The gears are manufactured to better tolerances. This means they make a lot less noise. A cheap movement can be heard across the room, a Seiko is silent.

Because the parts fit better, there is less friction. Less of a load on the motor means the battery lasts much longer in a Seiko.

They also keep time better.

A great deal of their reputation is based on their ability to produce precise quartz movements, ostensibly resistant to temperature changes, etc.

>This means they make a lot less noise. A cheap movement can be heard across the room,

I laughed out loud as I can hear my alarm clock ticking 8ft away thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk quite loudly. You can actually hear it from the living room if the TV is off, perhaps I should look into something made a bit better.

Reading the sales data: no tick sounds. Presumably less drift as well.

That most people do not care about the quality of the movement is why Wal-Mart has lots of shells with the same movements.

It lasts forever