Strap for Royal Oak Self-Winding 37 Emerald / 50th Anniversary

Not in the conventional sense. The bracelet is integrated into the case: there are no standard lugs to attach an off-the-shelf strap. The only viable solution is to build a bespoke attachment directly on the watch, in the atelier.

I work by appointment only, at <a href="/pages/casati-booking">Casati Milano</a>, Via XX Settembre 15, Milan. I bring the watch to the bench, study the case architecture and shape every connector by hand, millimetre by millimetre. There are no templates: each strap is born from that specific piece.

I favour Mississippi Alligator with a glossy finish, in deep moss green or black. White gold calls for a leather with character that does not compete with the stones. Natural Barenia is the alternative: it ages with dignity and offers a warm counterpoint to the cool of the metal.

With basic care — keeping it away from water, letting it breathe, not always using the same hole — a strap built from quality leather lasts five, even eight years. Good leather does not deteriorate: it transforms. It develops a patina that tells the story of use, and that, for me, is its real quality.

The Royal Oak was born in 1972 as a sports watch in steel, almost a provocation. Bringing it into white gold with set emeralds is a radical shift in register: the same octagonal case, the same Tapisserie dial, but in a haute joaillerie context. I have seen few references that sustain this tension between democratic origins and such precious materials. This version carries it completely.