Watch this face: fashionable smartwatch from Finland

Ibis Dual Face Smart Watch has made a stylish debut at the Mobile World Congress.

The-intelligent-watch-Ibis-by-Finnish-company-Creoir-is-displayed-during-at-the-Mobile-World-Congress-in-Barcelona-Photo-AFP-Quique-Garcia

Ibis Dual Face Smart Watch has made a stylish debut at the Mobile World Congress.

While it seems that so many companies are racing headlong into the smartwatch market simply to beat Apple to the punch, one company from Finland, Creoir, is actually focused on what potential owners might want.

The result, the Ibis, which is still in its concept stage, actually looks like something a habitual watch wearer would love to adorn his or her wrist.

'We believe the demand for smartwatches will be driven by fashion and sport brands, and the Ibis exemplifies the type of product that we create for fashion brands,' said Creoir Ltd CEO Pekka Vayrynen.

As such, the watch rejects plastics and faux leather in favor of stainless steel and crystal and, in its current form, sports an OLED display that houses both a traditional watch face and a touch screen.

The company says that the finished device will have an accelerometer and compass and connect to an Android or Apple device via Bluetooth. It will also have a custom user interface based on the Android operating system; but for the time being hardware specifications are yet to be finalized.

But even in its concept form, the Ibis is on the right track. The original Pebble watch found a niche market among early adopters for its fantastic, plastic first attempt at a smartwatch.

However, it's the second-generation steel that takes the functionality of the first watch but swaps the shiny plastic for premium materials and better design that's threatening to break into the consumer mainstream.