It certainly doesn't take an extra hour. The system guides you through the process too, which iirc lasts about 30 seconds or so for each caliper, so at max, with Master cylinder top up and VAS/VCDS hook up... +15mins?
At the end of the day, I'm sure the car will feel fine without doing it, but for me at least, I tend to keep cars a long time and the longevity of expensive parts like the ABS pump are very important; it's nice to know you've done everything you can to keep things tip top.
Also, I was under the impression that this was part of the VW service for brake fluid changes.