For men's dress shoes, one hard rule I have is they need to be Goodyear welted. It's a bit harder to do, so you'll find that generally those shoes also have higher quality leather and overall better craftsmanship.

Generally, the best shoe brands are based in England and Spain. There are a few Japanese and American brands that are very good.

Omitting Italy and France wasn't an oversight. They generally use an inferior stitching method called Blake, questionable leather, and overall poorer construction.

The watch analogy would be the difference between wearing a Rolex/Omega/Patek Philippe vs. Burberry/Versace/Gucci.

This pair is from Spain. They're Carmina single monks.

Personally, I love single/double monk shoes, but they're kind of polarizing. 🤣

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But many people do say Italians show are the best

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I think that might be the perception, but if you're a dress shoe person, your eye won't notice them to give a compliment and ask about them. :)

I might make a quick video or maybe just a cast + picture, but the easiest giveaways are normally the welts. More advanced folks will be able to tell from the leather and the shape of the last. :)