Let's see how many people think I'm insane...

A couple of years ago my consulting business took a turn, partnering with a Fortune 500 company to do work that their customers wanted but they didn't want to do.

Some of the work is in places I would never have seen if not for their business needs. Clubs that charge $5K USD for a table for the evening (and that doesn't include any drinks!), places in the middle east where a nights entertainment can cost more than most people make in a month, boutique island hotels where most of the clientele arrive by helicopter or private plane. It's been a wild ride, they want to do things differently than a normal business so they have unique needs and the money to pay for them.

A problem is I stand out like you would expect in the crowd in these places. We had the experience of having to walk out of a place on one of the French Caribbean islands when we couldn't even get waited on after getting a table. Another place we were waited on, but it was clear we were getting a whole different class of service than some of the other tables. Talking to one of the people we were working with he of course apologized, but said in the places frequented by the uber rich and celebrities the staff sizes you up and makes a decision about you immediately. He said we undoubtedly were picked as tourists who were probably going to order the cheapest thing on the menu and hang out for hours hoping to see someone famous. I joked about needing to dress to go for sushi but he said going in with a different look would probably have made all the difference in the world in how we were received. Toss on a Montecristi Fino hat, designer sunglasses, a Patek Phillipe, Vacheron Constantin or similar watch and suddenly you're not picked as a tourist there on a day trip.

I was annoyed, but absolutely can see it. We'll be back again this fall, and I just want to do a social experiment. The hat and sunglasses I've got, but a gen watch in that class certainly isn't in my budget. I'm thinking of one of the Patek Aquanaut reps or I'm liking the looks of the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Chronometre Royal 1907 rep but haven't seen anyone talking about them. Curious to hear what people think. I don't need to fool someone who is going to want to examine a watch, just staff looking at it on my wrist.

When the sushi menu includes Beluga caviar it's a sign you're in a different world...

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