Diesel, this week, finally launched its first Android Wear smartwatch in the US. Other countries, like the UK, will follow through October.

Diesel is owned by Fossil, currently the world's no.5 smartwatch vendor, according to our WDE (Wearables) service.

Diesel's (theatrically named) On Full Guard is priced in the mid-to-high tier around US$250 wholesale (trade) and runs a Qualcomm 2100 processor, IP67 waterproofing, rich AMOLED display, and the quirky T-ON-I skin for notifications that will "cloud" the screen when you get a message.

The hardware design for On Full Guard also clearly stands out. It is a good-looking device with a stylish leather strap that is targeted at younger consumers.

In other words, Diesel has introduced here a higher-end smartwatch that is differentiated by fashionable hardware styling, unusual apps, and eccentric sub-branding.

By contrast, Fitbit's new Ionic smartwatch, which launched a few days ago, is in many ways the complete opposite, and delivers rather ugly styling accompanied by many of the same fitness apps that can already be found on Apple Watch and others. Fitbit could learn a lot from Diesel.

EXHIBIT 1: Diesel On Full Guard vs. Fitbit Ionic Smartwatches