Tourbillons: I Don't Get It

[autohorology]

Let me first state that I owned an IWC Tourbillon F.A. Jones and sold it after about 3 months of ownership. Other than looking cool, I cannot understand why this complication carries the pricetag that it does.

When I look at the balance wheel on the back of my watches I get just as much enjoyment, or when I look at an openworked AP I'm in absolute awe.

But a rotating cage just doesn't get me going. And when it has no actual purpose whatsoever, why do they carry such horological prestige?

In my opinion, the watchmakers just take advantage of the public image over how grand a Tourbillon truly is, but for me it's just not as cool as a perpetual calendar or even a moonphase. In my mind a perpetual calendar sounds a lot more complex than a rotating cage that serves no actual purpose other than looking kind of neat.

What am I missing?