Reference:6552 - Revision history

Admin: site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

2026-09-05T01:22:18Z

site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:22, 5 September 2026
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	}}		}}

	<small>[[Reference:air-king\|Air-King]] -> '''6552'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:air-king\|Air-King]] › '''6552'''</small>

	The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — a four-year reference (1953–1957) that sits between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. Inside the case is Cal 1030, Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber, with the butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. The dial reads AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION rather than the chronometer-rated OYSTER PERPETUAL text the contemporary Submariner and Explorer carried, even though the movement underneath was being adjusted to chronometer grade. The 6552 is where the Air-King first becomes the entry-tier Rolex with a flagship-tier movement underneath.		The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — a four-year reference (1953–1957) that sits between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. Inside the case is Cal 1030, Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber, with the butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. The dial reads AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION rather than the chronometer-rated OYSTER PERPETUAL text the contemporary Submariner and Explorer carried, even though the movement underneath was being adjusted to chronometer grade. The 6552 is where the Air-King first becomes the entry-tier Rolex with a flagship-tier movement underneath.
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	== Core facts ==		== Core facts ==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable rp-facts"
	\|-		\|-
	! detail		! detail

Admin: site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

2026-09-05T00:38:28Z

site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:38, 5 September 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6552 Air-King}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6552 Air-King}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex 6552 Air-King — The First Automatic Air-King, Cal 1030 \| ~~BezelBase~~		\|title=Rolex 6552 Air-King — The First Automatic Air-King, Cal 1030 \| Rolexopedia
	\|description=The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — 1953 to 1957, 34mm steel Oyster, Cal 1030 (Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber). The bridge between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. "Super Precision" dial text despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment.		\|description=The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — 1953 to 1957, 34mm steel Oyster, Cal 1030 (Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber). The bridge between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. "Super Precision" dial text despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment.
	\|keywords=Rolex, 6552, Air-King, Cal 1030, butterfly rotor, Super Precision		\|keywords=Rolex, 6552, Air-King, Cal 1030, butterfly rotor, Super Precision

Admin: Slop Cop: drop banned term 'inherently' and the negation-pivot construction in the production-volume paragraph

2026-08-08T18:03:26Z

Slop Cop: drop banned term 'inherently' and the negation-pivot construction in the production-volume paragraph

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:03, 8 August 2026
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	Surviving 6552s often carry case numbers that date to 1958 or 1959 — past the 1957 active-production end. Antiquorum lot 108-89 (case 437,255) is dated 1959; Monaco Legend Group July 2024 lot 72 (case 376,058) is 1958; Dorotheum lot 145-051401/0001 (case 376,310) is c.1958. The pattern is the same as the 6610 Explorer (active production ends 1959, retail through 1963) — leftover cases continued to be assembled and dispatched to dealers after the catalogue end-date, often with later parts and movement service swaps already in place.		Surviving 6552s often carry case numbers that date to 1958 or 1959 — past the 1957 active-production end. Antiquorum lot 108-89 (case 437,255) is dated 1959; Monaco Legend Group July 2024 lot 72 (case 376,058) is 1958; Dorotheum lot 145-051401/0001 (case 376,310) is c.1958. The pattern is the same as the 6610 Explorer (active production ends 1959, retail through 1963) — leftover cases continued to be assembled and dispatched to dealers after the catalogue end-date, often with later parts and movement service swaps already in place.

	Total production output is not published by Rolex. The four-year production window plus the 6552's modest profile in its day suggests substantially smaller output than the 5500. The reference is rare at major-house auction ~~not because it was inherently scarce in production but~~ because most surviving examples sit in the dealer market or in private collections rather than circulating through Phillips / Sotheby's / Christie's headline sales.		Total production output is not published by Rolex. The four-year production window plus the 6552's modest profile in its day suggests substantially smaller output than the 5500. The reference is rare at major-house auction chiefly because most surviving examples sit in the dealer market or in private collections rather than circulating through Phillips / Sotheby's / Christie's headline sales; production scarcity is the smaller factor.

