Too bad it is buried so deep in this thread! I won't go on at length here, but I'm reading about at least a few issues here:
1. Whether it is OK to believe "it is always possible to do better" and to hold makers (especially those who attempt to differentiate on this dimension) to standards of perfection. Or, a slightly milder version -- whether it is OK to be really "particular" (as Tim Jackson calls me) about fine details of one's watches
2. Whether we are here only to praise, or whether this is meant to be an open forum for both likes and dislikes
3. Whether independents can be just as human and infurating as major brands
On the latter point, I am now in the seemingly endless waiting cycle for two independent pieces -- one of which is now several years late (imagine!) and the other of which will likely be a year late before it is delivered and on which there have been some visible quality issues regarding (subcontracted) components along the way. Even the sweetest and best-intentioned fellows can get caught up in the pragmatic demands and temptations of running a small business (e.g., the multi-phased expansion of the "limited edition" Observatoire numbers). And while I am clearly an enthusiast, I hope that in my comments on various watches I am somewhat even-handed.
So, I can vouch for the fact that we are all human! Whether it's my obsessive search for perfection in detail as well as harmony in conception (my thesis advisor always insisted that this is the definition of "genius"), or the producers' various foibles, we all have our issues, I suppose.
Keep posting, Thomas -- and Mostel!
Best,
Gary G