I, fortunately, never suffered from 'brand image' self-perception. I come from a family of Eastern European scientists who were as rigorously intellectual with me as any family gets. I've always deeply loved traditional horology, but at the same time I don't necessitate any watch (like Stoikos pointed out in his post below) to 'boost my ego'. I only buy and wear, at any price point, those pieces I truly fall in love with. I would comfortably wear that $100 Swatch in a room full of multi-millionaire and billionaire executives. I happen to find myself in the company of such people more frequently than not these days due to my occupation.... Thanks for the well-wishes and support! Cheers, Filip