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Deep audit: qualify Air-King 114234 bezel, dial, bracelet, market and authentication claims
 
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The 114234 is the only Air-King Rolex ever fitted with a precious-metal bezel. It is a 114200 in every other respect, a 34mm steel Oyster running Cal. 3130, with an 18k white-gold fluted bezel set into the steel case middle in place of the smooth steel ring. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2007 alongside the smooth-bezel 114200 and the engine-turned 114210 and dropped all three in 2014. Nothing replaced them. When the Air-King name came back in 2016 it came back at 40mm, so the 114234 closes the 34mm chapter that had run since 1945, and it closes it wearing the fluting that had belonged to the Datejust for fifty years.
The 114234 is the Air-King reference documented with an 18k white-gold fluted bezel. It shares the 34mm steel Oyster platform and caliber 3130 used by the 114200 and 114210, but replaces their steel bezels with the white-gold fluted ring. Sources place the three references in the 2007–2014 Air-King generation. The Air-King returned in 2016 as the 40mm 116900, leaving the 114234 as the last 34mm generation.




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==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==


Three references share the 2007 case middle. The 114200 wears smooth steel, the 114210 an engine-turned steel ring, and the 114234 a fluted bezel machined from 18k white gold. All three run the same Cal. 3130, the same 34mm case, the same 78350 bracelet and the same dial catalogue, and the Air-King family hub treats them as one generation rather than three references. The 114234 is the top of that generation.
Three references share the 2007 case middle. The 114200 wears smooth steel, the 114210 an engine-turned steel ring, and the 114234 a fluted bezel machined from 18k white gold. All three run the same Cal. 3130, the same 34mm case, the same 78350 bracelet and the same dial catalogue, and the Air-King family hub treats them as one generation rather than three references. The 114234 is the white-gold-bezel member of that generation.


The fluted bezel is what makes it worth its own entry. Fluting is Datejust language, and on the Air-King it had never appeared in gold. The 5501 of 1958 carried a two-tone fluted bezel and the 14010 and 14010M carried an engine-turned steel one, close in effect but cut into steel rather than gold. Erik Slaven, writing the Air-King history for Monochrome, puts the intent plainly: the 114234 added a white-gold fluted bezel like many Datejust models for a bit of luxury. Tony Traina reaches the same reading at Rescapement, describing a watch with the 114200's dial design and a white-gold fluted bezel on top of it.
The fluted bezel is what makes it worth its own entry. Fluting is strongly associated with the Datejust; the 114234 applies that bezel treatment to an Air-King. The 5501 of 1958 carried a two-tone fluted bezel and the 14010 and 14010M carried an engine-turned steel one, close in effect but cut into steel rather than gold. Erik Slaven, writing the Air-King history for Monochrome, puts the intent plainly: the 114234 added a white-gold fluted bezel like many Datejust models for a bit of luxury. Tony Traina reaches the same reading at Rescapement, describing a watch with the 114200's dial design and a white-gold fluted bezel on top of it.


That places the reference somewhere between two catalogues. The Air-King had spent sixty years as the entry-tier Oyster, the one without a date and without a precious-metal option. The 114234 keeps the entry-tier case and movement and borrows the Datejust's dress vocabulary, and the dial menu follows it there. Roman numerals and factory diamond markers turn up on the 114234 far more often than the aviation-flavoured 3-6-9 layout the Air-King name implies.
That places the reference somewhere between two catalogues. The Air-King had spent sixty years as the entry-tier Oyster, the one without a date and without a precious-metal option. The 114234 keeps the entry-tier case and movement and borrows the Datejust's dress vocabulary, and the dial menu follows it there. Roman-numeral and factory-set diamond dials are documented alongside the 3-6-9 layouts, but the surviving listings do not establish their frequency across the whole production run.


<span id="production-outline"></span>
<span id="production-outline"></span>
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The end date carries one dissent worth recording. Watch-Wiki dates the reference 2007–2014, and the 2014 retirement matches the catalogue-wide moment when Rolex dropped the Air-King entirely. A minority of secondary reference guides end the 114234 in 2012, two years before its siblings. No production evidence supports an early exit, and the reference turns up in the dealer market with 2013 and 2014 warranty papers, so 2007–2014 is the working span. The 2012 date reads as a source error rather than as a documented running change.
The end date carries one dissent worth recording. Watch-Wiki dates the reference 2007–2014, and the 2014 retirement matches the catalogue-wide moment when Rolex dropped the Air-King entirely. A minority of secondary reference guides end the 114234 in 2012, two years before its siblings. No production evidence supports an early exit, and the reference turns up in the dealer market with 2013 and 2014 warranty papers, so 2007–2014 is the working span. The 2012 date reads as a source error rather than as a documented running change.


