One of my friends was waxing poetic on the internal condition of one of his guns, noting the fine finishing where no one typically sees it.

So it got me thinking: is a beautifully executed movement of any importance to you, as you typically don't get to enjoy it...or is a great case design and reliability satisfactory enough?

Folks rave about the 30T2rg, the Vacheron 1072, the Patek 12-600, just to name a few. Personally, it just gives me that extra kick knowing the watch has all those nice chamfers, finishing, waves, etc., like further confirmation that someone's hand was involved in producing something of beauty. What say you, oh astute horological brethren?

 

Well, I just picked up this Dreffa Chrono. I had never heard of Dreffa before, but a little research and it turns out the company has some history.
what really drew me to this watch, beyond the Heuer like appearance, is the movement. The Valjoux 7730 movement is really nice.

For comparison a 7730 from a Heuer

 

Great movements are cool, but it's much better when you can either see them through a display caseback, or simply take the back off with a tool to view them. The Jaeger-LeCoultre on my wrist today, being a diver, has a solid caseback with a proprietary opening process, meaning I'll never be able to see the movement in person

 

Buying a diver for the movement is like visiting a prostitute for intellectual stimulation.

 

Ohhh, I didn't buy it for the movement - not by a long shot... but it'd be nice to see, especially since J-LC is (or at least was) held in such high regard for their movements.

 

Kinda like if you visited a prositute who then informed you she had a degree in astrophysics. You'll get what you came for, but why ignore something like that?

 

Is that a thinly veiled Black Hole joke?

 

I'll ignore the sophomoric banter...although kudos to @Tony C.

The watches I own get me going for the factory finish and patina...the movement is secondary, although a 321 is a thing of beauty.

My only really pretty movement is my Zenith, and it sure is pretty.

If you want want a killer movement, buy a railroad watch per @Bill Sohne

 

yup... its all about what's under the hood....

 

Or...what's under two hoods.

 

For me it's all about reliability and accuracy. I'm not into the aesthetics of the movement.

 

With the kind of watches I buy I very rarely get to see the movement, and it's usually nothing special anyway. However there are few things more beautiful than a well finished chronograph movement... especially when it's operating.

 

A nice movement is crucial.

A 1968 Dodge Charger ...


... is just wrong with slant 6-cylinder engine.



More appropriate.

 

All things being equal, who doesn't want both? All of it's important, and I think that on a watch by watch basis, don't we all sort of decide what we'll ignore/forgive in the calculation of "just how much perfection am I getting here?"

Accuracy over beauty in my book, though.

Currently in a monogamous relationship with my (214270) Explorer 1. Getting about +10s/month. A remarkable movement - the 3132 calibre.

 

You mean, like, you go to the boutique, and they say, "Hey, we have this great Speedmaster, but we also have one here where the movement has been polished, beveled, Geneva-waved by our master watchmaker...which one do you want, they are the same price?" All things are never equal...hence the question.

 

Hmm.

Well, it's true that for some watches it's not really possible to have both.

I was speculating that probably many of us are enamored of -- and desirous of -- watches where every aspect, inside and out, is pretty much a beauty to behold (@Kmart 's Lange for example), but when that's not possible or not affordable, we decide, watch by watch, which shortcoming to forgive. And of course price is always a factor.

And now to maintain what I hope is my cheeky cred, I offer all emojis for your consideration:


One extra:

 

I think the answer to the title question is "Desirable but not essential". Serious collectors being the perfectionists they are, I doubt there are many who wouldn't prefer a movement finished like the Dreffa that's shown above to the standard factory spec if a watch came with both options. Personally I would enjoy knowing it's there even if I couldn't see it. Obviously there are lots of excellent watches that come with the standard factory spec and even if I were a billionaire watch collector I wouldn't be stupid enough to reject them on that account. Given the choice, I would not object to paying the luxury tax of a whole lot more just to get that little extra which makes something the best, but I don't have that choice and so I just buy the nicest I can justify to myself. It seems not unreasonable to suppose that this is true of most other watch collectors.