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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 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Air-King 6552 — Cal. 1030, Dial Variants and Auction Records | 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=Reference 6552 was the first automatic Air-King. Auction records document 34mm steel examples with Cal. 1030 and silvered, two-tone and Explorer-style dials.
|keywords=Rolex, 6552, Air-King, Cal 1030, butterfly rotor, Super Precision
|keywords=Rolex, Air-King, 6552, Cal. 1030, Super Precision
|image=Ref 6552 hero.webp
|image=Ref 6552 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 6552 Air-King silvered dial
|image_alt=Rolex Air-King reference 6552 with a silvered dial
|type=Article
|type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-02T00:07:44Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:14:38Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


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


<div class="rp-lead">
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 6552 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 6552 Air-King, silvered dial with applied baton indices, alpha hands, c.1958|Rolex 6552 Air-King, silvered dial with applied baton indices, alpha hands, c.1958]]
[[File:Ref 6552 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Air-King reference 6552, silvered dial with applied baton indices|Rolex Air-King 6552, catalogued circa 1958]]
</div>
</div>


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; the contemporary Submariner and Explorer carried the chronometer-rated OYSTER PERPETUAL text instead, even though the 6552's 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.
Reference histories date the 6552 to 1953–1957 and identify it as the first automatic Air-King, fitted with Cal. 1030. Auction catalogues also describe individual 6552s made or dated in 1958 and 1959. They document a 34mm steel Oyster with several dial layouts, including a two-tone silver dial and an Explorer-style 3-6-9 layout.


The reference is rare at major-house auction. Antiquorum's Mondani Collection lot 108-89 (Geneva, 14 May 2006) is the strongest single anchor; Dorotheum, Monaco Legend Group, and a handful of European weekly sales round out a documented record of four named-house lots in total. Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's have no standalone 6552 catalogue lot in the auction record through 2025 — the 5500 absorbs the major-house attention, and the four-year production window left fewer 6552s in circulation to anchor headline essay material.
==Core facts==
 
<span id="core-facts"></span>
 
 
== Core facts ==


{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
! value
! documented information
|-
|-
| reference
| reference
| 6552 (caseback inside often stamped 6565 — period-correct, see Production outline)
| 6552; Antiquorum also gives the paired designation 6552/6565
|-
|-
| family
| family
| Air-King
| Air-King
|-
|-
| common name
| dates
| "the Cal 1030 Air-King," "the first automatic Air-King"
| Reference histories: 1953–1957. Auction catalogues date individual examples to 1958 and 1959.
|-
| production
| 1953–1957 active production; case-stock completion documented through 1959
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 34mm × 12.5mm stainless steel Oyster, smooth bezel, drilled lugs (19mm)
| Stainless steel; 34mm in the Antiquorum and Christie’s descriptions. Antiquorum gives 12.5mm thickness for its lot.
|-
| crystal
| acrylic plexiglass, domed
|-
| crown
| screw-down (Twinlock-era; Twinlock patent dates to 1953 but lot text on 6552s reads simply "screw-down")
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| Cal 1030, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, ~42 hour reserve, bidirectional butterfly rotor, Breguet balance spring, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature
| Cal. 1030. Antiquorum records 25 jewels and adjustment to five positions and temperature on its 1959 example.
|-
|-
| dial text
| dial text
| "AIR-KING" + "SUPER PRECISION" — dial sub-chronometer-grade despite movement adjustment
| Monochrome describes AIR-KING in script and SUPER PRECISION on the 6552; Antiquorum notes its 1959 lot lacks “Officially Certified Chronometer” text.
|-
| chronometer
| no — dial text is "Super Precision" (entry-tier), not "Officially Certified Chronometer"
|-
| bracelet
| 19mm Oyster — period-correct rivet 7205 + 57 end-link (documented on a 1958 example)
|-
|-
| water resistance
| caseback marks
| 50m (Marcus Siems and Robb Report consensus); Time-Wire reads 100m — the 50m figure is better-sourced
| On the Antiquorum watch, 6565 appears on the caseback and 6552 between the lugs. Christie’s records an inside caseback stamp of 6565 and 1.1958 on another watch.
|-
| caseback
| screw-down threaded Oyster; inside stamped 6565 (case-only ref shared with the chronometer-grade Oyster Perpetual sibling), 6552 stamped between the lugs
|-
| predecessor
| 4925 (1945–53, hand-wound Cal 10½ Hunter)
|-
| successor
| 5500 (1957–89, Cal 1530 then 1520)
|}
|}


