Rolex has the unusual distinction of being THE high-end watch status symbol (for those who don't know watches), and also a huge name in aviation/police/military circles, so no doubt it has weird and non-linear predictors. These are iconic niches, so if Rolex folded, somebody else would take their place - The poseurs of the world NEED a flashy show-off bit of jewelry to tell the world they make more than they really do (and I'm always going to want a watch that JB could kill somebody with
). I'm guessing that if you were to get similar figures on other watches costing >$5-10,000, things would look a little more predictable. I could be wrong - I'll ask my hairdresser (and what the hell are 'dinner-ladies'?).