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Reference:4499: Difference between revisions

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Audit 4499 prose, movement transition, auction evidence and image placement
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{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 4499 Air-King — 1946+ Cal 10½ Hunter Running Mate to 4925 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex 4499 Air-King — 1946+ Cal 10½ Hunter Running Mate to 4925 | Rolexopedia
|description=Reference guide to the Rolex 4499 Air-King, a 34mm hand-wound Oyster from the late 1940s and early 1950s with Cal 10½ Hunter movements, centre-seconds examples and a documented 1946 sub-seconds transition.
|description=Reference guide to the Rolex 4499 Air-King, a 34mm hand-wound Oyster from the late 1940s and early 1950s with Cal. 10½ Hunter movements, centre-seconds examples and a documented 1946 sub-seconds transition.
|keywords=Rolex, 4499, Air-King, Cal 10½ Hunter, 1946 Bubbleback, Serpico y Laino
|keywords=Rolex, 4499, Air-King, Cal 10½ Hunter, 1946 Bubbleback, Serpico y Laino
|image=Ref 4499 hero.webp
|image=Ref 4499 hero.webp
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|-
| metals
| metals
| stainless steel (canonical); solid pink gold and gold-plated variants surface in the dealer market but stainless dominates the auction-house record
| Stainless-steel examples dominate the cited auction record; pink-gold and gold-plated examples are also reported
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
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The Cal 10½ Hunter jewel count requires care. Bonhams 2012 lot 132 documents a c.1946 4499 with a 15-jewel movement and sub-seconds at six. Later 4499 lots use 17 jewels and centre-seconds. The change appears to fall within the first production year, but the complete factory sequence is not documented.
The Cal 10½ Hunter jewel count requires care. Bonhams 2012 lot 132 documents a c.1946 4499 with a 15-jewel movement and sub-seconds at six. Later 4499 lots use 17 jewels and centre-seconds. The change appears to fall within the first production year, but the complete factory sequence is not documented.


Total production output is not published. The auction record cited here contains three 4499 lots, all from Bonhams (2012 and 2024). No standalone 4499 lot is cited here from Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's or Antiquorum.
No production total is published. The cited auction record contains three Bonhams lots from 2012 and 2024; no standalone 4499 lot from Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Antiquorum is included.


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<span id="movement-notes"></span>
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The Bonhams 2012 lot 132 1946 4499 carries sub-seconds at six o'clock. The lot is a transitional first-year example; whether its dial and movement were original together cannot be settled from the published lot alone.
The Bonhams 2012 lot 132 1946 4499 carries sub-seconds at six o'clock. The lot is a transitional first-year example; whether its dial and movement were original together cannot be settled from the published lot alone.


The 4499 is not COSC chronometer rated. The dial reads "PRECISION" across documented examples; "Super Precision" attribution on a 4499 dial is service-replacement (likely a 5500-era Cal 1530 dial swap) and is not original.
The 4499 is not COSC chronometer rated. The dial reads "PRECISION" across documented examples; A “Super Precision” 4499 dial would need an explanation because the documented examples use “Precision”; a service replacement is one possibility.


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<span id="silvered-baton-1948"></span>
<span id="silvered-baton-1948"></span>
=== Silvered with applied black baton, narrower-and-taller font (canonical 1948 production) ===
=== Silvered with applied black baton, narrower-and-taller font (1947–1953 examples) ===


The production-volume 4499 dial across the 1947-1953 mainstream production. Silvered ground, applied black baton hour markers, narrower-and-taller font than the 4925 (the dial-typography evolution Monochrome documents), "OYSTER PERPETUAL AIR-KING" + "PRECISION" + "SWISS MADE" text, alpha or leaf hands. Bonhams 2024 lot 100 (case 674281, c.1948) is the documented anchor; A 1946 Serpico y Laino example carries the same dial language with the retailer signature added.
This dial appears across the documented 1947–1953 examples. Silvered ground, applied black baton hour markers, narrower-and-taller font than the 4925 (the dial-typography evolution Monochrome documents), "OYSTER PERPETUAL AIR-KING" + "PRECISION" + "SWISS MADE" text, alpha or leaf hands. Bonhams 2024 lot 100 (case 674281, c.1948) is the documented anchor; A 1946 Serpico y Laino example carries the same dial language with the retailer signature added.


<span id="silvered-roman-1946-15j-sub-seconds"></span>
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The results are lot-specific and do not establish a price band for every 4499. Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's and Antiquorum have no documented standalone 4499 lots in the auction record cited here.
The results are lot-specific and do not establish a price band for every 4499. The page’s cited record contains no standalone 4499 lot from Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Antiquorum.


<span id="authentication"></span>
<span id="authentication"></span>
== Authentication ==
== Authentication ==


The 4499 is 80 years old. Most surviving examples have been serviced multiple times; the dial restoration window of the 1980s–2000s caught many 4499s. Original dials with even minor period patina are the originality positive. Perfectly clean dials warrant examination as potential restorations.
The 4499 is an early post-war reference, and service or dial work is possible on any surviving example. Assess printing, lume, hands, case, movement and service history together; patina or a clean surface alone does not prove originality or restoration.


The dial layout is one useful check. Later 4499 examples use centre-seconds; the Bonhams 2012 lot documents a 1946 sub-seconds variant. A sub-seconds 4499 with a case number outside the 398xxx range needs closer examination for a service-era movement or dial swap.
The dial layout is one useful check. Later 4499 examples use centre-seconds; the Bonhams 2012 lot documents a 1946 sub-seconds variant. A sub-seconds 4499 with a case number outside the 398xxx range needs closer examination for a service-era movement or dial swap.


The case stamp inside the caseback should read 4499 with a Roman-quarter date code consistent with the 1946–1953 window. The documented case-number band runs roughly 398,000–680,000; a number outside that range needs a service-history review.
The case interior should be compared with the 4499 reference and any Roman-quarter date code. The documented case-number band runs roughly 398,000–680,000; a number outside that range is a lead for a service-history review, not an automatic rejection.


The movement should be Cal 10½ Hunter with 15 jewels (1946 transitional) or 17 jewels (1947+). A 4499 with a Cal 1030 (the 6552 successor's caliber), Cal 1530, or Cal 1520 movement is service-replacement and is not original. The Cal 10½ Hunter's manual-wind architecture is visible inside the case and provides cleaner architectural authentication than the dial-text reading alone.
The movement should be Cal 10½ Hunter with 15 jewels (1946 transitional) or 17 jewels (1947+). A 4499 with a Cal 1030 (the 6552 successor's caliber), Cal 1530, or Cal 1520 movement is service-replacement and is not original. The Cal 10½ Hunter's manual-wind architecture is visible inside the case and provides cleaner architectural authentication than the dial-text reading alone.


The bracelet usually doesn't help. Most surviving 4499s wear bracelets that post-date the watch's own production window, or aftermarket leather. Authenticate the head, dial, and movement first; treat the bracelet as supplementary evidence rather than as an originality anchor.
Bracelets provide supplementary evidence. The cited lots include later bracelets and leather straps, so authenticate the case, dial and movement first.


The Serpico y Laino retailer signature requires careful authentication. Service-replacement Serpico y Laino dials applied during restoration would be undetectable from the case alone; period documentation (documented examples carry the original Caracas retailer's-ledger entry where available) is essential at the retailer-signed branch tier.
The Serpico y Laino retailer signature requires careful authentication. A service-replacement Serpico y Laino dial could be difficult to distinguish from the case alone. Check the signature printing, case, movement and any Caracas retail documentation together.




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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]].
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]].
== Gallery ==


<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
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