when I under-emphasized case condition. It wasn't that I accepted deep scratches or any other serious issues, but rather that I failed to appreciate the beauty and feel of cases that truly retained their original edges, contours, and engravings. It took me many years to gain that appreciation, and I now take special pleasure in finding and fondling watches (that are otherwise of interest) with such cases. Here's a recent example:
Agree. When you do get an old watch that looks like it did when it was sold many moons ago it suddenly hits home just what is missing from most watches on sale today.
I would agree - case appreciation comes later in a collector's life after dial and movement appreciation. Part of that is because it is also the hardest to judge - an aged dial or movement are easy to spot same with most refinished dials. Case analysis on the other hand requires a bit more study.