I have a soft spot for mid/late 1980s bikes; one of my main stand-bys is always 1050 series Shimano 105 single-pivot calipers + matched levers.

Dura Ace and 600 are great, too, but these 105 calipers are affordable, relatively plentiful, cleanly styled, well-finished, effective and a joy to use.

Certainly one of my first choices for a single-pivot caliper for an '80s road project (which is pretty much all my projects). Maybe I'm just cheap?

Often tend to switch up calipers for modern dual-pivots (5500, 5600, 6500), though, even when the rest of a build is more period-correct.