Reference:5520: Difference between revisions

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~~The Rolex ref.~~ 5520 is a 34 mm gold-capped Air-King with a steel caseback and a calibre 1520 in the auction examples examined here. Its production dates are not settled: catalogues date watches to 1969, circa 1970, 1974 and 1983, while published reference histories give different date ranges. The ~~records~~ also disagree over the inner case designation on one Domino’s-signed example.

Reference 5520 is a 34 mm gold-capped Air-King with a steel caseback and a calibre 1520 in the auction examples examined here. Its production dates are not settled: catalogues date watches to 1969, circa 1970, 1974 and 1983, while published reference histories give different date ranges. The catalogues also disagree over the inner case designation on one Domino’s-signed example.

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==Where it sits in the line==

The 5520 is an Air-King with a two-tone appearance created by a gold outer case over steel. Auction catalogues call examples “GoldShell,” “gold-capped” or “gold-filled.” The ~~records reviewed here~~ do not establish the thickness or manufacturing method for every case, so claims that all examples carry a 40-micron electroplate go beyond the evidence. This construction differs from the ref. 5501, which is described as having solid-gold bezel and crown parts; the 5520’s caseback remains steel in the cited lots.

The 5520 is an Air-King with a two-tone appearance created by a gold outer case over steel. Auction catalogues call examples “GoldShell,” “gold-capped” or “gold-filled.” The cited catalogues do not establish the thickness or manufacturing method for every case, so claims that all examples carry a 40-micron electroplate go beyond the evidence. This construction differs from the ref. 5501, which is described as having solid-gold bezel and crown parts; the 5520’s caseback remains steel in the cited lots.

The earlier gold-capped Air-King refs. 5502 and 5506 are associated in published histories with calibre 1530 and “Super Precision” dials. The 5520 auction examples instead have calibre 1520. These examples establish a difference between the watches catalogued, but do not prove that every 5520 left the factory with the same dial or movement configuration.

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Ref 5520 hero.webp|Ref. 5520 Air-King

File:Ref 5520 hero.webp|Ref. 5520 Air-King

Ref 5520 dial-variant-dominos.webp|Domino’s-signed dial, case 2,743,281; catalogued by Antiquorum in 2007

File:Ref 5520 dial-variant-dominos.webp|Domino’s-signed dial, case 2,743,281; catalogued by Antiquorum in 2007

</gallery>

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 <div class="rp-lead">[[File:Ref 5520 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Gold-capped Rolex Air-King reference 5520|Rolex Air-King ref. 5520]]</div>
-The Rolex ref. 5520 is a 34 mm gold-capped Air-King with a steel caseback and a calibre 1520 in the auction examples examined here. Its production dates are not settled: catalogues date watches to 1969, circa 1970, 1974 and 1983, while published reference histories give different date ranges. The records also disagree over the inner case designation on one Domino’s-signed example.
+Reference 5520 is a 34 mm gold-capped Air-King with a steel caseback and a calibre 1520 in the auction examples examined here. Its production dates are not settled: catalogues date watches to 1969, circa 1970, 1974 and 1983, while published reference histories give different date ranges. The catalogues also disagree over the inner case designation on one Domino’s-signed example.
 <span id="core-facts"></span>
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ==Where it sits in the line==
-The 5520 is an Air-King with a two-tone appearance created by a gold outer case over steel. Auction catalogues call examples “GoldShell,” “gold-capped” or “gold-filled.” The records reviewed here do not establish the thickness or manufacturing method for every case, so claims that all examples carry a 40-micron electroplate go beyond the evidence. This construction differs from the ref. 5501, which is described as having solid-gold bezel and crown parts; the 5520’s caseback remains steel in the cited lots.
+The 5520 is an Air-King with a two-tone appearance created by a gold outer case over steel. Auction catalogues call examples “GoldShell,” “gold-capped” or “gold-filled.” The cited catalogues do not establish the thickness or manufacturing method for every case, so claims that all examples carry a 40-micron electroplate go beyond the evidence. This construction differs from the ref. 5501, which is described as having solid-gold bezel and crown parts; the 5520’s caseback remains steel in the cited lots.
 The earlier gold-capped Air-King refs. 5502 and 5506 are associated in published histories with calibre 1530 and “Super Precision” dials. The 5520 auction examples instead have calibre 1520. These examples establish a difference between the watches catalogued, but do not prove that every 5520 left the factory with the same dial or movement configuration.
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 <gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
-Ref 5520 hero.webp|Ref. 5520 Air-King
+File:Ref 5520 hero.webp|Ref. 5520 Air-King
-Ref 5520 dial-variant-dominos.webp|Domino’s-signed dial, case 2,743,281; catalogued by Antiquorum in 2007
+File:Ref 5520 dial-variant-dominos.webp|Domino’s-signed dial, case 2,743,281; catalogued by Antiquorum in 2007
 </gallery>