Rolex has never published output figures for any Air-King, and the 114234 is no exception. What the surviving population shows is that the white-gold-bezel reference was made in real numbers rather than as a token halo piece: several dozen distinct examples are catalogued across the dealer market, in enough dial configurations to fill out a proper variant map.
Rolex has never published output figures for any Air-King, and the 114234 is no exception. Dealer listings show multiple dial configurations, but they do not establish a production total or a complete surviving population for the reference.


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[[File:Ref 114234 blue roman.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Air-King 114234 blue Roman dial|The white-gold fluting against brushed steel, here with the blue Roman-numeral dial]]
[[File:Ref 114234 blue roman.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Air-King 114234 blue Roman dial|The white-gold fluting against brushed steel, here with the blue Roman-numeral dial]]


The bezel is the whole reason the reference exists, and it is worth being exact about what it is. The ring is solid 18k white gold, cut with the standard Rolex fluting, and it is fixed rather than turning. It sits on a steel case middle and a steel caseback, which makes the 114234 a two-metal watch in the same sense as a white Rolesor Datejust: precious metal at the bezel, steel everywhere else, including the bracelet.
The defining component is the bezel. It is a fixed 18k white-gold fluted ring set into the steel case. The ring is solid 18k white gold, cut with the standard Rolex fluting, and it is fixed rather than turning. It sits on a steel case middle and a steel caseback, which makes the 114234 a two-metal watch in the same sense as a white Rolesor Datejust: precious metal at the bezel, steel everywhere else, including the bracelet.


White gold on steel is a quiet combination. Against a yellow-gold fluted bezel the contrast would be obvious across a room; here the difference reads as a change in surface rather than a change in colour, the polished flutes catching light against the brushed steel of the case and bracelet. Collectors who want the effect to announce itself tend to find the 114234 underwhelming. That restraint is the point of it.
The white-gold ring changes the surface finish without the colour contrast of yellow gold. Whether that is desirable is a matter of taste, not a reference specification.


Everything behind the bezel is 114200. Three-piece Oyster construction, 34mm across, roughly 11.6mm thick, 19mm lugs without drilled spring-bar holes, sapphire crystal, Twinlock screw-down crown, threaded caseback, 100m of water resistance. The rehaut is engraved from launch with repeating "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" and the watch's serial number, matched to the serial between the lugs, following the convention Rolex adopted across the steel line from 2005.
Everything behind the bezel is 114200. Three-piece Oyster construction, 34mm across, roughly 11.6mm thick, 19mm lugs without drilled spring-bar holes, sapphire crystal, Twinlock screw-down crown, threaded caseback, 100m of water resistance. The rehaut is engraved from launch with repeating "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" and the watch's serial number, matched to the serial between the lugs, following the convention Rolex adopted across the steel line from 2005.
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The 114234 inherited the widest dial catalogue the Air-King ever ran and then extended it. The concentric "wave" pattern that arrived with the 2007 generation is here, and so are the flat sunburst grounds, the applied Arabic and Roman numeral sets, and a range of factory gem-set configurations the smooth-bezel 114200 carries far less often. Documented executions run well into double figures. The groupings below cover the configurations that surface with any regularity.
The 114234 is documented with several dial families from the 2007 generation, including concentric, sunburst, Arabic, Roman-numeral, and factory-set diamond layouts. The concentric "wave" pattern that arrived with the 2007 generation is here, and so are the flat sunburst grounds, the applied Arabic and Roman numeral sets, and a range of factory gem-set configurations the smooth-bezel 114200 carries far less often. The groupings below describe configurations documented in the cited material; they are not a complete dial census.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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| white
| white
| 3-6-9 Explorer Arabics with black-outlined batons
| 3-6-9 Explorer Arabics with black-outlined batons
| the volume configuration and the closest thing to a standard 114234
| a documented 3-6-9 configuration; no production ranking is established
|-
|-
| silver
| silver
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| silver concentric
| silver concentric
| orange Arabic numerals at every hour
| orange Arabic numerals at every hour
| the 114200's most-chased dial, carried over to the white-gold bezel
| documented on both 114200 and 114234; frequency and market premium vary by listing
|-
|-
| salmon
| salmon
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|}
|}


