Watches come in all shapes and sizes and with a range of different functions – but one very specific feature that has enjoyed a resurgence of late is the so-called ‘integrated’ bracelet. It’s nothing new, of course. Integrated bracelets – which blend almost seamlessly with the watch head rather than being attached by bars between its lugs – have been around since the late 1960s when designer Gérald Genta revamped Omega’s Constellation to create some groovy models such as the rectangular Emeraude and the cushion-cased Chronometer.
It was Genta, too, who penned the two most celebrated integrated sports watches of all – the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972) and the Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976).