I say the first. More muted dial is more versatile. Also, important to start paying attention to specs. Some to think about: why are you buying? (Fun, collecting, specific activity), mechanism(automatic, mechanical, quartz), where is it made (becoming a little less important except if you want to resell), Accuracy (usually represented as +/-sec), Construction (crystal -?sapphire, stainless, gold, leather, rubber bracelet) and Where does it fit in your collection.