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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ROLEX AIR-KING
Rolex are undeniably one of the most recognized luxury watch makers on the face of planet earth, boasting incredible heritage and innovation, through the likes of the Submariner, Datejust, Daytona and many others have become icons all around. However, Rolex produces many other watches outside of some of the more well-known ones, such as the Rolex Air-King. The Air-King is often a forgotten watch from Rolex, yet offers an incredible amount of watches with some great distinctive and unique features. From a small 34 mm case with a simplistic dial to a 40mm case with a busy dial, this watch has one of the most drastic evolutions out of all of Rolex’s models ever made. Today we are going to cover everything you need to know about the Rolex Air-King.
The Rolex Air-King has been a model within their line-up that has sometimes been ignored and forgotten about however it has just as much rich heritage as any other model Rolex has to offer. Being the only pilot's watch created by Rolex, this piece has really stood out from all the other models and with its evolution of refinement over time, it really has become an incredible timepiece today. However, it took Rolex many decades to get it right and through improved features it has definitely become a watch to look at and consider for anyone wanting a do-it-all watch. Understanding where this watch came from and how it became what it is today is crucial to really appreciate it and see how it really is an icon of a watch in its own way.
The beginnings of the Rolex Air-King
The Rolex Air-King made its debut in the early 1940s, originally designed as a tribute to the pilots of the British Royal Air Force who fought in the Battle of Britain during World War II. Being designed for pilots to wear makes this more of an aviation/pilots watch in design however compared to other pilots watches it was slightly less obvious. The Air-King featured the same oyster case Rolex has become so famous for making which gave the watch 100 metres of water resistance. Its robust construction and precise timekeeping quickly earned it a reputation for reliability and became a favourite among aviators. Over the decades, the Air-King has undergone several transformations, incorporating advancements in technology and design while retaining its signature aesthetic.
Source : Rescapement
The first Rolex Air-King had a 34 mm case, which by today's standard may be small, at the time in 1945 was the classic case size for men and women to wear. The first model had the reference 4925 and came on a leather strap, you can easily have mistaken the model for a Datejust as the dial and case shape were incredibly similar. The key difference was that the Air-King did not feature a date and had classic Arabic numerals for each hour on the dial. This was because whilst roman numerals or your classic baton stick hour markers are legible, Arabic numerals make it much easier to quickly read the time on your wrist. Given that it was targeted for pilots or those needing to easily and quickly read the time, the dial design made sense.
It was not until 1957 that Rolex then created the Air-King model reference 5500, which was when you could see the Air-King we know today slowly take shape. Still featuring a 34mm steel case, the Air-King now had the classic three-link all brushed oyster bracelet giving it more of a rugged tool watch look and feel to it. However, the major change now was seen on the dial, gone were the highly legible Arabic numerals and in with the stick batons. The Air-King slowly became more integrated with the other models Rolex offered and you really would have found it hard to tell it apart from an oyster perpetual.
Source : Rescapement
Source : Bob’s watches
Over the next 25 years Rolex would play around with the Air-King quite some bit, releasing some interesting bezels and dials experimenting which signs would stick best for the watch. Instead of just coming in a cream white dial colour, blue and black were introduced along with a variation of a fluted bezel to give the watch that extra bit of Rolex flare. In the late 1980s Rolex Air-King had a collaboration with Domino's Pizza, probably the most surprising collaboration you’d expect from Rolex. You could tell Rolex used this line to experiment around with new styles and quickie collaborations. That said, they still ensure the watch was a good fit within the Rolex
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Rolex Air-King evolutions
In 2007 the Rolex really began to take shape and now featured a balanced dial between stick hours markers and Arabic numerals at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock position. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the newer Air-King is that the case size still has not changed at all, making it one of Rolex’s longest running models without a case size increase or decrease. The 34mm size was still in use and gave the watch an excellent balanced proportion look. However, soon enough Rolex would give the Air-King some major updates and change most features of it but still preserve certain elements of the original design and look. That said, whilst you can look back over time and see the original Air-King's DNA in the modern-day models, it has changed far more dramatically than any other Rolex watches evolution.
