There'a lots to like about that watch but I love that cut out subdial. my watchmaker explained to me that it's a very time consuming process because all the grinding was done by hand. It was a common method used for higher end pocket watches but by the time your watch was made there were very few people left in the world who could produce enough of these per X for the economics to work. I'd never sell that watch if you never have to...
Did not bother to set the date. This is my favourite alligator strap. My wife got it for me at Wempe (and the strap is branded Wempe) in Hamburg five years ago and the colour gets better and better for each year.