And let me tell you, under 10k is cheap taste in the high end watch world, have you seen what the Audemars Piquet Royal Oak goes for? And we have yet to hit the real expensive stuff, like the Swiss Alp from H. Moser, which is "price upon request"

Honestly the Grand Seiko SBGA413 needs to be paired with a Solovair 20 eye derby boot with pastel pink laces and bright-polished stainless steel hardware.

Well unless you're buying a Grand Seiko spring drive, then you're paying for a newly solved problem AND SPRING DRIVE IS FUCKING AMAZING.
the SBGA413 is my grail watch, it's the one I truly desire. Look at it! Just look at it!

Brelsen is fairly quality

like. this kind of brainwash

Took a little longer to get it on the bracelet, I forgot the quick release springbars it came with bent from regular wear and i had to put a pair of spare regulars in.

Oh, this one? Yeah it's also the one I got the rose gold bracelet for! Stührling is some good stuff, nabbed it from an antiques shop

I mean, the box of shame only has like a pobeda, a Seiko sport, my other kommandarskie... a complete lack of parts cleaner... I need a new mainspring for the kommandarskie I'm showing you here... it's a lot to work on in the box of shame

So let me show the ones that are not in the Box Of Shame (aka the ones that I can't get back together properly because I don't have the patience to get the balance wheel in the right position to hit the tick). Please ignore that the Citizen doesn't work either, you get what you pay for on ebay...

Case style is going to be very... variable. A slim case is classic, an oyster works best with a metal bracelet and looks chunkier.

Now, China is producing some very good calibres, mostly patent-expired ones, although Seagull does have some inhouse calibres now. Very affordable.
Anyways my suggestion for you is sub 40mm gold case, 18-22mm strap, pearl white face with black markings. Classic look.

Typos will be the death of my relationship with autocorrect

I am not apologizing for my mild watch perversion being activated.

Moving on, I saw you're tendency towards brown straps and gold cases, straps are easily swapped out (and honestly you should do black straps to match leathers), but I would like to see a comparison of silver/stainless steel, gold, and rose gold against your skin.

We can get decent for fairly low cost, the NH35A calibre is everywhere and you can get one of the reseller market for like... probably under 50€? If you're going that custom get the NH36A for the day/date functionality.

First, mechanical. Next, we need to determine what size you want. Larger watches look chunky, they're great for minimalist designs because you can get each design element large enough to be noticeable, very Butch. Personally I prefer a sub 35mm case, but I like the femme connotations the size brings