: One quick observation: There is incredible passion, among the
: enthusiasts, for the El Primero movement, as such. The
: people who love this movement study every aspect of its history
: and all the technical details of the design, engineering, etc.
: The blueprints are framed and studied!!

There is a passion for the ELP movement and especially for the sort of "original" watches built around it (see the wonderful El Primero Cheat Sheet by our Friend LouS http://www.onthedash.com/thoughts/el-primero-cheat-sheet/ ). Lou and others have done a lot of research on this movement and its history but there is still more to do. Some of the history may be difficult to dig up without the help of the factory which as Lou says is not as cooperative as the Heuer people seem to be. Also, the ELP, as great as it is, is not without its issues. The high oscillation rate means that it needs specialized service/lubrication which not just anyone can do etc.

: On the Heuer side, we certainly have the enthusiasts loving the
: watches, but people don't seem to be worshiping the
: Caliber 11 / 12/ 14 / 15 movements, as such. The movement was a
: pragmatic solution that allowed the creation of some amazing
: watches, but I see less admiration for the movement, as such.

The Heuer Cal 11/12/14/15 was not really and in-house creation like the ELP. As you state it was sort of a thrown together pragmatic solution....a pretty nice one in my opinion...but it ended up being sort of a watchmaking dead end.

: I am not really qualified to comment on what we see in the
: Breitling or Omega comminities.

With the exception of Omega which is making the in-house movement with the Daniels/Coaxial escapement, many of the other Chrono makers use a generic movement which they may finish in their own special way. Maybe the ELP is the best...?

JohnCote