Samsung Galaxy Gear’s release date on September 4 is one week before the rumored release date of Apple’s very own smartwatch, the iWatch. The timing of the launch for the anticipated smartwatch is a “first blow in war for the wrist,” according to Julliette Garside of The Guardian.

According to the article, the portable device unveils not only a new wearable gadget but also a technology battleground of the future. The company is expected to unveil the gadget in two weeks and leaks suggest that it will have a camera in the strap, speakers in the clasp, and sensors that detect when it is being looked at, according to The Guardian.

Apple’s next new innovation is rumored to be an internet-connected timepiece and with this launch, it’s putting itself a step ahead of its U.S.-based competition. Numerous reports have suggested that the Galaxy Gear will be seen for the first time on September 4, with launch events in both Berlin and New York.

Developers who have received the prototype of the device said that the finished product will have an accelerometer that switches the screen on when the wrist is moved up towards the eye, GigaOM reported. The movement will also fire up apps installed on the phone, which would allow downtime in between moments of activity in order for the device to conserve power.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear will measure more than time. The Guardian said that the smartwatch, taking a cue from the popular Fuel wristband of Nike, monitors distances walked and calories burned during the owner’s daily activity. The Gear is also expected to help users count steps or monitor their heart rate. It’s a technology, which Samsung has already explored, with its smartphones.

Developers have also said that Galaxy Gear would have a touch-sensitive full-color screen using similar organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology to Samsung’s top of the range phones.

Samsung first officially confirmed that it was working on a watch in March, the Guardian noted, when the company’s executive for mobile business said that the company is “preparing for a watch product for so long.”

Tech consulting firm, Canalys, said that it predicts sales of smartwatches will explode from 330,000 units shipped in 2012 to more than 5 million in 2015.