The Rolex Air King (Past and present)

[joe100]

could be superdelsol, but i've never seen this combination before. the dial says Oyster Perpetual...not sure why it'd carry a 14000 ref then

[josehv]

Hello everyone,

This is my second post here, and I´d really appreciate some advise from you!

I have just got a very old Air King, which is working perfectly, but has been stored for years. The watch was originally bougth in the 60s or 70s, but it wasnt cared very well. So, in the late 80s it was sent to Rolex for a major overhaul. From what I have been told everything was changed except for the machine.

So now my question is, if the case is "new", is the serial number the original or a new one? Also, the watch has a jubilee bracelet, but from what i have seen, all the air kings came with the oyster bracelet. Did this watch could be had originally with the jubilee bracelet, or is it a "hybrid"?

I´m sending it soon to Rolex to have it serviced, but I want to know if I should buy an oyster bracelet in order to have it "as new"

What else can you Rolex experts can tell my about my new watch?

Thanks!

[David AP]

Originally Posted by Deyn Man

apologies for the late reply david... got my off the bay... seller is from UK too!

No probs - thanks for the info - gotta get that sorted.

[zak98]

my p series...

[SWIMPRUF]

Nice read.

[Porsch83]

Heres a few pics of my Air King Date. It has a rivet band but the end pieces dont seem to fit correctly. The end pieces are marked (57). The end pieces seem to be not tall enough to fit to the bezel correctly. Does anyone know the correct ones for this watch? 1967 Air King Date, 5500 Case.

[AndersB]

Originally Posted by Porsch83

Heres a few pics of my Air King Date. It has a rivet band but the end pieces dont seem to fit correctly. The end pieces are marked (57). The end pieces seem to be not tall enough to fit to the bezel correctly. Does anyone know the correct ones for this watch? 1967 Air King Date, 5500 Case.

Hi mate, you should post that question in the general forum to get a quick reply. Someone should be able to help. Might be that that look of the end pieces / bezel is correct OR that you can adjust the end pieces manually to get it right. Cheers

[Crazy Canuck]

Hey there.

First post. I've lurked around here for awhile to satiate my budding watch addiction and I stumbled upon this thread.

I have a 1988 (I believe) R5700 Rolex Air King Date my mom bought for my late father. He didn't wear it that often.

When I brought the watch in for servicing after my dad's death the dealer told me the Air King Date was a fairly rare watch.

Thought you guys might like to see it. Enjoy.

[Psalm23_(UK)]

Originally Posted by Psalm23_(UK)

Here is a Ak date I picked up the other day, got it off a friend who owns a Cash Convertors and the owner didn't come back after pawning it so I paid £300 and got it Hoping to do some refurb work on it when I get time.

Attachment 190177Attachment 190178

Am I right in thinking Date AK's are rarer, as someone once said they were Canadian market only, but I'm not sure.

Finnaly got it done Date wheel was a B**ch to get right, but I'm happy with result.

[Lol-x]

No doubt about it the Air-King Date is a very cool and rare variation of the Air-King.
It would undoubtably be my choice of the Air-Kings variations.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by ac001

dean: I like the black leather band and the rolex buckle finishes the look very nicely.

x2

[s1nn3d]

Greetings to all. :)

I'm planning to add a 1981 5500 Air-King to my small collection. Got a question... will it fit well around 6" wrist?

Any useful insight will be much appreciated. :)

[joe100]

Indeed it will

[fosa]

I have Air King 5500 from 83 so I sure can say it will fit as I have very narrow wrist! It's in service and getting it back after two weeks.. :P

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

[s1nn3d]

Originally Posted by joe100

Indeed it will

Thanks for the info!

Now on for the hunt!

[joe100]

No problem s1nn3d, welcome aboard!

[SRVwannab]

A picture today of my 14010- I love it!

[joe100]

Mighty fine SRV!

[s1nn3d]

Originally Posted by fosa

I have Air King 5500 from 83 so I sure can say it will fit as I have very narrow wrist! It's in service and getting it back after two weeks.. :P

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

Nice! Thanks for the tip as well, fosa!

[Danesh]

Hi colleagues,

I'm new to the Forum and very happy that I found some AK enthusiasts :-)

Attached a picture of my AK - I believe its from late 70s or early 80s.

Greetings, Danesh

[Danesh]

sorry guys, the picture is bigger than I thought!!

[joe100]

Hey Danesh,

No worries. A big photo of a 5500 is welcome anytime!!!

[Danesh]

Originally Posted by joe100

Hey Danesh,

No worries. A big photo of a 5500 is welcome anytime!!!

good to hear that!! It's definitely a nice watch... prestigious and pure understatement

[joe100]

Yep, I like the understatement!

[travis0306]

1969 Air-King 5500 with Nato strap today

[joe100]

Very nice!

[LeslieC]

Originally Posted by travis0306

1969 Air-King 5500 with Nato strap today

Very nice indeed!

[realist alive]

This is my Air King if anyone has some info I would love to hear it.
This was my grandfathers watch and I am very proud to wear it. I will be getting it cleaned and some parts replaced that a dealer informed me needed servicing.

[joe100]

It's a 1981 Rolex AirKing 5500. Box and papers for this model are rare so a nice set like this is pretty desirable to the right collector. It's worth about $1850 for the set.

I hope you keep it and wear it. It's a mighty fine piece. Identical to the one I wear;

[realist alive]

thanks for the info. I will be keeping it considering it was my grandfathers and has his name engraved on it.