Strap for Royal Oak Chronograph 26157 The National Classic Tour 2007

The bracelet is integrated into the case with a proprietary attachment system. A standard strap simply will not fit: there are no conventional lugs or spring bar slots. In the atelier, I build the strap directly on the watch, studying every millimetre of the octagonal case geometry. It is the only way to achieve a result that looks as though it was always meant to be there.

I work exclusively through <a href="/pages/casati-booking">Casati Milano</a>, by appointment only, at Via XX Settembre 15 in Milan. I take measurements directly from the case at the bench — no guesswork, no retrofitting. Every attachment point is shaped by hand to integrate with the octagonal structure of the Royal Oak. The result is a strap that works with the watch, not against it.

My choice is Barenia. It has a firm, dense texture that holds its own next to the solidity of the bi-colour case, and over time it develops a warm patina that responds beautifully to the gold tones. For those who wear the Royal Oak in more active settings, Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather is more robust and gains real character with daily use. Both stand up to a watch of this construction.

With basic care — keeping it away from standing water, letting it breathe between wearings — a quality leather strap will comfortably last five to eight years. Barenia and Tuscan leather do not simply deteriorate: they age, and the difference is visible. After a few years the strap tells something about the person who has worn it. That, to me, is the real mark of a good hide.

Gérald Genta drew it in 1972 in a single night, taking inspiration from the watertight porthole helmets worn by deep-sea divers. The octagonal case with exposed hexagonal screws was a direct provocation aimed at the traditional luxury watch world: a sports watch in steel sold at a price no one expected. I have had several Royal Oaks on the bench over the years, and that tension between industrial structure and obsessive finishing is still very much present. It is not about history — it is about constructional consistency.