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As Apple put's the finishing touches to its launch event for the iPhone 6 and iWatch, new images of the hugely anticipated handset have leaked online.

The images show the 5.5inch version of the handset being held for the first time, revealing just how large it is.

The 5.5 is the largest Apple has ever produced in a phone - and dwarfs even the smaller, 4.7ich version of the handset also expected to be revealed next week.

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A phone in the hand: These images show just how big the 5.5inch version of Apple's new iPhone 6 is

French website nowhereelse.fr says that handset measures 158mm high by 78mm wide with a thickness of just 7mm - leading many to speculate it could be called the iPhone Air.

Apple has sent out invites for a launch event on September 9th where it is expected to unveil its wearable health monitoring gadget alongside two new larger iPhones.

The cryptic invite gives no details, and simply says 'wish we could say more'.

Apple is expected to reveal a 4.7inch and 5.5inch iPhone 6 alongside the much anticipated 'iWatch'.

French website nowhereelse.fr says that handset measures 158mm high by 78mm wide with a thickness of just 7mm - leading many to speculate it could be called the iPhone Air.

The event is one of the most anticipated in apple's history.

'The press conference promises to be particularly outstanding,' says the site.

The images reveal the case for the larger iPhone 45

The handset is expected to be just 7mm thin

The event will be held at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts at De Anza College in Cupertino, the same location where Steve Jobs introduced the original Mac 30 years ago.

Tech blog Re/Code said the firm is also preparing to reveal a wearable gadget, which is believed will be called iTime, alongside larger 4.7inch and 5.5inch handsets.

The wearable device will be able to monitor its wearer's health, as well and show them alerts from their phone.

It could also act a remote for 'smart' home gadgets.

'Apple plans to unveil a new wearable alongside the two next-generation iPhones we told you the company will debut on September 9,' Re/Code said.

Apple's cryptic invite for it's September 9th event, which is expected to see the iPhone 6 and iWatch unveiled.

Apple has already built a mysterious large structure at the site of the unveiling - believed to be where the press will get their first chance to try the firm's new iPhone and iWatch

Apple has already hinted at the wearable in the latest update to its iOS software, which includes health tracking capabilities.

'The new device will, predictably, make good use of Apple's HealthKit health and fitness platform,' Re.Code says.

'It will also — predictably — make good use of HomeKit, the company's new framework for controlling connected devices — though it's not clear how broadly or in what way.'

Earlier this month one analyst claimed Apple's iWatch had been delayed and will not go on sale until 2015.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says difficulties with manufacturing the new device will likely be the cause of the delay, according to 9to5mac.

Reports have previously claimed Apple's iWatch could double up as an activity tracker. This concept image reveals how the rumoured device and health tool might look. Dubbed the Diet Watch, it could track calories and steps as well as heart rate. It could launch at an event in October, alongside Apple's next iPad range

'We reiterate our view that iWatch, as compared to existing products, and as Apple's (US) first attempt at a wearable device, represents a much higher level of difficulty for the company as regards component and system design, manufacturing and integration between hardware and software, he said.

'While we are positive on iWatch and believe that the advantages of the design and business model behind it are difficult to copy, we think, given the aforementioned challenges, that the launch could be postponed to 2015.'

A leading French blog says the iPhone 6 will be announced on Tues 9 Sept. The information comes from supposedly leaked box art of the device (left). On the right is the box art previously leaked by Steve Hemmerstoffer of nowhereelse.fr, which confirmed details on the iPhone 5S hours before it was announced

Apple recently  poached a senior executive from Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer, which could be to help it with the launch of its iWatch expected this autumn.

Tag Heuer, part of luxury goods group LVMH, said on Friday its vice president for sales, Patrick Pruniaux, who had been with the brand for seven years, was leaving on Monday to join Apple.

Mark Bell's iWatch concept complete with round face design

It did not say what his new job would be, and Apple declined to comment.

The iWatch will be the closest the U.S. company has come to selling a fashion accessory and marks its first foray into the personal luxury goods market.It is in a race against Samsung Electronics and Google to turn computers into wearable fashion and must-have items as smartphones, increasingly becoming commoditized items, start losing their appeal.

Apple has plucked several executives from the luxury sector in recent months.

Burberry ex-Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts started as its new head of retail and online sales in May, and former head of French fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent Paul Deneve was hired last year to work on special projects.

With the iPhone 6 launch two weeks away, new images of leaked parts have been revealed on a near daily basis. Multiple images of both the front panel and the rear shell of the 4.7-inch device have surfaced, while this image seemingly shows the design of the entire device

'I think he was probably head-hunted,' a Tag Heuer spokeswoman said of Pruniaux, adding a replacement had already been found.

Analysts and industry executives say the jury is still out on whether smart watches will disrupt the luxury Swiss watch industry.

'I don't believe that an iWatch will be a threat to luxury Swiss watches,' said Jon Cox, analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich.

'But where I do see some potential impact is at lower, for example below $1,000, price points where there could be a temporary dislocation if there is super high demand for iWatches.'

Jean-Claude Biver, head of watch brands at LVMH and chairman of watch brand Hublot, said he believed the threat of smart watches had to be taken seriously by the Swiss watch industry.

'The iWatch will have the same status symbol power as many other Apple products, especially at the beginning,' he said.

'I personally believe it has the potential to be a threat for the industry, and it should not stay with its arms crossed.'

Apple applied for a trademark for the "iWatch" in Japan, a patent official said earlier this week, signaling the iPhone maker could be moving ahead with plans to launch a watch-like device soon.

Google announcement comes just a week after sources revealed Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc will start mass production of Apple first smartwatch in July, and the much anticipated timepiece will be revealed in October. Pictured is a concept design of what the iWatch may look like

Speculation has been mounting that Apple was preparing to launch an iWatch which would include multiple health and fitness sensors and access to features such as messages and notifications through integration with the iPhone and iPad.

A sweat sensor is believed to one of at least 10 sensors on the watch.

It has also been revealed Apple has signed up a host of sports star to try the wearable - including basketball star Kobe Brant, who was recently spotted at Apple's Cupertino campus.

Apple has already revealed it is working with Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and the National Institutes of Health on its HealthKit app, which is believed to work in tandem with the iWatch.

Earlier reports say the watch will includes more than 10 sensors to take health measurements and other data.

It is also set to come in multiple sizes - and is expected to go on sale in October.

The much rumoured watch is believed to be about to begin mass production in Taiwan.

The Wall Street Journal also said that Apple is planning multiple screen sizes for the device, and previous rumour have claimed a male and female version will be released.

Rumours still differ as to whether the watch will be round or rectangular.

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (pictured) was spotted on Apple's Cupertino campus last month, and is believed to have met Apple's design boss Jony Ive and his team to discuss upcoming products - including the iWatch.

Samsung, Sony, Qualcomm and others have already released smartwatches, but the gadgets have mostly functioned as companions to smartphones, offering email notifications, clock functions and the like. Samsung's Gear 2 line, released this year, added fitness-related apps and has a heart rate sensor.

But the market is growing fast, with data firm IDC saying that worldwide shipments of wearable computing devices - a category that includes smartwatches - will triple in size this year over 2013.

Apple has already dropped hints of its plans in this arena, hiring the former chief executive of French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, a unit of Kering SA, and proclaiming that it will introduce 'new product categories"' this year.