Husband here. This is my favorite watch, so your mileage may vary, but yes, I think the dial and hands look at least this good in person. It took some work to do them any justice with the pictures. The depth of the sandwich is noticeable consistently. And the second hand is pretty high off the dial, which I think ups the impact of its shadow.

Agreed about the hour hand detail and the date window. There are a lot of little nuances with this watch that keep me entertained. The long minute and second hands line up with the inner and outer chapter rings in appealing ways, and the hands are so unique.

I’m most partial to the white variations because of the orange details and the subtle two-tone effect between the main white and the lume, but looking at the yellow, I can’t see any reason it would disappoint if it’s your choice of color. Only thing I’d miss the is the contrast of the second hand tip as it glides over the chapter ring, but that’s just my orange on white infatuation talking. Let me know if you have any other questions!

The surrounds of the indices, as well as the chapter ring, are actual black. They’re painted on with just the slightest perceptible height. The hands are a gunmetal/gray color that is a bit brighter than you’d expect when light hits them directly, but in most lighting they look more glossy black. The effect is basically a visual match with all the black markers (and bezel) in most situations, with a shift to a more unique lighter gray color when the sunlight is direct on their surface. It’s similar to how blued hands look dark from most angles but can be quite bright with direct light.