Thank you for relaying M. Selmoni's comments on the art of the hands. This only one of the details of a watch that VC more often than gets just right, IMHO.
Seeing the 82172 and the 43075 side by side illustrates several things very well. The difference in the hour hands' lengths relative to the dials and minutes hands, as per the point of your post is clear, but for me both dials work very well. The size of the dial, the inclusion or exclusion of a seconds subdial both make a difference. It is also interesting to see that a few millimeters in case size also make a difference, perhaps also the metal color, because the 43075 does appear significantly larger to me in that photo. I am so glad that the extremely talented and gifted designers at VC do this fine work for us. How many of us could even get the seemingly minor detail of the length of the hour hand right? And how often do we notice that other watchmakers do not get this detail perfect?
Did you realize when drafting this post that you were highlighting some of the finest examples of VC's modern time-only pieces? It is so nice to see so many here in one place and to observe the great variety across style, size, shape, and design. I think we are missing a at least a couple of other examples here.
The American 1921, in spite of being a form watch if a cushion case counts, by having a round dial does not present the issue with the hour hand.
I wish I had a photo of the 1968 to post (amazing that I don't considering how long I have lusted after that one).
Now, having all of these time-only watches lined up, it surprises me that I find the 1955, still, the most exquisite if not the most interesting in terms of shape.
Best,
respo