Rolex Air King

Along with the Oyster Perpetual, the Air-King is one of Rolex's most affordable models. Founder Hans Wilsdorf developed this timepiece in honor of the pilots of the British Royal Air Force. The RAF had used Rolex watches before the start of the Second World War. Their 34-mm watches were larger and more reliable than the standard models used by the Air Force. Towards the end of the 1930s, Wilsdorf developed a line of watches with the names "Air-Lion," "Air-Tiger," "Air-Giant," and "Air-King." After the end of the war, Rolex only continued producing the Air-King and made it available for the civilian public to purchase.

You can identify this stainless steel pilot's watch by the "Air-King" inscription on the top half of the dial, as well as its streamlined design. It tells the time traditionally, using three central hands for hours, minutes, and seconds together with indices or numerals. Rolex purposefully left additional features out, resulting in an easy-to-read watch. If you're looking for more features, however, then the Daytona chronograph or the GMT-Master II may be good options. The GMT-Master features a fourth hand that makes one rotation every 24 hours, helping you keep track of a second time zone. The Daytona is perfect for timing events and calculating speeds.

The current Rolex Air-King with the reference number 116900 costs around 6,500 USD new and 6,300 USD pre-owned. This makes these pilot's watches from the Oyster collection some of the most affordable Rolex timepieces. Models with the reference number 114200 are even less expensive: You can find pre-owned pieces for about 4,200 USD. Although the ref. 114200 is no longer in production, watches in mint condition cost under 4,800 USD. Variants with blue dials are particularly desirable. Both the ref. 116900 and the ref. 114200 contain calibers certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).

If having a chronometer-certified timepiece is not particularly important to you and you're looking to save a few hundred dollars, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King with the reference number 14000 may pique your interest. You can buy a pre-owned version for around 3,700 USD. Never-worn watches are hard to find and more expensive. For example, you can find the Rolex Air-King Date with a date display under the reference number 5700. Plan to spend about 4,000 USD for one of these pre-owned timepieces with its characteristic Cyclops lens. At 35 mm, the Air-King Date is one millimeter larger than the editions without a date.

The first generation of the Rolex Air-King had the reference number 4925, was introduced in the mid-1940s, and is particularly interesting for fans of vintage Rolex watches. That being said, very few examples of this watch can be found on the market today. Alternatively, there are significantly more models of the Air-King ref. 5500 available, which was first introduced in 1957. You can buy a pre-owned watch for the low price of 3,200 USD. The ref. 5500 comes in numerous designs featuring a variety of dials. The so-called "Double Red" models are especially rare. Its "Air-King" and "Super Precision" inscriptions are both written in red.

The Air-King has had a diverse range of dials and bezels throughout its 70-year history. With bar indices, Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, rhodium-plated surfaces, and orange contrasts, Air-King models have a wide variety of looks to offer. The dial is available in different colors such as pink, blue, red, or green.

However, the basic design of the watch remains consistent. It has a stainless steel Oyster case like almost all other Rolex models. The differences are in the details. The top surfaces of the case and the bracelet are satin-brushed, while the sides are polished. The case has a standard size of 34 mm, which is small compared to today's standards. The Luminor from Panerai, for example, can be as large as 47 mm. The Air-King didn't always have the Oyster case; in the 1950s, Rolex used the Explorer case for the Air-King, resulting in a 1-mm increase in size. Thanks to the Twinlock crown, the watch is waterproof to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft).

You have three options for the bezel: smooth and polished, fluted, or a ribbed bezel with raised hour markers. Models with reference number 114234 feature a decorative bezel made of white gold. Newer models feature sapphire glass, giving the wearer a clear look at the dial.

In 2007, the Air-King received an extensive makeover. Concentric, rhodium-coated dials and colorful Arabic numerals are characteristic of some designs. The distance between the case and lugs was lessened, and the watch was made thicker at 11.5 mm. Furthermore, the timepiece comes with the new 70190 stainless steel Oyster bracelet with an improved clasp and 19-mm wide lugs. When viewed in profile, this Air-King model resembles the dome of a cathedral. This is due to the domed sapphire glass as well as the large bezel. Typical of a Rolex watch, the glass projects out from the case, giving it a more voluminous look. Connoisseurs call it a "bubble-back" case, as it resembles the domed shape of the first Oyster Perpetual from 1931. Back then, the cases were round and resembled a bubble. Rolex's patented winding rotor was initially responsible for this shape.

Since the Oyster Perpetual 39 is even less expensive than the Rolex Air-King, it has served as the entry point to the world of Rolex since 2014. It only costs around 5,400 USD. This stainless steel watch is available in five different sizes: 26 mm, 31 mm, 34 mm, 36 mm, and 39 mm. The smaller sizes were designed with women in mind. Pink indices and red grape and blue sunburst dials add feminine touches. The larger models are also available with red grape dials and feature small red squares above the indices. Blue or silver (steel or rhodium) sunburst dials are additional options.

The Oyster Perpetual gives off a sporty-elegant look yet still remains subtle. Whether worn with a suit at the office, or while swimming, this watch goes with everything. Thanks to its Twinlock crown, the watch is waterproof to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft).

The in-house caliber 3132 powers the 39-mm diameter version. Unlike caliber 3130, the 3132 has a Parachrom hairspring made of a zirconium-niobium alloy. It's unaffected by magnetic fields and can better withstand temperature fluctuations and shocks and jolts than conventional hairsprings. The Breguet overcoil ensures chronometer-quality precision, which is certified by the COSC. This movement also features Rolex's Paraflex shock protection system. Furthermore, it has the characteristic red minute wheels found in many Rolex calibers. The movement has a power reserve of 48 hours.