Apple's rumored iWatch has landed back in the headlines as the Cupertino, California, giant has stepped up its game by hiring the sales director from luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer, hinting at a new standard for wearables.

Jean-Claude Biver, head of watchmaking at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the largest luxury group in the world and owner of Tag Heuer, told CNBC that Patrick Pruniaux left last week "to take a contract with Apple." It is still unclear what role Pruniaux will play at Apple, but it's a safe bet to assume he will have a thing or two to say about an Apple smartwatch.

The hiring isn't the first time Apple has reached out to those in the luxury sector. Paul Deneve from Yves Saint Laurent was hired last year for special projects, and Burberry ex-chief Angela Ahrendts now heads up online and retail sales for the tech giant. The employments don't necessarily mean that Apple is going super high-end (aren't their products expensive enough already?). What it does do is highlight Apple's desire to make its brand synonymous with high quality control.

Apple has never been one to offer discounted, budget products. From its Macbook lineup to its iPods and iPhones, Apple has stuck to its guns as a manufacturer of premier devices. Android smartphones can be found at a variety of price points, but it wasn't until last year that Apple attempted to console wallets with the cheaper iPhone 5c.

Wearables are quickly becoming the new frontier for tech giants as smartphone and tablet sales growths have been slowing in developed nations such as the United States, opening up the need for something new such as smartwatches and Google Glass. Other manufacturers such as Samsung and LG have already released smartwatches, but they have never caught on for the simple reason they simply aren't that good.

The idea of poaching a luxury brand executive reiterates just that -- making a smartwatch that isn't half-baked and that people will feel proud wearing on their wrist. In a way, Apple is trying to recapture its sleek image that it had when the iPhone first dominated the market.

"We haven't really seen the big players come out with their best shot," said J.P. Gownder, an analyst at Forrester Research, according to Wall Street Journal. "No one has done anything completely serious."

Many expect Apple's smartwatch, currently dubbed the "iWatch" in the technosphere, to break the mold and help catalyze the widespread adoption of wearables. Unlike Google Glass, which comes with a hefty amount of social baggage, smartwatches are more discreet.

"There are lots of gadgets in this space right now, but there's nothing great out there," Apple CEO Tim Cook said at a conference last year. "There are a lot of problems to solve in this space."

Apple always plays its cards close to its heart, and although nothing concrete is known about the iWatch, some reports indicate that the iWatch will debut in more than one size. Nothing specific, but the iWatch could range in size from 1.3 inches to 2.5 inches.

The iWatch should also come with more than 10 fitness-oriented sensors including a heart rate monitor that will go nicely with the new Health features in iOS 8 that will release in the fall. The iWatch is also tipped to run full iOS, not a watered down wearable version of the popular operating system, giving an edge over competitors that run bite-sized versions of Android.

In fact, Apple is said to have designed the iWatch and iOS 8 with each other in mind. The small screen size will make Siri even more valuable to users, so keep an eye out for Apple to heavily integrate the personal assistant into iWatch features.

The iWatch most likely won't be revealed until September when Apple usually pulls the curtains back on its fall lineup. With a battery that could last up to five days, the iWatch is currently expected to release around October.

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