Reference:5520: Difference between revisions

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{{#seo:

|title=Rolex 5520 Air-King: Gold-Capped Case and Calibre 1520 | Rolexopedia

|description=Auction catalogues document 34 mm gold-capped Air-King ref. 5520 watches with calibre 1520. Published dates and one Domino’s watch’s caseback designation conflict.

|keywords=Rolex, 5520, Air-King, gold-capped, calibre 1520, Domino's Pizza

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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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==Domino’s-signed example==

Antiquorum’s 2007 catalogue records a Domino’s Pizza logo on the dial of case 2,743,281. Christie’s 2010 catalogue identifies the logo on that same case number as later applied. The records document a Domino’s-signed 5520, but they do not show that Rolex supplied it as an award, that its dial was original to the watch, or that it belongs to a formally named ~~“Golden Egg”~~ variant~~. Beckertime uses “Golden Eggs” as a description in its article; it is not established here as a factory or auction category~~.

Antiquorum’s 2007 catalogue records a Domino’s Pizza logo on the dial of case 2,743,281. Christie’s 2010 catalogue identifies the logo on that same case number as later applied. The records document a Domino’s-signed 5520, but they do not show that Rolex supplied it as an award, that its dial was original to the watch, or that it belongs to a formally named variant.

==Auction records==

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| Christie’s || 1891.69 || Ref. 5520, circa 1970; 34 mm; calibre described with 26 jewels || Result not included here

|}

==Related references==

* [[Reference:5500|Air-King 5500]]

* [[Reference:5501|Air-King 5501]]

* [[Reference:5502|Air-King 5502]]

* [[Reference:air-king|Air-King family index]]

* [[Reference:Movements|Movements]]

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]]

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>

==Sources==

== Sources ==

* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-188 Antiquorum, Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 108-188]

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* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/complete-guide-to-the-rolex-air-king-1945-to-present-1235881849/ Robb Report, “The Complete Guide to Rolex Air-King Watches From 1945 to Present”]

* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-dominos-rolex-air-king-with-a-slice-of-pizza Hodinkee, “The Domino’s Rolex Air-King With A Slice Of Pizza”]

* [https://beckertime.com/blog/hunting-golden-eggs-gold-shell-rolex-air-king-watch/ Beckertime, “Hunting Golden Eggs Gold-Shell Rolex Air-King Watch”]

~~==Related references==~~