"There is a notable reluctance on these boards to say anything critical,
and sometimes the messenger gets shot, metaphorically speaking of
course."
Nothing wrong at all to voice your opinions as a matter of fact it's ENCOURAGED (that's why we have the forums to share our experiences)! But the problem arises when people do not have the background nor knowledge to qualify their opinions and those that do will respond accordingly.
For example (those that were there can validate this), a bunch of us here on the west coast were able to be the first to view a brand supposedly know for finishing. The AD kept pointing out how well finished the pieces were. Other customers were impressed. Upon inspection, there were noticeable burrs and nicks on the movement. Of the 8 pieces they got in, 6 had obvious and major flaws. What I'm saying is that those that DON"T KNOW would go and tell others how great the finishing is because they don't know what to look for. If you've never seen a highly finished movement (Dufour, Voutilainen, Vacheron skeleton, AP battleship, etc...) everything looks exceptional.
If you don't like a certain design, color, or whatever, that's totally fine and acceptable. Constructive criticism is helpful to the brands and of course to all of us.
People take things too personal here on the internet.