Horological Meandering

Let's say you find a brand that is offering a watch that tempts you, but one or two factors are less than ideal. 

Would you be willing to adjust your expectations on one or more of these criteria (see below) if you knew that you would otherwise be happy with the watch, or if you knew that you could remedy some of the shortcomings by getting a new strap or bracelet, having it regulated locally, etc.

CASE MATERIAL

CASE SIZE

MOVEMENT (in-house vs generic)

WORKMANSHIP / FINE DETAILS

STRAP or BRACELET

WATER RESISTANCE

COST / PRICE

What component of a watch is most important to you? OR are they all equally important and any shortcoming means a NO GO from you and your wallet?

AN EXAMPLE

You want an Urushi dial watch, and a chronograph would be nice. Seiko Presage has one, the price is okay, the movement in-house, the dial beautiful, the date wheel is nicely colored the same as the dial, BUT

PS -- I'm not asking about this watch, this is just an example. Is thickness a deal-breaker?

At the meeting when they hired me for the job, the designer handed me a HUGE book of type. They wanted me to use a typesetter in Sunnyvale and I needed to know all the specs. Much of the type was photo set. I still have the book along with many other type references : )

In college we learned how to set type on a Linotype machine (hot type).

numerous sweet low production 38-42mm pieces I let go of was difficult. Sometimes I can slightly exceed my new preferred size if style and construction allows a piece to wear smaller. I've also realized I usually prefer no

date but agree with John that if it's done right it's ok. The date on this Seiko meets that criteria. I love the new blue Summer ed. PO I recently bought.... except for the date at 3 but everything else was perfect, so I bought it 

Hmm, bracelet could use a fine adjust also but not sorry I bought it. Also bought a bronze Longines Legend diver. Case size is at my limit (OK) but long lugs almost blow the deal... but everything else was so good (no date!)

that I had to buy it and love it. Compromise is common but I'm trying to be more discerning nowadays. So my friend, what is the case size and thickness of that sweet Seiko?

Having a small wrist,it will be quite ridiculous to have an outsize watch on the wrist.

A further consideration would be the thickness,which however, is relative to type of watch...eg dress watch should have a slim aspect.

Crowded dials would also be a disincentive

As to costs,that depends on various factors,but i wouldn't break the bank ,rather enjoy vicariously the other great interesting watches beyond my budget )

my 2 cts worth

On the other hand, the most frequent compromise I’ve found myself NOT wanting to make has been on cases.  Always in lower priced watches, more so in the affordable range (sub $500 or so level).  I’ve seen many watches I thought were cool, cool dial, hands etc, startup brand or micro brand but then the case is just a turn off.  

One watch which highlights the compromise on the movement but no compromise on the case might be Furlan Marri.

Since you brought up this example: I have this Urushi dial Seiko chronograph, and basically I like it. Its thickness is not so much of an issue. However, its design makes it an elegant timepiece, and for that design goal, it is kinda thick.

Much more disturbing for me are wrong proportions that make a watch unattractive. To stay with the Seiko example: The iconic Marinemaster is shown in almost all official photographs from plainly above, so you do not really see its massive thickness. For a diving watch, a high-building case is not a problem. IN my eyes, it does become a problem if it does not match the rest of its design features. So the Marinemaster has a very small dial , compared to its chunky case, its bracelet/strap is not wide enough to optically match the massive case either. Add to this a very conventional pressure rating (its case would suggest at least 500 to 1,000 meters instead of 300), this does annoy me, especially after I realize all this when holding the real piece in my hands.

Marcus

Cazalea