I don't think the chain will make a noticeable difference in shifting quality. There have been minor tweaks over the years to chain design, but its remained relatively the same for ~100 years.

You'd probably notice more of a difference with a fully modern drivetrain where the cassette and chainrings have shift "ramps" designed to pick up the chain and ease gear transitions. Most older freewheels and cranksets don't have these features.

Chains are chains as far as I am concerned. I have cheap SRAM chains on all my bikes but have used other brands with no complaints. Wipperman tends to be a higher end offering, from what I've seen.