When I started designing the First Flight, I spent most of my time thinking about the watch. The movement, the dial, the crown, the caseback. Every millimeter mattered.

What I didn't think about — at least not right away — was what the watch would live in when it arrived at your door.

That changed fast.

A watch that tells the story of the Wright Brothers, serialized, limited to 462 units, hand-stamped dataplate inside — that watch deserves a home that matches. A cardboard box wasn't going to cut it.

So I started looking. And looking. And looking some more.

I went through dozens of vendors. I requested quotes, compared materials, negotiated prices, and rejected a lot of options that were perfectly fine but not right for this. Not right for us.

What I was looking for was dark crazy horse genuine leather. The kind that scratches when you look at it wrong, develops a patina over years of use, and looks like it came out of a cockpit bag from 1943. Aged before it even starts.

I found a vendor — Tony — who understood what I was after. What followed was weeks of back and forth. Material choices, interior layouts, hardware finishes, logo placement. Bronze snaps or silver? Suede lining or recycled suede? Folio or holster?

Tony sent me two samples. An upright holster style with a blind-debossed propeller on the front flap and a suede-lined interior designed to protect the watch and hold the extra strap. And a roll style — the classic watch traveler's companion — same leather, same propeller, same attention to every detail.

Both are now on their way to Texas.

I don't know yet which one will make it into the box with your First Flight. That decision gets made when I hold them both in my hands, feel the weight of the leather, hear the snap of the closure, and know which one is right.

What I do know is that nothing ships until it's right.

That's the only standard we have here at 1903 Watch Co.

— Pete