"subtle man" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You could use it to describe a man who is perceptive and has a subtle approach to things, e.g., "He was a subtle man, who could often intuit solutions to problems before anyone else had noticed them."
Now, Prime Minister Sharon does not seem like a subtle man.
He is a subtle man, used to saying things with silence.
He describes Islam Karimov, the president of the repressive government of Uzbekistan, as "a subtle man in the Oriental tradition".
Baxter, a clever, subtle man, knows the success story, but he is also aware that Sweden is not just a land of smorgasbord and midnight sauna.
A wry and subtle man with credentials as a peacemaker as well as a fighter, Mr. Barghouti has become one of the most popular Palestinian leaders, partly by advocating violence.
A wry and subtle man given to blue jeans and leather jackets, he has positioned himself as the common man's alternative to corrupt, aging ministers around Mr. Arafat whose roots in the West Bank are not as deep.
Some fear this "genius" coach's often less than subtle man-management may be too blunt for sensitive British footballers but the CV of a man who, before joining Bayern, locked himself away in a monastery in order to swiftly learn German, demands instant respect.
Around here, the social pressures are more subtle; men are not afraid to appear at private-school pickup, in jeans, although they often make a show of maintaining BlackBerry vigilance.
GO WEST A small but nicely stocked shop of stylish but subtle men's clothing opens in the far West Village, helping to keep downtown guys in nice semicasual schmooze-wear and dating duds.
Though subtle, men tend to lift their eyebrows quickly when they see someone they're attracted to [2][3].
Ferguson was a far subtler man-manager than he is given credit for; he had a degree in people and empowered such a diverse range of characters in his 27 years at United.
