A partly assembled complete movement contains all the components needed to make a functioning movement, but they have not been fully put together — all parts are present. An incomplete assembled movement has been assembled but is missing one or more components necessary for it to function as a complete movement. This distinction matters because both fall under this heading, but the technical description on the commercial invoice must accurately reflect which type is being imported to avoid reclassification.

A rough movement refers to a movement in an unfinished state — the plates and bridges may be present and the parts loosely fitted, but the movement has not been adjusted, regulated, or finished to a functional standard. These are typically intermediate goods destined for further manufacturing rather than direct use in a finished timepiece.