Source : Xupes
In 2014 the Air-King was discounted but brought back to life again in a new form in 2016 with the model reference number 116900. The 34mm case is long gone by now and the newer more modern proportioned 40mm case size was introduced to the line. This case incident was the exact same as the Milgauss’s case, giving it that tool watch yet dressy look at the same time. Featuring the modern Rolex oyster link bracelet all-brushed and with a 5mm easy-link extension too. The Air-King was now becoming more practical and having the modern day Rolex upgrades allowed people to now start wearing it everywhere and anywhere including swimming. The immaculate black glossy dial with bold Arabic numerals for every hour played tribute to its first iteration. The added touch of green for the seconds hand and dial print with the yellow Rolex crown gave the Air-King a bit more personality.
Additionally, 2014 through to 2016 was the year that Rolex briefly pushed the Air-King further by creating a version designed to be installed as an instrument on the dashboard of racing cars. Given the newer and highly legible dial, the Air-King was tailor made for both the aviation and motorsport industry and Rolex was not going to hang around, they were going to prove its tool watch worthiness! Rolex created a variation of the Air-King that would end up being fitted to a car trying to break the record for being the fastest land speed vehicle ever made. The car in question was the Bloodhound SSC which was built to go to a speed of near 1600 km/h, a speed that almost seemed impossible to achieve but the Bloodhound did. This gave the Air-King a good bit of visibility and proof of its ability to be a tool watch, being on the dashboard of a rocket ship car setting an impressive speed record is never a bad thing to claim!
The completion of the Rolex Air-King
Source : Time and Tide Watches
Then in 2022, with all the rumours about the Air-King being discontinued were all soon revealed, Rolex did what they do best, continuous improvement. The Newer Air-King reference 126900 was released and at a quick first glance not much had changed. However, the second you stopped to spend any time with the watch you would quickly realise that the newer model had some major updates. From an external perspective, the added addition of crown guards made the watch have slightly more wrist presence and gave it that classic Rolex sports watch look. The added ‘0’ before the 5 brought the perfect symmetry to the dual and the major upgrade was the bracelet. The bracelet was the same however the clasp now featured the Rolex sports oyster flip-lock clasp with the 5 mm easy-link extension. The new Air-King suddenly had much more wrist presence, sporty look and feel with a more elegant slimmer case compared to the previous generation (1.7mm thinner).
The upgraded new calibre 3230 now lay at the heart of the Air-King giving the watch a generous 70 hours of power reserve. A movement proven to be unbelievably reliable and durable so you know no matter what scenario you ding yourself in, the Air-King can easily handle anything you throw its way. With a precision of -2 / +2 seconds per day, exceeding the standards set by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), accuracy has never been higher. It also features Rolex's patented Parachrom hairspring, which offers greater resistance to shocks and temperature variations, ensuring optimal reliability and accuracy in any situation. With a recommended service interval of 10 years, the Rolex Air-King is going to be a watch you can rely on whether or not you wear it as an occasion piece or a daily. However, with its work horse of a movement inside, 40mm slime case and all brushed finishing the Air-King was perfectly designed to be worn all day every day.
Source : Time and Tide Watches
The Air-King for the longest time has been known as the ‘ugly duckling’ or the ‘weird’ looking Rolex model but the more you spend time looking at it, the more you start to appreciate just how much of an incredible watch it is. Especially the newer 126900, it’s a watch perfect for wearing with a shirt thanks to its slimmer case design but also great for wearing during sports or swimming. Thanks to the new addition of the Rolex oyster flip-lock clasp you can even take this watch diving to 100 metres if you really like! The Air-King has often been overshadowed by all the other models, with the release of the spirit and new Daytona at the same time as the 126900, the Air-King went unnoticed. But if you are looking for a do-it-all watch that offers impressive features and that modern-day Rolex sports watch feel that this model really is worth a look at.
In summary, the Rolex Air-King has been their pilot swatch offering for the longest time and whilst it may have been similar to a Datejust or Oyster Perpetual, the newer version of the Air-King really is its own unique watch. With an impressive heritage to both aviation and land speed-setting vehicles, the Air-King is definitely an impressive watch. The more sporty case shape and upgraded claps makes the watch a perfect balance between an elegant dress watch and a sporty do-anything tool watch. The versatility of the Air-King is what’s most impressive and with the pop of green, yellow and black gives you the ability to play around with a bit of colour when it comes to strap options. ZEALANDE offers the perfect watch strap for you 116900 Air-King with a choice of over 8 colours to play around with and a high-quality tang buckle or OEM Rolex deployment clasp compatibility option available to you. The newer 126900 has slightly wider lugs by 0.5mm but the universal ZEALANDE strap can be fitted onto the model.