You hit it right on the nose...for someone like me, who is more into esthetics and comfort, having a tremendously well built mechanism hidden inside of a watch, does not excite me that much...i.e. the only Patek's that excite me are the one's I really find I'm emotionally attracted to such as the Nautilus line or the 5070 or 5960. But even then, it's hard to justify the price because you are not seeing the movement, and for all practical purposes, the watch keeping precision is not a factor...
So by having the movement shown, the buyer can better appreciate what he or she is really paying for, and like you say, learn more about the workings and complications of a mechanical timepiece.
Every time I go to a watch store I always stare at the tradition, eventhough I don't really identify with the brand in general.
What has always steered me away from this watch is 1) I'm always dressed in casual jeans, and 2) like you mentioned, I was afraid that telling time was not going to be easy. But after your review, I believe I'm going to be spending even more time staring at that breguet case.
Enjoy your watch, and drive carefully, because I believe you are going to be staring at it all day and night!
Palmasea