Two configurations deserve a closer look. The silver concentric with orange Arabics is the dial the 2007 generation is remembered for, circles radiating from the centre out to a printed chapter ring, the numerals in orange with no luminous fill at all, legibility carried entirely by the colour. On the steel-bezel 114200 it trades at a substantial premium; on the 114234 it is the configuration that ties the reference back to the Air-King's own design language rather than to the Datejust's.
Two configurations deserve a closer look. The silver concentric with orange Arabics is the dial the 2007 generation is remembered for, circles radiating from the centre out to a printed chapter ring, the numerals in orange with no luminous fill at all, legibility carried entirely by the colour. On the 114234 it keeps the Air-King's Arabic layout while the bezel adds the Datejust-associated fluting.


The diamond dials pull the other way. Roman numerals at twelve, two, four, six, eight and ten with round brilliants in the remaining positions, set at the factory rather than added later, on black, silver or white grounds. Aftermarket diamond dials are common on Rolex of this era and the distinction matters: factory settings sit in machined bezel-cut collets flush with the dial surface, and the dial carries no printed marker beneath the stone.
The diamond dials pull the other way. Roman numerals at twelve, two, four, six, eight and ten with round brilliants in the remaining positions, set at the factory rather than added later, on black, silver or white grounds. Aftermarket diamond dials are common on Rolex of this era and the distinction matters: factory settings sit in machined bezel-cut collets flush with the dial surface, and the dial carries no printed marker beneath the stone.
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==Bracelets==
==Bracelets==


19mm Oyster throughout, the 78350 on 557B solid end-links in 904L steel, closed by the modern Oysterclasp with its 5mm Easylink comfort extension. The bracelet is entirely steel; the white gold stops at the bezel. Nothing about the platform changed inside the production run, and any bracelet other than a 78350 on 557B end-links is a later refit.
The cited catalogue and reference material identify a 19mm Oyster bracelet, 78350 with 557B end-links, in 904L steel. The bracelet is steel; the white gold is confined to the bezel. Some surviving watches are shown on Jubilee bracelets, but the cited material does not establish a standard factory Jubilee option for the 114234. Bracelet originality therefore needs watch-specific documentation.
 
A folded-link Jubilee was a period catalogue option across the 2007 generation and turns up on a minority of surviving examples, concentrated on the Roman-numeral and diamond dials that were sold into the Datejust-adjacent market. On a fluted-bezel Air-King the Jubilee reads more coherently than it does on the smooth-bezel 114200.


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The major houses have not catalogued the 114234. Searches of the Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams and Antiquorum records return no lot for the reference, and the same is true of the 114200 apart from a single Christie's Domino's Pizza example. Modern references digitise more slowly than vintage ones, so the absence is a statement about auction-house appetite rather than about the watch.
The major houses have not catalogued the 114234. Searches of the Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams and Antiquorum records return no lot for the reference, and the same is true of the 114200 apart from a single Christie's Domino's Pizza example. Modern references digitise more slowly than vintage ones, so the absence is a statement about auction-house appetite rather than about the watch.


That leaves the dealer market as the price record. Standard white and silver 3-6-9 examples in clean condition sit above the equivalent 114200 by a clear margin, the premium tracking the gold content and the dress appeal rather than any rarity. Roman-numeral and salmon configurations trade higher again, and the factory diamond dials higher still. Full sets with box and card carry the usual premium, and on a reference this recent an original card is the strongest date anchor available, because Rolex moved to randomised alphanumeric serials around 2010 and the serial alone will not assign a production year on later examples.
No major-house auction record for the 114234 was located in the reviewed databases. Dealer asking prices vary by dial, condition, accessories, and originality; they are not used here as a reference-wide price guide. On later watches, an original warranty card can help date delivery, while a serial alone may not assign a production year after Rolex moved to randomised serials.


