LG Electronics announced Monday it will release its first all-metal luxury Android smartwatch, LG Watch Urbane, at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona, Spain.

The LG Watch Urbane is up against the best smartwatches on the market currently, the G Watch and G Watch R, and is a direct rival to the Apple Watch rumored to debut in March.

Unlike past watches, LG is marketing this smartwatch as a sophisticated accessory for the cosmopolitan wearer, whether male or female. The LG Watch Urbane has a classic timepiece look with its silver or gold case that is accented by a natural leather strap. There is also a 22mm-wide band option.

LG's choice of a natural leather band for their watch is indeed smart, considering Fitbit users have recently filed a lawsuit following complaints the fitness smartwatch's synthetic wristband causes irritating skin rashes.

The smartwatch maintains the 1.3-inch, round plastic OLED face of the G Watch R but has a stainless steel body available in polished silver and gold finish. The intuitive touch-based user interface is compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above thanks to a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip.

"The LG Watch Urbane's classic design and smart features make it the perfect smartwatch to complement our G Watch and G Watch R, which were designed as more casual and active devices," said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Mobile, in a statement. "LG Watch Urbane is an important part of our strategy to develop wearable devices that are worn and viewed as everyday accessories, not electronic gadgets."

The decision to offer what the company calls a "luxury Android Wear device" comes weeks before the Apple Watch debut. Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at an April release during Apple's Q1 2015 earnings in January.

It will be interesting to see which smartwatch appeals most to consumers. The Apple Watch designed more as a gadget, whereas the LG Watch Urbane resembles a luxury timepiece.