	The caseback stamping deserves explicit attention. Inside the caseback the 6552 typically reads 6565 — the case-only reference shared with the chronometer-grade Oyster Perpetual sibling that ran in parallel and used the same case middle. The 6552 designation appears stamped between the lugs as the model reference. This duality is correct and original, confirmed across Antiquorum lot 108-89 ("the back is stamped 6552, the case is stamped 6565") and the Relojes Vintage Mexico Patrizzi-documented 1958 example. A 6552 caseback stamped only "6552" inside is unusual; "6565" inside with "6552" between the lugs is the period-correct configuration.		The caseback stamping deserves explicit attention. Inside the caseback the 6552 typically reads 6565 — the case-only reference shared with the chronometer-grade Oyster Perpetual sibling that ran in parallel and used the same case middle. The 6552 designation appears stamped between the lugs as the model reference. This duality is correct and original, confirmed across Antiquorum lot 108-89 ("the back is stamped 6552, the case is stamped 6565") and the Relojes Vintage Mexico Patrizzi-documented 1958 example. A 6552 caseback stamped only "6552" inside is unusual; "6565" inside with "6552" between the lugs is the period-correct configuration.

Admin: Rule 5: strip dealer names from prose and Core-facts values (Goldammer x2, Craft + Tailored, Wind Vintage) — re-attributed to Marcus Siems byline or generalised; dealer links retained in Sources

2026-08-08T18:03:16Z

Rule 5: strip dealer names from prose and Core-facts values (Goldammer x2, Craft + Tailored, Wind Vintage) — re-attributed to Marcus Siems byline or generalised; dealer links retained in Sources

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:03, 8 August 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\| bracelet		\| bracelet
	\| 19mm Oyster — period-correct rivet 7205 + 57 end-link (~~Craft + Tailored~~ 1958 example)		\| 19mm Oyster — period-correct rivet 7205 + 57 end-link (documented on a 1958 example)
	\|-		\|-
	\| water resistance		\| water resistance
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	== Production outline ==		== Production outline ==

	The 1953 introduction year is consensus across ~~Goldammer (~~Marcus Siems ~~byline)~~, Monochrome (Erik Slaven, January 2025), Robb Report's Air-King guide, ''Rolex Magazine'' (Jake Ehrlich), and Watch-Wiki. The 1957 retirement year — when the 5500 takes over — is similarly consensus. The four-year window is shorter than any other Air-King reference; the line moved fast through this caliber generation before settling on the 1530 family for the 5500.		The 1953 introduction year is consensus across Marcus Siems, Monochrome (Erik Slaven, January 2025), Robb Report's Air-King guide, ''Rolex Magazine'' (Jake Ehrlich), and Watch-Wiki. The 1957 retirement year — when the 5500 takes over — is similarly consensus. The four-year window is shorter than any other Air-King reference; the line moved fast through this caliber generation before settling on the 1530 family for the 5500.

	One general-family editorial source conflates the 6552 with a non-existent 6652 throughout, dating "6652" to roughly 1954 and describing it as "12 months before the GMT." The reference number is wrong — there is no 6652 Air-King.		One general-family editorial source conflates the 6552 with a non-existent 6652 throughout, dating "6652" to roughly 1954 and describing it as "12 months before the GMT." The reference number is wrong — there is no 6652 Air-King.
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	=== Explorer 3-6-9 with applied coronet ===		=== Explorer 3-6-9 with applied coronet ===

	A documented early-run dial layout — silvered ground with 3-6-9 Arabic numerals at three, six, and nine, spear-faceted indices at the other hours, applied coronet at twelve. The same Explorer-style 3-6-9 layout that runs across the 5500's later production already appears on the 6552 in its first years. ~~The Goldammer~~ Air-King family history names "spear indices and Explorer(ish) Arabics" as the early-run configuration, and a RolexForums archive thread (936946) catalogues an early 6552 with a 3-6-9 dial as "fairly rare." Time-Wire confirms the same layout for the early run. No major-house lot anchors the 3-6-9 6552 in the auction record, leaving the variant well-supported by editorial but light on auction-house provenance.		A documented early-run dial layout — silvered ground with 3-6-9 Arabic numerals at three, six, and nine, spear-faceted indices at the other hours, applied coronet at twelve. The same Explorer-style 3-6-9 layout that runs across the 5500's later production already appears on the 6552 in its first years. Siems's Air-King family history names "spear indices and Explorer(ish) Arabics" as the early-run configuration, and a RolexForums archive thread (936946) catalogues an early 6552 with a 3-6-9 dial as "fairly rare." Time-Wire confirms the same layout for the early run. No major-house lot anchors the 3-6-9 6552 in the auction record, leaving the variant well-supported by editorial but light on auction-house provenance.

