The new Air-King

[Nikrnic]

Love the 05, now it's symmetric. I could never unsee the 5 only on mine. With the other new changes I'd like to get one. The 3131 was a great movement tho, very smooth.

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[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by mountainjogger

Me too Grady. IMOP, still a fun watch with upgrades.

1. Without the faraday cage, this should sit easier on the wrist.
   
   
   
2. Nice to see they upgraded the movement.
   
   
   
3. I also like the added lume on the dial and the 05, instead of 5 seconds. Looks more balanced.
   
   
   
4. And to be honest, I was disappointed that my old AK did not have a safety clasp.
   

So, for me, this is an improvement of what I already considered a great watch. And at $7,400 US, it is fairly reasonable, if you can find one.

Absolutely the truth!

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[HogwldFLTR]

They've overcome most of my objections to the model; literally nothing I don't like.

[Slimpee]

I like it and told my AD I’m interested. Who knows if I’ll ever get one but for the $$$, it’s a reasonable purchase for me.

[Willows]

I'm on the list for the 126900 at my AD Let's see how long it takes.

I've always been a fan of the Air-King, and I'm glad it's still in the lineup with the incremental changes.

Love it or hate it, the divisive reactions to the AK have always made me chuckle!

[nikhsub1]

The new reference looks more balanced to me and a bit larger for obvious reasons. I don't see what is not to like.

[danicasi2002]

IMHO Perhaps the most attractive entry from the short list of new models this year.

[Rori]

[QUOTE=juktagt;12078532]Crown guards, new case still at 40mm. 0 before 5 on the dial. Thoughts?

Way more balanced. Love it.


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[APPRF]

Originally Posted by Manu74

It just looks so much better without the crown guards IMHO.

+1 and also it looked better with gold 3,6,9

[APPRF]

Originally Posted by Raku

The previous AK model was probably the least popular SS model in the Rolex lineup.

I can't see any major improvements in this 'new' model to change that.

Actually the least popular were the YMs, black Milly, and Deep Sea.

[darrenho]

Sticker price increased to $7,400 USD. Old one was like $6,450 if I remembered correctly.
Smooth bezel + no crown guard on the 116900 looks more classic to me.
Smooth bezel + crown guard on the new AK looks "interesting".
The dial still looks a bit too busy IMO.

[Jim_K]

The busy look of the dial of last reference and the new one is growing on me. I do like the new dial better. I like the crown guards as well.

However, I am covered for a 40mm size with my 14060m.

I'd consider the new Air-King at 38mm, but not 40

[MasonDixon]

This first half of this video is about the new Air King.

[cramsey]

The added 0 is an improvement; everything else... meh. All in all, I think I prefer the old version.

[Db7566]

Love it. Perfect Rolex release. Small changes and keep moving forward


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[Blanch]

Originally Posted by Driver8

I would’ve preferred the dial to lose the 3,6 and 9 in favour of a 15,30 and 45.

I agree 100% and that would have been a major improvement.

[Wismo]

Originally Posted by gomperzz

Have been wondering this since 2016. Anyone who owns an Air King can you please explain why someone would purchase this at retail? Or explain why a non-bot/amateur flipper would pay 2x retail for this? Or why it's considered a professional model?

My collection includes a Meteorite GMT, Two-Tone GMT, Batgirl, Hulk, Day-Date and several other models....They are ALL awesome at one particular time or another, but my daily wearer, and my favorite, is the current Air King. It is awesome.

[RolexPD]

Originally Posted by Nikrnic

Love the 05, now it's symmetric. I could never unsee the 5 only on mine. With the other new changes I'd like to get one. The 3131 was a great movement tho, very smooth.

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I’m actually disappointed by the change to “05.”

IIRC, the Bloodhound chrono on which the dial is based just had a “5.”

[harvey]

i would have loved to see a complete dial change rather some minor cosmetic changes.

i am surprised people are warming to this, considering this was usually the last watch that people bought from an AD. whats this got to do with the skies anyways now?

i am hardly ever controversial, but this is still fugly!

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by Manamana

Old AK has faraday cage, full gold 3,6,9 and quirky 5, This new one has crown guards which don't look good. Old Air King over the new Air King anytime.

I'm not sure Rolex has any strategy at all on the Air King. It only had the Faraday cage because they used the Milgauss case. There was no historical reason for it in an Air King.

And now has lug guards because they decided to use a case that had lug guards.

That's a whole different thing than "they added lug guards".



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[zengineer]

Originally Posted by Gary Busey

Johnny your art project is due tomorrow m, have you even started?

Ermmm, ughhh, y’a mom. It’s almost done.

Ok Im done


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I get it, and agree.

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[zengineer]

Originally Posted by subx

dial is wanna be explorer, crown guards wanna be sub, I absolutely prefer the old one.

At least it wanna be the Mk II Explorer now instead of the Mk I.

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[Devildog]

Originally Posted by harvey

whats this got to do with the skies?

The clue is in he name mate

[harvey]

Originally Posted by Devildog

The clue is in he name mate

haha oops I mean how did I miss that?!

I appreciate its history and introduction of the original but this is associated with a failed land speed record…c’mon let this die too.

[garyk]

Addressing the dial and crown guards,

The King is dead, Long Live the King….




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[SS Oyster]

I like it better for sure, but would prefer a consistent dial numbering scheme.


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[Willows]

Real life pics over at hodinkee

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/th...ing-new-design

[HiBoost]

Originally Posted by garyk

Addressing the dial and crown guards,

The King is dead, Long Live the King….




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My god, seeing that classic beauty after a day of looking at the new mess is really striking.

The new case/guards/bracelet all look great. But that's the end of the good news. The 3/6/9 mixed in with the 10/20/etc is utterly ridiculous. Did they have Explorer I dials laying around that they needed to use? The 05 (vs 5) is fine for balance, but in every picture I see the font on the 05 looks *slightly* smaller than the font on the 55. As if the dial couldn't get any more convoluted. Of course maybe that's intentional for a watch called "air-king" that is associated with a car trying to go super fast? Concept to reality, just a total string of misfires.

[garyk]

Originally Posted by HiBoost

My god, seeing that classic beauty after a day of looking at the new mess is really striking.

The new case/guards/bracelet all look great. But that's the end of the good news. The 3/6/9 mixed in with the 10/20/etc is utterly ridiculous. Did they have Explorer I dials laying around that they needed to use? The 05 (vs 5) is fine for balance, but in every picture I see the font on the 05 looks *slightly* smaller than the font on the 55. As if the dial couldn't get any more convoluted. Of course maybe that's intentional for a watch called "air-king" that is associated with a car trying to go super fast? Concept to reality, just a total string of misfires.

I have not met a modern Rolex I don’t appreciate but I am very glad to own my vintage Air King. Thanks for your comments

[Vesper Lynd]

As I always say, the ugly duckling of Rolex, in my opinion.