Samsung pioneered the large-screen smartphone with the original Note, a move that both paid dividends and steered the industry down the phablet path. Having caught lightning in a bottle once before, can the South Korean electronics giant return to the "go big or go home" well for an encore?

That appears to be the thinking behind Samsung's latest smartwatch, the Gear S3.

Unveiled ahead of IFA 2016, the Gear S3 features a large 46mm (diameter) watch face (in comparison, the Gear S2 has a 44mm face while the largest Apple Watch checks in at 42mm). The 1.3-inch Super AMOLED display (360 x 360 resolution) is protected by Corning's brand new Gorilla Glass SR+ cover glass.

Under the hood is a homegrown dual-core Exynos processor ticking along at 1GHz (no specific model was mentioned) paired with 768MB of RAM, 4GB of local flash storage and a 380mAh battery that Samsung claims can last up to four days. The watch also comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water, a built-in speaker, barometer, altimeter, GPS and more. It's even compatible with Samsung Pay, we're told.

It'll be offered in two styles: a Classic model with Wi-Fi only and a more rugged-looking Frontier variant that has integrated LTE connectivity. Both smartwatches measure 12.9mm thick and utilize standard 22mm wrist bands.

While its large face my ostracize female buyers or those with slim arms, it's not surprising to see Samsung follow the traditional watch industry by catering to those that like large, attention-grabbing accessories.

Samsung hasn't yet said when the Gear S3 will go on sale or how much it'll cost.