HP is probably the last company you’d expect to make a genuinely good-looking smartwatch, but it appears to have done that with a little help from Gilt and fashion designed Michael Bastian. The company’s upcoming wearable, which it teased for the first time today, will deliver a custom operating system that’s compatible with both Android and iOS.

HP’s attempt at establishing itself in the smartphone market failed spectacularly with the Pre 3, and although it is still making Android-powered tablets, they’re hardly big sellers. So, why is the computer maker trying its luck with a smartwatch?

HP obviously recognizes that fashion and design are important factors when consumers are looking to buy something to wear on their wrist, and that’s something most other smartwatch makers have struggled to grasp. Samsung’s Gear lineup is big and clunky, the LG G Watch looks plain and almost unfinished, and the Sony SmartWatch is just too nerdy.

The Pebble Steel, on the other hand, looks fantastic — which is what helps make it so popular — and the Moto 360’s stunning design is one of the reasons why it seems one of the most-anticipated smartwatches to date. But thanks to HP, it now has some stiff competition.

HP’s device, which doesn’t yet have a name, is the result of a collaboration between HP, flash sale site Gilt, and designer Michael Bastian. HP is providing the technology that will power it, but the company stepped out of the way when it was time to start designing and left that to Bastian.

The watch is “meant to call to mind the interior of a luxury car,” Fashionista reports, with gorgeous leather straps, a premium metal body, and a traditional circular face. Exactly how smart the device will be remains unclear at this point, however.

We know it will sync with both Android and iOS and allow the wearer to see text message and email notifications, check the weather, control their music, and view things like stocks and sports scores on their wrist. But it’s thought its custom OS won’t be as flexible or as capable as Android Wear — or even the Pebble.

Its full feature set, price, and mission will become clearer this fall when the watch goes on sale through Gilt. In the meantime, you have these pictures to drool over.

• SourceFashionista
• ViaTechCrunch