Strap for Royal Oak Selfwinding 37 Stainless Steel / Blue / 50th Anniversary

The bracelet is integrated into the case: a standard strap has nothing to attach to. The fitting is proprietary, designed by Genta as an inseparable part of the overall architecture. At the atelier, I build the strap to measure, directly on the watch, millimetre by millimetre.

I work through <a href="/pages/casati-booking">Casati Milano</a>, by appointment only, at Via XX Settembre 15 in Milan. I bring the watch to the bench, take measurements directly from the case, and build the fitting from scratch, shaped around the real geometry of that specific piece. There are no templates: every strap is born from that particular watch.

For a watch with this character — sporting in structure, rigorous in form — I prefer aged Tuscan leather. It holds up well with daily use, develops a natural patina over time, and works alongside the steel without overpowering it. If something more formal is required, Mississippi Alligator holds its structure and stays true to the technical intent of the design.

With quality leather and solid construction, I count on five years of regular use, sometimes more. Longevity depends a great deal on how the strap is treated: keep it away from prolonged exposure to water and condition it occasionally with a suitable product. The more robust leathers, such as Tuscan leather, age well — they gain character without losing structure.

In 1972, Genta did something that seemed wrong at the time: he presented a steel sports watch at the price of a gold one. The octagonal case, the exposed hexagonal screws, the Tapisserie dial — none of that was decoration, it was a statement of method. I have seen many steel sports watches over the years: none carries that level of design coherence from the case right through to the bracelet.