Hi, BDLJ,
With your knowledge and experience, you can reasonably conclude anything you want.
;-)
"Why would anyone need a RDM indicator on an automatic watch?" I cringe when I read such statements, which also indicates a lack of knowledge of the history of automatic watches and RDM indicators (early autos were viewed with suspicion by the buying public and RDM indicators were included on early autos to provide some comfort to buyers"
But you also lead a fairly active lifestyle (from what I gather from your posts)
I tend to lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle - behind a camera viewfinder; at the keyboard; in an airplane seat.
I find that it is very, very common (too common) for an automatic watch on my wrist to actually not receive enough motion to stay wound, and would "stop" from lack of mainspring power in a few days from a full manual wind.
So for me, a power reserve/reserve de marche/up down/Levery-thingy-from-the-Mainspring/dynamographe/fuel gauge indicator is not only useful for the watch, but a potential lifesaver (literally) for me, as it reminds me to get up and actually move around.
So yes, for me, an automatic watch NEEDS a power reserve indicator.
TM