When they introduced the Apple Watch last fall, developers made clear that the new gadget would be intimately linked to the company's iPhone. Now, a new app designed to help achieve that connection is giving tech watchers some insights into the timepiece's more advanced features.

9to5Mac reported the Apple Watch "Companion" for iPhone manages settings for the watch's applications, along with options for interactivity between the timepiece and the smartphone. Its setup reveals some previously unconfirmed functions, which the Apple Watch will apparently include.

A feature called "Monogram," a red notification dot and a stock-market tracker are among the new abilities that caught Apple watchers' eyes. "Monogram" will permit users to include a virtual, embedded stamp of between one and four letters directly on the clock face. This customization, which most owners might use to highlight their initials, "(gives) you the chance to make your watch look more individually designed," according to 9to5Mac.

Another feature is a subtle red dot that appears atop the Apple Watch's clock face when a new notification is received.

Plus, those who need to monitor their investments may choose a stock to track via a watch-face complication: They will be able to see a given note's current price, point change, percentage change or market cap, and the same stock will appear in Glances, as well.

Some other novelties to which "Companion" points include the ability to respond to messages via voice and limit incoming messages to those sent by people in a user's contacts list. Like the iPhone, the Apple Watch will feature a dedicated, four-number passcode, which will also be required to use Apple Pay.

Speculation, meanwhile, has been rampant about when, exactly, the Apple Watch will finally hit stores, TechRadar noted. Apple CEO Tim Cook had initially promised a rollout in "early 2015," and Valentine's Day has often been rumored as a potential date.

A somewhat cryptic internal memo by Angela Arendts, the company's senior vice president of retail and online stores, meanwhile, shed little light on the issue.

"We're going into the holidays, we'll go into Chinese New Year, and then we've got a new watch launch coming in the spring," the notereportedly read.

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