Are you looking to buy a pre-owned Rolex Air-King timepiece? Bezel has got you covered with our curated collection of Rolex Air King watches. A classic timepiece with a rich and fascinating history that spans several decades, the Air King is one of the Rolex wristwatches from the Rolex brand. It was created as far back as 1945 during the Second World War.
Despite being such an old collection, the Air King remains a collector’s favorite and has evolved significantly over the years as well. The aviation-inspired timepiece is famous for its durability and precision. Despite the functional origin of this timepiece, its sense of understated beauty and timeless appeal remains its main selling point.
The Legacy of Rolex Air-King Watches
The Rolex Air King is one of the oldest Rolex timepieces that is still being produced today. It was released in 1945 to join a line of Rolex Air watches that were quite popular during World War II. Other Rolex Watches named " Air " included the Air Lion, Air Giant, and Air Tiger. Rolex first introduced this watch in the 1930s, but most of them were dropped by the 1940s.
The popular story behind the Air Watches is that they were created as a tribute to the British Royal Air Force pilots. These pilots wore the highly durable and precise Oyster Air watches on missions during wartime.
The Air-King joined the ranks of existing “Air” watches in 1945. It was a simple stainless steel watch with a 34mm oyster case. Interestingly, while this case would have been considered small by today’s standard, a 34mm case was considered oversized in the 1940s.
As a timepiece designed originally for aviators, Rolex ensured that the Air King’s design was as simple and precise as possible. The “large” case and clutter-free dial of this timepiece were meant to make the face easier to read for pilots. The earliest model, which was the ref. 4925 was designed to reflect the simple yet effective design quality.
This was quickly followed by a second model, the ref 4499, in 1946 with the same design and features. Rolex began experimenting with the Air-King’s design in 1953 when it released the Reference 6652. Not only was this powered by a new self-winding movement (instead of the Hunter’s movement in the older models), but it also featured a new dial design. This timepiece had a creamy silver dial, redesigned hour markers, and watch hands.
The 6552 is generally considered a transitional model because it was only in production for a short period before it was replaced by the longer-running Air-King 5500 in 1957, which remained in production for up to 32 years.
Key Features of Rolex Air-King Watches
Durable Construction
The Rolex Air King was a true utility watch meant to be worn in the cockpits of fighter planes. Consequently, it was built to be durable right from the onset. When the timepiece debuted in 1945, it featured a stainless steel oyster case, which is still in use today. However, a few two-toned versions with steel casing and gold bezels have also been introduced.
The Oyster case was a major Rolex invention introduced in 1936. It was the first waterproof watch case ever created by any watchmaker, designed with a twin-lock system that kept it water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters. Although pilots didn’t have to worry about keeping water away from water, the design of this case also served the dual function of protecting the watch from the high pressure of airplane cockpits.
The current Rolex Oyster case has even been built to be more solid than other versions. It is now thicker and has been secured with screws. Rolex has also upgraded the stainless steel material to 904L stainless steel, renowned for its higher strength and durability. It is paired with an equally durable oyster bracelet with solid center links and end links.
The watch face is built to last as well. Even before the modern sapphire crystal front glass became a thing, older models were protected by an acrylic protective crystal, which also proved to be quite solid.
Simple Dial Design
The earliest Air-Kings were designed to reflect their use as functional pilot watches through simple yet effective dial designs. The original ref. 4925 had a plain creamy-white dial with Arabic numerals. Many of the models that came after it had similar simple designs with slight variations in their color and numerals.
Most Air King watches are simple time-only timepieces with a basic dial design. However, Rolex has released some models with date functionality, such as the Air-King Date 5700 and 5701. These models feature a date window at the 3 o’clock mark with a Cyclops date magnification lens to improve legibility.
Precision
The Air-King has always featured exact movements quite advanced for their time. While the first two references featured manual-wind Hunter movements, this was soon followed by an automatic self-winding caliber 1030 movement in 1953.
The Ref 5500 was a true masterpiece in terms of precision as well. It was fitted with Rolex’s first in-house movement, calibers 1520 and 1530, with excellent timekeeping capabilities.
Popular Rolex Air-King Reference Models
The model number is a common identifier used to differentiate timepiece models. You’ll typically find this inscribed on the case and other parts of the timepiece. The reference number is significant for the Rolex Air King since changes in the model number represent different generations of this timepiece. Some of the most notable models of this timepiece released so far are highlighted below:
The Rolex Air-King price is very affordable. Although it is one of the less famous Rolex models, the Air King has grown slightly in popularity recently. This has resulted in a general increase in price both in the retail and secondary markets.
Rolex Air-King Retail Price
The ref. 126900, the current model of the Air King released in 2022, is available for about 10,000 USD. The older version from 2016 (ref 116900) is slightly less, selling for about 9,500 USD.
Secondary Market Prices
Older Rolex Air-King for sale costs roughly $5,000 on average. Prices vary based on several factors, including the model, condition, etc. Prices range from as low as $3,000 up to $8,000, depending on the exact model.
Selling Your Rolex Air-King Watch Is Easy and Profitable with Bezel
Are you looking to sell your Rolex Air-King? You should list it on the Bezel. Add your timepiece to our list of specially curated collectible timepieces and get the attention of thousands of watch enthusiasts looking to buy a Rolex Air-King for sale. We handle the entire process from start to finish, ensuring you get the best value for your timepiece.
Turn to Bezel for All of Your Luxury Wristwatch Needs
Explore our state-of-the-art online platform to find all kinds of pre-owned luxury watches, not just from Rolex but also from other renowned luxury brands. Our highly curated list includes some of the rarest and hardest-to-find watches in the market. And even if you can’t find the exact timepiece you want right away, Bezel offers a very helpful concierge service, and we’ll source it through our network of trusted buyers.
You can access our platform by visiting the Bezel website or downloading the Bezel App, currently available for iOS devices. You can shop, search, and filter by different criteria to find the perfect timepiece. You can also set a specific price range to narrow your search to your budget.
As part of our services, we offer in-house authentication for all watches. Our experts have checked every watch on the site through a series of multi-step examinations to ensure they’re authentic. This means you won’t have to worry about authentication yourself. You know precisely what you’re getting, and the Buyer Protection Policy further ensures that the product delivered to you is just as marketed.
