If cotton conjures images of the outdoors and satin is jasmine-scented nights, then leather brings just one thing to mind: sex. Whether it is because it is a skin, or because of its smell, or because we’ve all secretly watched Fifty Shades of Grey, the associations are there. And it is those associations that Yvonne Reichmuth exploits through her brand YVY. Her online shop is full of chokers and red leather body harnesses, while her celebrity clientele – Kristen Stewart, Billie Eilish, Monica Bellucci – are a roster of women with one spiked heel in the world of bondage, sartorially speaking. So, what is Reichmuth doing designing a line of straps for Longines – a brand that calls to mind elegant ladies who lunch, not dominatrices?

Well, if you think that both types of women are handy with a riding crop, that might be a clue. ‘We wanted to develop a new approach together, to the world of horses and their bridles,’ explains Reichmuth. This piece of leather provides a deeply personal link between horse and rider – it connects an equestrian with their mount, anchoring the bit into its mouth. In much the same way, a watch’s strap connects the timepiece to its wearer in just as intimate a fashion, literally skin on skin. Reichmuth explores this similarity with her new collection of modular straps designed for the elegant DolceVita timepiece. There is the strap that harnesses the watch to the wrist and then tethered to that a second slimmer band that can be removed and worn separately.

The three colourways – a very bondage black leather with studs, a creamy beige, and classic tan or brown – have dials modified to suit. The black is starkly minimalist with no indices and a small seconds sub dial; the beige leans into the collection’s Art Deco influences with elongated indices, while the tan or brown come with Roman numerals and blued hands. The designs come in two sizes – 20.8mm x 32mm and 23.3mm x 37mm – subtle or statement. It may seem counter-intuitive to launch a leather-strap collection when fashion is investing in non-animal leather alternatives, but YVY believes in sustainable leather, using only by-products from the food industry.

By pairing the refined silhouette of the DolceVita with straps that have a hint of the harness, Longines has created a range rife with tensions, where the buttoned up propriety of the case is subverted by what holds it to the wrist. Rather like discovering one of those ladies who lunch has a side-line in BDSM, in fact.

From £1,420; longines.com