Mark-
Thanks for taking the time to post and graphically illustrate your points. The evolution of typography and logotypes is indeed fascinating, and what is really interesting is how over time, older corporate images begin to look fresh again. i think the BMW logo from the 50s actually looks cleaner and more modern than the current one with the glossy texture and dimensional look. It is the same way with furniture--much of what you see from the 30s and 40s is more prototypically modern than, for example, the 80s and 90s.

There is clearly something funny with the balancing of the Heuer "E"s; the longer you look, the stranger the arrangement appears--why didnt they just elect to set the middle element at a right angle?