Strap for Royal Oak Extra-Thin The Hour Glass

The Royal Oak's bracelet is integrated into the case: there is no standard lug to attach an off-the-shelf strap. The attachment is proprietary, designed by Genta as part of the architecture itself. In the atelier I build every strap directly on the watch, shaping the attachment millimetre by millimetre. There is no shortcut.

I work by appointment only, at <a href="/pages/casati-booking">Casati Milano</a>, Via XX Settembre 15, Milan. I take measurements from the case itself at the bench — not from a data sheet. Every attachment is hand-fitted to the yellow gold case, then the client and I choose the leather and buckle together. It is a process that takes time and more than one session.

For a yellow gold Royal Oak my choice is natural patinated Barenia. Its tactile quality complements the gold without competing with it, and over the years it develops a patina that tells its own story. Aged Tuscan leather is my second preference: more rustic, but the contrast works well on this watch. I would avoid synthetic materials — it is a mistake that shows immediately.

A strap built from first-quality leather and cared for properly will easily last eight to ten years of daily wear. The key is not leaving it in contact with water or perspiration without drying it afterwards. Over time the leather changes: it softens, moulds to the wrist, deepens in colour. That is not deterioration — it is maturation. A strap that ages well is proof the leather was good from the start.

In 1972 Genta did something that seemed wrong: he placed steel — and later gold — in a sporting context, with exposed screws and a bracelet indistinguishable from the case. Nobody had done it quite like that. The octagonal case with its eight hexagonal screws is not decoration — it is construction logic made visible. I have seen many watches imitate that language; none resolves the bracelet-to-case transition with the same coherence. It is architecture, not fashion.