Pebble has announced a new premium model of its popular smartwatch, the Pebble Steel.

A year after Pebble showed off the first-generation Pebble device at CES, the company is back  to reveal the next step for the watch. The Pebble Steel sticks to the same solid foundation as before, but now slips the display under a protective Corning Gorilla Glass cover and into a forged stainless steel body.

When we reviewed the original Pebble in 2013, we said: "We feel that Pebble could be bigger, certainly chunkier, to give it a little more masculinity." Pebble Steel precisely addresses that design qualm we had, so we're excited to see this new version, which will be available in brushed stainless steel or matte black.

You'll get two straps in the box, a matching metal strap and a black leather strap.

There's also an LED in the corner of this new model to reflect the charging status.

The Pebble Steel will be available on 28 January for $249 (£151) exclusively from getpebble.com. The price includes international shipping.

In addition, Pebble has confirmed that the Pebble app store will be launching this month, so you'll be able to find news apps and faces for your watch through the existing app on your Android or iPhone device.

READ: Pebble review