Strap for Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked Ali Bin Ali

The bracelet is integrated into the case: there is no standard lug to attach an off-the-shelf strap. It is a design constraint, not a flaw. In the atelier I build each strap directly on the watch, bespoke, adapting the attachment to the octagonal geometry of the titanium case.

I work by appointment only, at <a href="/pages/casati-booking">Casati Milano</a>, in Via XX Settembre 15, Milan. I bring the watch to the bench, take measurements directly from the case and shape every attachment by hand. There are no templates: each piece is built from scratch for that specific watch.

I recommend aged Barenia. Titanium has a restrained, almost matte character, and Barenia ages in the same way: no theatrical effects, just a patina that builds over time. For a 44mm sporting Royal Oak it works far better than any varnished or glossy leather — the contrast would feel wrong.

With minimal care, five years is an easily achievable milestone. I have seen Barenia and Tuscan leather straps reach ten years with a surface that tells every hour worn. The only real enemy is standing water: after a warm day I always dry the strap before putting it away.

Titanium is lighter than steel and visually more neutral: the 44mm case sits on the wrist without any sense of weight. I have seen many Royal Oak references on the bench over the years, and titanium is the one that ages most discreetly — it does not develop the obvious scratches of polished steel. The octagonal case with its eight hexagonal screws stays centre stage, without the material getting in the way.