Strap for Royal Oak Concept 26221 Laptimer Michael Schumacher

The bracelet is integrated into the case with a proprietary attachment: a standard strap simply cannot be fitted. It is not a limitation — it is a radical design decision. In 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 and take measurements directly from the case: every attachment is shaped by hand to integrate with the original architecture. I do not send out a generic strap — I build something that begins with that specific watch.

I recommend a Mississippi alligator with layered colour — perhaps a dark anthracite with deep undertones: it holds its own against the technically complex case in titanium, ceramic and carbon. I prefer a matte or semi-matte finish — a glossy surface would clash with the avant-garde aesthetic of the piece. The pairing should dialogue with the case, not compete with it.

A strap built with care, from selected leather, easily lasts five to seven years of regular wear — sometimes longer. The leather ages: it develops a patina, moulds to the wrist, gains character. Simply keep it away from prolonged contact with water and condition it occasionally with a neutral product. I have seen Barenia straps that looked better after ten years than on the first day.

The Concept was born in 2002 as a material manifesto, not as an aesthetic evolution. Audemars Piguet built it to push boundaries — pink gold, titanium, ceramic and carbon in the same case is a technical choice before it is a visual one. I have seen many complex watches on the bench: this one has an internal design coherence you sense just by holding it. It is not a Royal Oak with something added — it is an entirely different idea of a watch.