	<span id="black-gloss-step-dial"></span>		<span id="black-gloss-step-dial"></span>
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	The most book-grade rarity in the 6552 dial map. A 1958 example documented in Osvaldo Patrizzi's ''Rolex, Collecting Wristwatches'' (2001 edition, page 184) carries a two-tone dial — creamy outer ring with a sunburst silver inner section — and is unsigned (no "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" text). The same watch's documented record notes the caseback duality (6552 between the lugs, 6565 inside) explicitly. The Patrizzi-book documentation is the strongest provenance anchor in the 6552 dial map; the configuration itself is rare.		The most book-grade rarity in the 6552 dial map. A 1958 example documented in Osvaldo Patrizzi's ''Rolex, Collecting Wristwatches'' (2001 edition, page 184) carries a two-tone dial — creamy outer ring with a sunburst silver inner section — and is unsigned (no "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" text). The same watch's documented record notes the caseback duality (6552 between the lugs, 6565 inside) explicitly. The Patrizzi-book documentation is the strongest provenance anchor in the 6552 dial map; the configuration itself is rare.

	The honeycomb / clous-de-Paris, all-Arabic UK-market, and retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey / Joyería Riviera) 6552 configurations have not surfaced in the auction record. Honeycomb dials of this era live on the 6305 Datejust, 6202 Turn-O-Graph, 6350 / 6298 Explorer / Bubbleback rather than on the 6552. Tiffany-signed Air-Kings are a 5500-era story (~~Wind Vintage's~~ Tiffany 5500 is the ~~documented~~ anchor); no 5500-era retailer signature has been documented on a 6552. Their absence is not proof — additional variants may surface as auction catalogues digitise older sales — but the documented record does not currently carry them.		The honeycomb / clous-de-Paris, all-Arabic UK-market, and retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey / Joyería Riviera) 6552 configurations have not surfaced in the auction record. Honeycomb dials of this era live on the 6305 Datejust, 6202 Turn-O-Graph, 6350 / 6298 Explorer / Bubbleback rather than on the 6552. Tiffany-signed Air-Kings are a 5500-era story (a documented Tiffany-signed 5500 is the anchor); no 5500-era retailer signature has been documented on a 6552. Their absence is not proof — additional variants may surface as auction catalogues digitise older sales — but the documented record does not currently carry them.

	<span id="case-and-construction"></span>		<span id="case-and-construction"></span>

Admin: Fix byline: the Wind Vintage Perpetual Movement Part 2 article is by Charlie Dunne, not Eric Wind (Wind Vintage's founder). Per research/indexes/sources.yaml src-windvintage-perpetual-part2; matches Reference:6098. Same correction applied to Reference:6150 and Reference:Movements.

2026-08-08T17:33:19Z

Fix byline: the Wind Vintage Perpetual Movement Part 2 article is by Charlie Dunne, not Eric Wind (Wind Vintage's founder). Per research/indexes/sources.yaml src-windvintage-perpetual-part2; matches Reference:6098. Same correction applied to Reference:6150 and Reference:Movements.

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:33, 8 August 2026
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	The chronometer status is the interesting question. The 6552's Cal 1030 movement was being adjusted to chronometer grade in many examples — the Antiquorum lot's "five positions and temperature" adjustment is itself the COSC adjustment standard. But the dial reads "AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION" rather than "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER," which keeps the watch in the entry tier despite the underlying movement quality. Marcus Siems makes the distinction explicit: "in contrast to other Oyster Perpetuals these Air-Kings weren't Chronometer certified and marked Super Precision." The 6552 walks the line — chronometer-grade movement, sub-chronometer dial designation. Both can be true simultaneously and frequently are on the same watch.		The chronometer status is the interesting question. The 6552's Cal 1030 movement was being adjusted to chronometer grade in many examples — the Antiquorum lot's "five positions and temperature" adjustment is itself the COSC adjustment standard. But the dial reads "AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION" rather than "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER," which keeps the watch in the entry tier despite the underlying movement quality. Marcus Siems makes the distinction explicit: "in contrast to other Oyster Perpetuals these Air-Kings weren't Chronometer certified and marked Super Precision." The 6552 walks the line — chronometer-grade movement, sub-chronometer dial designation. Both can be true simultaneously and frequently are on the same watch.

	~~Eric Wind~~, writing at Wind Vintage in ~~his~~ Perpetual Movement Part 2 piece, describes the 1030's red-anodized aluminium wheels in the self-winding module as the first time Rolex's own self-winding architecture appeared, and frames the 1030 as the first in-house designed chronometer-grade calibre. The 1030 begins the line that runs forward through the 1530 / 1520 (5500 era), the 1560 (early 1016 Explorer), and the 1565 / 1570 (Submariner / Sea-Dweller). Reading the 6552 as the Air-King's only Cal 1030 reference puts it in the same architectural moment as the small-crown Submariners and the early Explorer.		Charlie Dunne, writing at Wind Vintage in the Perpetual Movement Part 2 piece, describes the 1030's red-anodized aluminium wheels in the self-winding module as the first time Rolex's own self-winding architecture appeared, and frames the 1030 as the first in-house designed chronometer-grade calibre. The 1030 begins the line that runs forward through the 1530 / 1520 (5500 era), the 1560 (early 1016 Explorer), and the 1565 / 1570 (Submariner / Sea-Dweller). Reading the 6552 as the Air-King's only Cal 1030 reference puts it in the same architectural moment as the small-crown Submariners and the early Explorer.

