Date, definitely the most useful, but as a slide rule collector, I also like being able to wear one of those on my wrist (if that counts as a complication).

I didn't used to be bothered about having a date - in fact, often I'd realise I'd forgotten to correct it at the beginning of the month days into that month. These days, though, I find myself wanting to check the date more often, for example in the supermarket when looking at "Use by" dates, so I really appreciate it. Maybe it's just about getting old. My ratio is roughly 25% without a date. If given the choice, I'll always want the date, but not having it isn't a deal breaker.

You're right about the imperfections of this watch - The hands and dial are two-dimensional and I'm not a fan of the green. But I still really enjoy it, and it gets way more than its fair share of wrist time, probably because it's quirky. I really don't mind the movement, in fact I think it really suits the watch. I wouldn't have paid £1000 for the more upmarket Laco, but I was tempted by the Hamilton "Cooper" - I think they've really enhanced the Flieger B design in the proportions and the hands - I love the way that they've done the lume/skeletal parts ot the hend to match the dial. What stopped me buying it was the fact that I already had the Laco.