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The bezel is the check specific to this reference. A steel bezel refitted to a 114234 case, or a 114234 bezel moved onto a 114200, both turn up. White gold and steel are close enough in colour that the swap survives a glance, so the case stamp inside the caseback should read 114234 and the bezel should carry the hallmark and the density that gold gives it. Aftermarket gold-plated steel bezels also circulate; plating wears through at the flute edges in a way solid gold does not.
The bezel is the check specific to this reference. A steel bezel refitted to a 114234 case, or a 114234 bezel moved onto a 114200, both turn up. White gold and steel are close enough in colour that the swap survives a glance, so the case stamp inside the caseback should read 114234 and the bezel should carry the hallmark and the density that gold gives it. Aftermarket gold-plated steel bezels also circulate; plating wears through at the flute edges in a way solid gold does not.


The movement should be Cal. 3130 with a visible blue Parachrom hairspring. A Cal. 3000 is a swap out of the 14000 generation and wrong here. Any 32XX caliber is a genuine Rolex movement from elsewhere in the catalogue and equally wrong.
The movement should be Cal. 3130 with a visible blue Parachrom hairspring. A Cal. 3000 or a 32XX caliber would require an explanation, such as service work or a case-and-movement mismatch; the movement should not be used as an automatic verdict without examining the watch's records.


Diamond dials need their own look. Factory stones sit in cut collets with no printed marker beneath them; aftermarket settings are drilled through an existing printed or applied marker and usually leave a visible ring of adhesive or a slightly proud stone. On a reference where the gem-set dials carry the highest prices, this is the check that matters most.
Diamond dials need their own look. Factory stones sit in cut collets with no printed marker beneath them; aftermarket settings are drilled through an existing printed or applied marker and usually leave a visible ring of adhesive or a slightly proud stone. On a reference where the gem-set dials carry the highest prices, this is the check that matters most.
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== Related references ==
== Related references ==


* [[Reference:114200|Air-King 114200]] — smooth-bezel sibling (2007–2014)
* [[Reference:114200|Air-King 114200]]: smooth-bezel sibling (2007–2014)
* [[Reference:14010|Air-King 14010]]
* [[Reference:14010|Air-King 14010]]
* [[Reference:5500|Air-King 5500]] — 34mm Oyster (1957–1989)
* [[Reference:5500|Air-King 5500]]: 34mm Oyster (1957–1989)
* [[Reference:5501|Air-King 5501]]
* [[Reference:5501|Air-King 5501]]
* [[Reference:4925|Air-King 4925]]
* [[Reference:4925|Air-King 4925]]
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://www.rolex.com/watches/air-king Rolex Air-King collection]


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

Latest revision as of 20:28, 27 September 2026



Air-King › 114234

Rolex Air-King 114234, steel Oyster with 18k white-gold fluted bezel and white 3-6-9 Explorer dial
Rolex Air-King 114234, steel Oyster with 18k white-gold fluted bezel and white 3-6-9 Explorer dial

The 114234 is the Air-King reference documented with an 18k white-gold fluted bezel. It shares the 34mm steel Oyster platform and caliber 3130 used by the 114200 and 114210, but replaces their steel bezels with the white-gold fluted ring. Sources place the three references in the 2007–2014 Air-King generation. The Air-King returned in 2016 as the 40mm 116900, leaving the 114234 as the last 34mm generation.


Core facts

detail value
reference 114234
family Air-King
common name "the white-gold Air-King," "the fluted Air-King"
production 2007–2014, launched at Baselworld 2007
case 34mm stainless steel Oyster, three-piece, 19mm non-drilled lugs
bezel 18k white-gold fluted, fixed — the only precious-metal Air-King bezel
crystal sapphire
crown Twinlock screw-down
movement Cal. 3130, automatic, 28,800 vph, ~48h reserve, hacking seconds, Parachrom hairspring
chronometer yes — dial reads "SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED"
rehaut engraved "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" plus serial, from launch
water resistance 100m
bracelet 78350 19mm Oyster with 557B solid end-links, 904L steel, Oysterclasp with 5mm Easylink
caseback screw-down threaded Oyster, smooth exterior
sibling references 114200 (smooth steel bezel), 114210 (engine-turned steel bezel)
predecessor 14010M (2000–2007, engine-turned steel bezel, non-COSC)
successor none at 34mm; the 116900 (2016) is a 40mm redesign

Where it sits in the line

Three references share the 2007 case middle. The 114200 wears smooth steel, the 114210 an engine-turned steel ring, and the 114234 a fluted bezel machined from 18k white gold. All three run the same Cal. 3130, the same 34mm case, the same 78350 bracelet and the same dial catalogue, and the Air-King family hub treats them as one generation rather than three references. The 114234 is the white-gold-bezel member of that generation.

