Grand Seiko quartz: is it overrated?

[mgsooner]

Before you start picking up rocks, hear me out. I posed this question elsewhere but figured this would be a better place to get some good discussion on this going.

Firstly, let me state this: I agree that Grand Seiko makes incredibly beautiful watches that are finished to an impeccable standard. When looking at competitors in the "high accuracy quartz" realm such as Longines and Citizen, I personally feel Grand Seiko's watches absolutely smash them to bits from an aesthetic standpoint.

That being said, what about the movement inside? When looking at the movement itself, how much actual value are you getting with the purchase of a GS quartz watch? Looking at the quartz movements of the two aforementioned competitors, Longines and Citizen, the specs of their quartz movements seem to be comparable or even superior in some regards. While the price point of a Citizen Chronomaster is somewhat comparable to the price point of a GS quartz, the price point of a Longines VHP is much lower (roughly 1/3 of that of a GS).

Therefore, what are you paying 3x more for the GS versus the Longines? Case finishing? Hands-on craftsmanship? Or is the GS quartz movement itself actually superior to that of the Longines (or the Citizen)?

I've been thinking about this as this perception has seemingly developed in WIS circles that the GS 9f is the best quartz movement in the world, and by a decent margin. This is of course exempting things like the Journe Elegante which is in a different stratosphere when it comes to price. I am the type to become a bit skeptical when everyone seems to come to believe the same thing. This belief seems to have been fed by watch-related media outlets and "content creators," who seem to be in lock step in pushing this narrative. What I'm ultimately trying to get at is: is the Grand Seiko 9f movement truly superior to the HAQ movements found inside of a Longines, which comes in a package that is 1/3 of the cost? Or is the "value" you're getting with a GS more about the case finishing and aesthetic considerations? Has GS just engaged in a bit of clever marketing and used "influencers" in the watch world to assist in that effort?