<span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span>
==Where it sits in the line==
== Where it sits in the line ==
 
The 6552 closes the founding vintage Air-King trilogy. The 4925 (1945) introduced the Air-King name on a hand-wound 34mm Oyster. The 6552 (1953) carried the same case envelope forward but replaced the Cal 10½ Hunter with the bidirectional Cal 1030 — Rolex's first in-house designed chronometer-grade automatic caliber. The 5500 (1957) inherits the case again and runs Cal 1530 then 1520 across 32 years. The architecture handoff at each step is the same: keep the 34mm Oyster, swap the movement.
 
The 6552's Cal 1030 sits at the centre of an architecturally important moment. The same caliber powers the contemporary 6534 / 6536 small-crown Submariner (1955–58), the 6610 Explorer (1955–59), and the 6202 Turn-O-Graph at the end of its production. These four references — 6552 Air-King, 6536 Submariner, 6610 Explorer, 6202 Turn-O-Graph — share the Cal 1030's architecture and run roughly in parallel through the mid-1950s. The 6552 is the Air-King's only true Cal 1030 reference; by the 5500's introduction in 1957 the line is already moving onto the Cal 1530 / 1520 era.
 
The 1002 Oyster Perpetual that some sources identify as a 6552 sibling actually arrives later (1959 onward), overlapping with the 5500's production and post-dating the 6552's 1957 retirement. The 5504 (36mm oversized Air-King with an Explorer-case profile) sits parallel to the 5500 from 1958, post-dating the 6552.
 
<span id="production-outline"></span>
== Production outline ==
 
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.
 
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 chiefly because most surviving examples sit in the dealer market or in private collections; Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's headline sales see few of them. Production scarcity is the smaller factor.
The 6552 followed the hand-wound Air-King references 4925 and 4499. It brought automatic winding to the Air-King line with Cal. 1030. The 5500 followed in 1957, according to the reference chronologies in Monochrome and Watch-Wiki. That sequence places the 6552 between the earlier Hunter-based watches and the long-running 5500; it does not mean every surviving 6552 was assembled or sold before 1958.


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 caliber also appeared in other Rolex families. The [[Reference:Movements|Movement guide]] lists the 6552 among documented Cal. 1030 fitments, alongside contemporary Explorers and Submariners. Those models shared a movement, but their cases, dials and certification records varied.


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
==Production outline==
== Movement notes ==


The 6552 runs Cal 1030 — Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber, introduced in 1950 with the butterfly rotor that succeeded the uni-directional thicker-rotor A-series Perpetuals (A260 / A290 / A295 / A296). The 1030 is the architectural fork in the Rolex movement timeline: every Rolex automatic before it was uni-directional and required the bubbleback caseback dome for rotor clearance; the 1030's slimmer butterfly rotor eliminated the need for the dome and powered the post-1950 generation of slim-cased Oysters.
Monochrome dates the 6552 to 1953–1957; Watch-Wiki lists 1953 as its introduction and 1957 for the 5500’s arrival. These are the published model chronologies. Auction records place later-dated examples in circulation: Christie’s describes a 6552 with an inside caseback code of 1.1958; Dorotheum and Monaco Legend Group catalogued examples as circa 1958; Antiquorum dates its example to 1959. The lot dates establish when those watches were made or catalogued, not when Rolex ended production of the reference.