	<span id="dial-map"></span>		<span id="dial-map"></span>
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	* [https://www.visionvintagewatches.com/product-page/rolex-1600-tropical "Rolex 6552 Oyster Perpetual Tropical Dial 1958", Vision Vintage Watches]		* [https://www.visionvintagewatches.com/product-page/rolex-1600-tropical "Rolex 6552 Oyster Perpetual Tropical Dial 1958", Vision Vintage Watches]
	* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/products/1958-rolex-air-king-ref-6552-white-dial "1958 Rolex Air-King Ref 6552 White Dial", Craft and Tailored]		* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/products/1958-rolex-air-king-ref-6552-white-dial "1958 Rolex Air-King Ref 6552 White Dial", Craft and Tailored]
	* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/how-rolex-became-rolex-the-automatic-perpetual-movement-part-2 ~~Eric Wind~~, "How Rolex Became Rolex - The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2", Wind Vintage]		* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/how-rolex-became-rolex-the-automatic-perpetual-movement-part-2 Charlie Dunne, "How Rolex Became Rolex - The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2", Wind Vintage]
	* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2013/07/the-complete-history-of-rolex-air-king.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Air-King", Rolex Magazine, 2013]		* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2013/07/the-complete-history-of-rolex-air-king.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Air-King", Rolex Magazine, 2013]
	* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_air-king "Rolex Air-King", Watch-Wiki]		* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_air-king "Rolex Air-King", Watch-Wiki]

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:23:06Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:23, 4 August 2026
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	\|published_time=2026-05-02T00:07:44Z		\|published_time=2026-05-02T00:07:44Z
	\|modified_time=2026-07-~~18T12~~:57:~~13Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:14:38Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-08-04T00:14:38Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:14, 4 August 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6552 Air-King}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6552 Air-King}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex 6552 Air-King — The First Automatic Air-King, Cal 1030 \| BezelBase		\|title=Rolex 6552 Air-King — The First Automatic Air-King, Cal 1030 \| BezelBase
	\|description=The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — 1953 to 1957, 34mm steel Oyster, Cal 1030 (Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber). The bridge between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. "Super Precision" dial text despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment.		\|description=The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — 1953 to 1957, 34mm steel Oyster, Cal 1030 (Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber). The bridge between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. "Super Precision" dial text despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment.
	\|keywords=Rolex, 6552, Air-King, Cal 1030, butterfly rotor, Super Precision		\|keywords=Rolex, 6552, Air-King, Cal 1030, butterfly rotor, Super Precision
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	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
	\|published_time=2026-05-02T00:07:44Z		\|published_time=2026-05-02T00:07:44Z
	\|modified_time=2026-06-~~29T01~~:21:~~55Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-07-18T12:57:13Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
	}}		}}

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

2026-07-18T12:57:13Z

Internal linking: related references + component links

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:57, 18 July 2026
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	The bracelet usually doesn't help. Most surviving 6552s wear bracelets that post-date the 6552's own production window — 7835 folded-links from the 1970s or 78350 solid-links from the 1980s. Authenticate the head and movement first, read the bracelet as supplementary evidence rather than as an originality anchor.		The bracelet usually doesn't help. Most surviving 6552s wear bracelets that post-date the 6552's own production window — 7835 folded-links from the 1970s or 78350 solid-links from the 1980s. Authenticate the head and movement first, read the bracelet as supplementary evidence rather than as an originality anchor.


			== Related references ==

			* [[Reference:4365\|Air-King 4365]]
			* [[Reference:4499\|Air-King 4499]]
			* [[Reference:4925\|Air-King 4925]]
			* [[Reference:5500\|Air-King 5500]] — 34mm Oyster (1957–1989)
			* [[Reference:5501\|Air-King 5501]]
			* [[Reference:5502\|Air-King 5502]]

			See also the [[Reference:air-king\|Air-King family index]], [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==

Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-06-29T01:23:17Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

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	\|modified_time=2026-06-~~04T04~~:42:~~08Z~~		\|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:55Z
	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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Admin: SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

2026-06-29T01:21:55Z

SEO: clickable title + og:image + timestamps

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	\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large		\|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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