Are there any “affordable” (under $500€) Japanese watches that have actually good, or even great bracelets? It seems (online) that most Japanese watches at that price point are praised for their dials and movements but almost always the bracelets supposedly suck.
I’m not too knowledgeable about this, but you can get a <500 Seiko or similar and research 3rd party bracelets and I’d think still be within your budget. There are several companies out there making nicer bracelets to fit specific models for the reason you mention.
Good luck.