DSC03089A package showed up at my doorstep today that I’ve been expecting for a while – my Apple Watch finally showed up.

Until I got a shipment notification yesterday, I wasn’t expecting my Watch to show up so quickly. On the night Apple opened pre-orders for the device, I had intended to stay up until midnight to get a hold of one of the snazzy new devices for shipment on launch day, but I fell asleep at my keyboard at 11:30 p.m. When I woke up at 1 in the morning, the arrival date for my preferred Watch model (42mm, Stainless Steel, Milanese Loop) already stuck in mid-May.

The box itself provides few clues about what’s inside. There’s no Apple branding on the outside box, and the return address just says the package came from “AI,” in Rialto, California. (I assume AI in this case stands for Apple, Inc.) There’s a small label on the side that gives it away to those people in the know, by saying that the model number is A1554, which corresponds to a 42mm stainless steel Apple Watch.

DSC03092

Buyers don’t need any tools to open the packaging. They just pull the tab on the outside of the cardboard box, and the tape sealing it closed pops right open. After that, it’s easy to pull out a small spacer and reveal the actual packaging for the device itself.

DSC03103

It’s a bright white box, with the Apple Watch logo imprinted into the top. It’s wrapped with a plastic wrapping that’s actually designed to tear away when pulled from a tab and easily fall apart into multiple panels. That’s a major difference from a lot of Apple’s other devices, which require users to actually unwrap any protective plastic wrapping.

DSC03106

At this point, it seems like Apple’s packaging designers were inspired by matryoshka dolls. Guess what? Once you open the white paper box, there’s another box. This one is white plastic, larger than an Apple TV, and covered with yet another protective plastic cover that also serves as a handle to pull it out of the main packaging. It leaves behind a lower compartment that contains some information about the Apple Watch, and the device’s inductive charging cable.

DSC03114

Once the plastic is off, it’s time to open that box and reveal…the Watch itself. The inside lining is felt, and the top side of the box has an Apple Watch logo imprinted into it, just like the outer box.

DSC03126

The Watch is wrapped around a felt-covered hoop that gives the Milanese loop band some shape – otherwise, it would just flop around flat inside the box. There’s a plastic covering over the screen and heartbeat sensor that peels off easily and reveals the shiny stainless steel.

DSC03150

Turning the Watch on for the first time takes a couple minutes. I initially worried that it was broken, before an animated pattern showed up on the screen. Scan that pattern with your iPhone’s Apple Watch app, and the devices will pair with one another. After that, the Apple Watch will display a snazzy pattern that describes what it is, while the user’s phone prompts them to either add all the Apple Watch apps available for the apps on their device, or start from scratch.

After that, it’s just a matter of waiting while the Apple Watch performs its initial setup. Once that’s done, the device’s Taptic Engine will tap the user on the wrist to let them know it’s ready for use.

Stay tuned to GeekWire for my first impressions of the Watch as I get used to having it strapped to my wrist.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.