An advantage of the sweep second hands is that they remind you that time is not really broken up into one second increments. According to the beat rate each second is a certain number of split seconds, just like real life.
I have been in IT work for over 25 years now. I am sick to death of electronics so it is comforting to have something purely mechanical in nature... it is also a constant reminder of my own mortality and to try to live each second as best as I can. To slow down and pay attention.