Samsung could be planning a hybrid smartwatch for 2019, if a newly published patent is anything to go by.

An extensive Samsung patent filing, approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office, shows a smartwatch combined with analogue workings, much like the recently released LG Watch W7.

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Samsung

However, the extensive diagrams that make up part of the patent filing show a more complex device. It seemingly has a translucent strata that can either show the analogue watch face underneath or become visible to become a digital face.

It also enables touch controls on the analogue watch face, to turn the hands and set the displayed date.

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Samsung

We're not sure whether the visible/invisible strata is AMOLED or not, but the idea is quite magical. It means the device can offer everything Samsung's latest Galaxy Watch is capable of yet have longer lasting power for the simple time telling functionality.

Of course, this is just a patent - and one originally filed in 2015 at that. That means it might never come to fruition. But it'd certainly shake up the industry if it does and present a different, unique competitor to the Apple Watch.

That's really what the smartwatch market needs - originality in tech design.