Originally released as an Android-based device, Samsung replaced the operating system with Tizen through the May 2014 software update.

The development of the Galaxy Gear came in the midst of a push towards the growing smartwatch market; Samsung's main competitor Apple had been the subject of rumors suggesting an upcoming watch product, while the Kickstarter-backed Pebble (which reached mass-market availability in July 2013) has been credited with creating mainstream interest in the concept.

Lee Young-hee, vice president of Samsung's mobile business, revealed in July 2013 that the company had been working on a watch for a long time, and referred to it as a "product for the future".

[6][7] To promote the Galaxy Gear, Samsung released two television advertisements, "Evolution" and "A Long Time Coming".

Both ads showcased historical depictions of smartwatch-like devices in popular culture (including those seen in Dick Tracy, Star Trek, The Jetsons, Predator, and Inspector Gadget), with the tagline "After all these years, it's finally real.

"[8][9] Samsung Galaxy Gear's watch design was exclusively leaked to VentureBeat reporter Christina Farr by an unnamed source several days prior to its Berlin release on September 4, 2013, generating widespread global interest.

Its band contains a 1.9-megapixel camera with a back-illuminated sensor, auto-focus, and 720p video recording, along with a speaker and two noise-cancelling microphones.

[11][12] The Galaxy Gear is designed to IP55 specifications with dust resistance and protection from short-term exposure to water jets.

[19] On the topic, The Verge remarked that "as with industrial design, software engineering isn't among Samsung's strengths, and the results on the Gear are a painful mix of unreliability and inadequacy."

[15][16][24] In an infographic posted in September 2013, TUAW compared the Galaxy Gear to the sixth-generation iPod Nano (which attracted unofficial watchband accessories due to its similarly square form factor)[25] considering the three-year-old MP3 player to be a "better, cheaper [smart]watch" than the Galaxy Gear because it is not dependent on a "host" smartphone or tablet, and contained a larger number of features than the Galaxy Gear (including the ability to, primarily, store and play music from the device itself).