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Watson was the Man-of-the-Match in Australia's five-wicket win over their hosts in Cape Town on Thursday, in the first of two T20 matches, and he believed the South Africans, who had not played a game in six months, would put up a stronger challenge in the second encounter.
"It was difficult to say that the South Africans were rusty," Watson said.
"This was the start of their summer whereas our group came off matches in Sri Lanka."
Watson played a vital role in Australia's victory after being dropped by former SA skipper Graeme Smith in the slips when he was on two.
The all-rounder made the most of the let-off by finishing with an explosive knock of 52 runs off 39 balls.
"One definitely needs a bit of luck in this game, and I had some, getting my knock going with an early chance.
"Having said that, though, since I came to South Africa I've felt much better [about my game] and I've been hitting the ball well in the nets.
"You definitely need some luck to score some runs some of the time, so it's nice that it turned my way."
The Australians lost both T20 matches against Sri Lanka in Palekelle in August, and skipper Cameron White said they had been under pressure to start their six-week tour of South Africa on a winning note.
"We felt a little bit of pressure because we came off a series in which we went down in Sri Lanka," White said.
"I guess that's where the pressure comes from, and I suppose the start of a new series.
"The match showed that our youngsters are up for it."
Proteas skipper Hashim Amla said their loss had indicated there was room for improvement at the start of a rebuilding phase under new coach Gary Kirsten.
Amla also suggested there would be some changes to their team for Sunday's clash at the Bullring.
"It's always difficult to leave some players out but I guess the selectors know what they are doing," Amla said.
"We'll have to see who will play on Sunday but it may be a good thing to give other players a chance to play."
