I’m currently working on a personal version of the Mecascape[0] (as much because of the cost as a chance to play with some hardware ideas). Taking it on travels is part of the fun.
Bought a travel click by Braun a few years bact to put next to me when I work. The quality is abysmal, the hour arm is half to a full hour ahead after I used for a while. And it costs like 30 bucks I guess one just pays for the brand name while the product is the same quality as no-name ones on aliexpress for a tenth of the price.
The older ones are solid. A tale as old as 1990s corporate decline
I bought a casio, it's been great.
What you really pay for in a Braun is the silent mechanical movement, no tick-tock to keep you awake at night. But while the movement is still allegedly made in Germany, the quality has gone downhill, as you point out. I had some Kienzle and Braun clocks in the 90s that were extremely good, but the new ones made under license, not so much.