A good starting point would probably be a neo-vintage pc: between 1978 to 1985, which saw the era of ultra-thin automatic pc from the likes of AP, VC and PP. ACM did a wonderful article
here.
Ultimately of course, it really depends on what you are after. Personally, I went with a birth year pc and I've not had an itch to look at others since. Of course, I too have a "grail" pc -- it would be a birth year watch as well and would be a replacement. Perhaps some day when I have the resources for it.
