There's nothing that signals 'lower-class' more than buying luxury goods to try to look wealthy. A fancy watch might earn you some respect from the tiny subset

There's nothing that signals 'lower-class' more than buying luxury goods to try to look wealthy. A fancy watch might earn you some respect from the tiny subset of rich folks that are themselves watch affectionados, but the respect will come from your depth of knowledge about watch construction, brands and history. The fact that you own one is largely inconsequential. If you really want to cheat the system, skip buying the watch yourself. If you study the fancy watches, you can compliment folks on their watch, and get the benefits of appearing both knowledgable and friendly. The wealthy don't value things you can buy with money. Spending money will not impress them.