The fluted bezel is what makes it worth its own entry. Fluting is strongly associated with the Datejust; the 114234 applies that bezel treatment to an Air-King. The 5501 of 1958 carried a two-tone fluted bezel and the 14010 and 14010M carried an engine-turned steel one, close in effect but cut into steel rather than gold. Erik Slaven, writing the Air-King history for Monochrome, puts the intent plainly: the 114234 added a white-gold fluted bezel like many Datejust models for a bit of luxury. Tony Traina reaches the same reading at Rescapement, describing a watch with the 114200's dial design and a white-gold fluted bezel on top of it.

That places the reference somewhere between two catalogues. The Air-King had spent sixty years as the entry-tier Oyster, the one without a date and without a precious-metal option. The 114234 keeps the entry-tier case and movement and borrows the Datejust's dress vocabulary, and the dial menu follows it there. Roman-numeral and factory-set diamond dials are documented alongside the 3-6-9 layouts, but the surviving listings do not establish their frequency across the whole production run.

Production outline

The introduction date is settled. Watch-Wiki, Erik Slaven at Monochrome, Tony Traina at Rescapement and the Robb Report Air-King survey by Allen Farmelo and Gareth Munden all give 2007, and all four place the 114234 in the same Baselworld launch as the 114200 and 114210.

The end date carries one dissent worth recording. Watch-Wiki dates the reference 2007–2014, and the 2014 retirement matches the catalogue-wide moment when Rolex dropped the Air-King entirely. A minority of secondary reference guides end the 114234 in 2012, two years before its siblings. No production evidence supports an early exit, and the reference turns up in the dealer market with 2013 and 2014 warranty papers, so 2007–2014 is the working span. The 2012 date reads as a source error rather than as a documented running change.

Rolex has never published output figures for any Air-King, and the 114234 is no exception. Dealer listings show multiple dial configurations, but they do not establish a production total or a complete surviving population for the reference.

Movement notes

Cal. 3130, unchanged from the 14010M and shared with the 114200, the 114210, the contemporary 14060M Submariner and the 114270 Explorer. Automatic, bidirectional rotor, 28,800 vph, roughly 48 hours of reserve, hacking seconds, and the blue paramagnetic Parachrom hairspring Rolex rolled out from around 2005 and fitted to the 114234 from launch.

Jewel count is contested across the published sources. Erik Slaven at Monochrome and the Robb Report survey both read the 114200-generation Cal. 3130 as a 31-jewel movement; Marcus Siems, in his Air-King family history, gives 27. The 31-jewel figure holds the majority, and nothing in the production record points to a running change inside the generation.

The important change at the 14010M handoff was not mechanical. Cal. 3130 sits in both references. Rolex simply sent the 2007 movements to COSC before casing and had not sent the earlier ones, so the 114234 carries "SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED" where the 14010M carried "PRECISION". The Reference:Movements page holds the caliber lineage.

The white-gold fluted bezel

Rolex Air-King 114234 blue Roman dial
The white-gold fluting against brushed steel, here with the blue Roman-numeral dial

The defining component is the bezel. It is a fixed 18k white-gold fluted ring set into the steel case. The ring is solid 18k white gold, cut with the standard Rolex fluting, and it is fixed rather than turning. It sits on a steel case middle and a steel caseback, which makes the 114234 a two-metal watch in the same sense as a white Rolesor Datejust: precious metal at the bezel, steel everywhere else, including the bracelet.

The white-gold ring changes the surface finish without the colour contrast of yellow gold. Whether that is desirable is a matter of taste, not a reference specification.

Everything behind the bezel is 114200. Three-piece Oyster construction, 34mm across, roughly 11.6mm thick, 19mm lugs without drilled spring-bar holes, sapphire crystal, Twinlock screw-down crown, threaded caseback, 100m of water resistance. The rehaut is engraved from launch with repeating "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" and the watch's serial number, matched to the serial between the lugs, following the convention Rolex adopted across the steel line from 2005.

