band and stainless steel band. Based on what I’ve seen out of smartwatches so far from any company„ the Time Steel is easily one of the most attractive watches around.

(I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t mention that the Time Steel, with its square face and rounded edges, looks a bit like Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch.)

Beyond its fashion-forward design, the Time Steel also gets up to 10 days of battery life, three more than the standard Pebble Time. (And likely nine days more than the Apple Watch, if reports are correct.)

Looks and battery life aside, the Pebble Time Steel is the exact same smartwatch as the original Pebble Time. Both come with color e-paper displays and curved bodies that contour to your wrist.

Both watches also come with Pebble’s new timeline interface, which lets you scroll through past, present, and future events. So you can check out your old emails and scores from last night’s games, then check the current time, and finally move on to your upcoming events.

The watches also include a new microphone for voice dictation, so you can take quick notes or reply to messages from your friends.

Unlike most smartwatches on the market, the Time and Time Steel work with both Android and iOS devices. Google’s Android Wear watches don’t support Apple’s iPhone, while Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch won’t support Android phones.

The Time and Time Steel will also offer support for optional smart straps that will allow developers to add additional functionality to the watches. As it stands, neither the Time nor Time Steel include GPS tracking or heart rate monitors.

A developer could, however, develop a smart strap with a built-in GPS and heart rate monitor that, when connected to the Time or Time Steel, would instantly give the watches those capabilities. Think of it as a modular design for a smartwatch.

According to Pebble, the Time Steel will cost $299 when it goes on sale, $100 more than the Pebble Time. Early Kickstarter backers, though, can get the watch for $250.

And if you’ve already put your money toward the Pebble Time, Pebble says you can easily upgrade to the Time Steel without losing your place in line.

As it stands the Pebble is the best smartwatch maker around. But Apple is set to host an event for its upcoming Apple Watch on March 9th.

Will Pebble be able to stay on top? The clock is ticking.