I have found that since my time here and other watch forums, my taste has considerably changed.
I used to be very much a Breitling fan, no other watch would do for me. The style was so unique, and the heritage ad link to aviation further kindled the bond I developed with the brand.
However, I now really like Omega, perhaps partly due to the Bond link, and being someone who would love to live such an exciting lifestyle (I don't think Im the only one that has at some point really wanted to be the real James Bond.....I hope haha)
I am still very much into my steel diving watches, and share a very similar taste as By-tor. However, I have watches such as Breguet, Blancpain and IWC (which I would have termed.....erm....diplomatically - a sophisticated persons watch) have really grown on me, and I would now much rather take a Portuguese over a Navitimer (I know Andreww, I am moving to the dark side haha)
As for seeing peoples watches out and about and judging their character based upon these material objects, to a certain extent one can assume certain things, but I would never form an opinion on someone based upon material things, although to a certain extent this perceptual filtering always occurs, sometimes unintentionally.