Brilliant though the Haenel 28 design is, IMO Webley pips it not because it is better looking - it isn't - but because it came first and because it lasted in so many iterations over generations. That is design brilliance proven over almost a century. Not much else in the world of manufactured goods has stayed more or less the same for so long, apart from the materials used, tweaks etc.

Yes, there were things that could have been better about the early pistols, and some of them were ironed out over the decades. But don't forget that there were a series of compromises and balances made - including looks, ease of user maintenance, ease of use by people of different age/size/gender etc, cost of manufacturing, durability, and so on.