I've got a massive watch "scar", so I think it would be pretty obvious that I am a hardcore watch wearer and pretty suspicious that I don't happen to be wearing one.
In the N.American stores I've been to, salespeople generally don't care what watch you wear because generally they themselves don't care what watch they wear, and it's "just a job" to them. In Asia, I've never seen a salesperson wear a cheap watch who worked at a high-end store. So they ALWAYS scope what watch you wear, and wearing a nice watch gets you better service.
Furthermore, I have a relationship with some salespeople in Asia, and I have bought many gens from them over the years. I don't want to HAVE to wear a gen every time I visit those countries, and yet I want to wear a respectable watch when I chat with them.
I really thought the SSD would be the one, and who knows - maybe it will be after I change out the pearl, get the CGs and dial/hand lume modded. But the more I look at that ridiculously large crown etching, the sicker I get. I can see it from a foot away. I don't like to feel paranoid when I walk into a watch store, even though no-one has ever inspected my watches before - but still - that etching is so huge it makes me feel a little paranoid. I would just like to walk in the store and enjoy myself, not be self-conscious about the etching. I think what I will do is "practice" first by going to a local Rolex AD, and feel comfortable wearing it before I bring it overseas and risk tarnishing my image in front of my friends.