There are functional ways to group watches (i.e. automatic, manual, quartz) and semi-functional, partially aesthetic ways (i.e., dive, field, dress) to do the same. I'm curious whether there are purely aesthetic features that draw you to a watch (or set of watches) that aren't captured by these categorizations.
For my part, I guess I'm attracted to circles
An easy example is the CCCP Friedmann. It's much bigger and thicker then anything else in my collection, but I find myself wearing it surprisingly often. I find it visually interesting and fairly distinctive, and even though it isn't the most comfortable watch for me, I like having it on my wrist every now and then.
CCCP Friedmann, Image from AshfordThe older style Movado 1881 automatics are in most ways a mile away from the Friedmann. They're smaller, more dressy, more comfortable, and more expensive, to start with. But there's something about the pairing of the small circular date window at 6 o'clock with the larger dot emblematic of Movado watches at 12 that I really like and that reminds me of the CCCP Friedmann.
Movado 1881 Automatic, Image from ShopwornMy current favorite watch - and the one I am kicking myself for not buying a few weeks ago when it was on sale at Ashford - is the Mido Heures & Minutes Decentrees. This watch has two subdials on the watchface connected by a semicircular date window. Like the CCCP and Movado, the circlular features are not the same size.
Mido Heures & Minutes Decentrees, Image from Jomashop
Differently sized circles or subdials are a common aspect even among the higher end timepieces I never expect to try to afford, like the Glashutte PanoMaticLunar.
Glashutte PanoMaticLunar, Image from Prestige TimeSo there you have it - apparently I like circles on my watches, especially when they aren't the same size. I didn't plan it that way, but noticed that commonality among several of my favorite but otherwise very different watches. I'm wondering what other aesthetic features trigger something in the community here.