Dial map

  • Rolex Air-King 114234 silver concentric dial orange Arabic numerals
    Silver concentric dial with orange Arabic numerals and engraved rehaut
  • Rolex Air-King 114234 salmon dial
    Salmon dial with 3-6-9 Explorer Arabics
  • Rolex Air-King 114234 black dial with factory diamond hour markers
    Black dial with Roman numerals at the even hours and factory diamonds at the odd hours

The 114234 is documented with several dial families from the 2007 generation, including concentric, sunburst, Arabic, Roman-numeral, and factory-set diamond layouts. The concentric "wave" pattern that arrived with the 2007 generation is here, and so are the flat sunburst grounds, the applied Arabic and Roman numeral sets, and a range of factory gem-set configurations the smooth-bezel 114200 carries far less often. The groupings below describe configurations documented in the cited material; they are not a complete dial census.

dial markers notes
white 3-6-9 Explorer Arabics with black-outlined batons a documented 3-6-9 configuration; no production ranking is established
silver applied batons or 3-6-9 Arabics, sunburst ground the dress reading of the same layout
silver concentric orange Arabic numerals at every hour documented on both 114200 and 114234; frequency and market premium vary by listing
salmon 3-6-9 Explorer Arabics, applied polished the 14010-era salmon palette continued into the 2007 generation
blue applied Roman numerals at every hour the Datejust-adjacent configuration; also offered with batons
black applied Roman numerals at every hour the darkest of the Roman sets, and the base for the diamond variant
black, silver or white Roman numerals at the even hours with factory diamonds at the odd hours the gem-set branch; ten diamonds is the usual count

Two configurations deserve a closer look. The silver concentric with orange Arabics is the dial the 2007 generation is remembered for, circles radiating from the centre out to a printed chapter ring, the numerals in orange with no luminous fill at all, legibility carried entirely by the colour. On the 114234 it keeps the Air-King's Arabic layout while the bezel adds the Datejust-associated fluting.

The diamond dials pull the other way. Roman numerals at twelve, two, four, six, eight and ten with round brilliants in the remaining positions, set at the factory rather than added later, on black, silver or white grounds. Aftermarket diamond dials are common on Rolex of this era and the distinction matters: factory settings sit in machined bezel-cut collets flush with the dial surface, and the dial carries no printed marker beneath the stone.

Bracelets

The cited catalogue and reference material identify a 19mm Oyster bracelet, 78350 with 557B end-links, in 904L steel. The bracelet is steel; the white gold is confined to the bezel. Some surviving watches are shown on Jubilee bracelets, but the cited material does not establish a standard factory Jubilee option for the 114234. Bracelet originality therefore needs watch-specific documentation.

Market and auction record

The major houses have not catalogued the 114234. Searches of the Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonhams and Antiquorum records return no lot for the reference, and the same is true of the 114200 apart from a single Christie's Domino's Pizza example. Modern references digitise more slowly than vintage ones, so the absence is a statement about auction-house appetite rather than about the watch.

No major-house auction record for the 114234 was located in the reviewed databases. Dealer asking prices vary by dial, condition, accessories, and originality; they are not used here as a reference-wide price guide. On later watches, an original warranty card can help date delivery, while a serial alone may not assign a production year after Rolex moved to randomised serials.

Authentication

The rehaut is the fastest check. Its engraved serial must match the engraving between the lugs exactly, and the repetition is fine pantograph work, cut rather than printed. Counterfeit production routinely gets the two engravings out of step and screen-prints the rehaut text.

The bezel is the check specific to this reference. A steel bezel refitted to a 114234 case, or a 114234 bezel moved onto a 114200, both turn up. White gold and steel are close enough in colour that the swap survives a glance, so the case stamp inside the caseback should read 114234 and the bezel should carry the hallmark and the density that gold gives it. Aftermarket gold-plated steel bezels also circulate; plating wears through at the flute edges in a way solid gold does not.

The movement should be Cal. 3130 with a visible blue Parachrom hairspring. A Cal. 3000 or a 32XX caliber would require an explanation, such as service work or a case-and-movement mismatch; the movement should not be used as an automatic verdict without examining the watch's records.

Diamond dials need their own look. Factory stones sit in cut collets with no printed marker beneath them; aftermarket settings are drilled through an existing printed or applied marker and usually leave a visible ring of adhesive or a slightly proud stone. On a reference where the gem-set dials carry the highest prices, this is the check that matters most.

Related references

See also the Air-King family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Sources

Retrieved from "https://rolexopedia.net/index.php?title=Reference:114234&oldid=10854"