Specifications across documented examples: 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, approximately 42-hour power reserve, Breguet balance spring, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature. The Antiquorum lot 108-89 catalogue text quotes the canonical spec: "Cal.1030, rhodium-plated with decoration. 25 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature, with Breguet balance spring." Dorotheum's lot describes movement N809,993 with the same spec.
Antiquorum’s 1959 example is listed as ref. 6552/6565, case 437255. The house describes 6565 as the broader case-series reference and 6552 as the model number between the lugs. Christie’s independently records 6565 and a first-quarter 1958 date stamp inside the caseback of its circa-1958 watch. Those markings are documented on these lots; the catalogues do not support turning them into a universal authentication test.


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. The dial text reads "AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION." Omitting "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" 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.
==Movement notes==


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.
The auction catalogues identify Cal. 1030 in the 6552. Antiquorum gives the fullest description for its 1959 watch: 25 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature, and a Breguet balance spring. Christie’s also identifies Cal. 1030 in its circa-1958 example. The [[Reference:Movements|Movement guide]] describes the caliber’s bidirectional winding and butterfly rotor.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
A movement’s adjustment and a watch’s certification are separate details. Antiquorum records five-position and temperature adjustment while noting that its lot’s dial lacks the “Officially Certified Chronometer” wording. Read that as the description of this watch; it does not establish the certification status of every 6552.
== Dial map ==


Five documented dial variants surface in the major-house auction record. The 6552 dial map is narrower than the 5500 — fewer surfaced examples, less variation — but the variation that exists is real and well-anchored.
==Dial map==


<span id="silvered-applied-batons"></span>
The documented examples show more than one 6552 dial. The descriptions below stay attached to the watches or published accounts that identify them.
=== Silvered with applied baton indices ===


[[File:Ref 6552 dial.webp|thumb|right|240px|Rolex 6552 Air-King, silvered dial with applied baton indices and alpha hands, 1958 (Monaco Legend Group lot 72, case 376,058)]]
===Silvered dials with applied markers===
The production-volume dial. Silvered or matte-grey ground, applied dart or baton hour markers, alpha hands, central seconds, "AIR-KING" at twelve and "SUPER PRECISION" above six. The dial sits as the standard configuration across the four-year production window. Antiquorum Mondani lot 108-89 (1959, case 437,255), Dorotheum lot 145-051401/0001 (c.1958, case 376,310), Monaco Legend Group lot 72 (1958, case 376,058) all wear this dial.


<span id="explorer-3-6-9"></span>
[[File:Ref 6552 dial.webp|thumb|right|240px|Silvered ref. 6552 dial with applied baton markers, catalogued by Monaco Legend Group in 2024|alt=Silvered Rolex 6552 dial with applied baton markers and alpha hands]]
=== 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. 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.
Antiquorum’s 1959 lot has a two-tone silver dial, applied faceted baton markers, luminous dots and Alpha hands. Monaco Legend Group’s 1958 lot is described with a silver dial and applied markers. Christie’s also catalogued a circa-1958 silvered dial; its condition report says the dial had been reprinted and relumed. These records describe individual watches and include different dial conditions.


<span id="black-gloss-step-dial"></span>
===Explorer-style 3-6-9 dial===
=== Black gloss / black gilt step-dial ===


A third documented variant surfaces in marketplace listings catalogued as "EXTREMELY RARE ROLEX AIRKING 6552 SUPER PRECISION w/ BLACK GILT STEP-DIAL". Glossy black lacquer or gilt-on-glossy ground, stepped dial profile with the indices and AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION text on a raised inner section. A documented 1958 example — signed "Oyster Perpetual" only at six, without AIR-KING text — wears the same dial type aged to a tropical chocolate-brown — the original and the tropicalised version of the same configuration. The black gloss step-dial 6552 is dealer-grade evidence; corroboration from a major-house lot would lift the variant from "documented at marketplace" to "auction-anchored."
Erik Slaven’s Monochrome history describes an early 6552 layout with faceted spear markers and Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9. Slaven contrasts it with later 6552 examples using stick markers. This is a published account of the variant; the auction records cited here do not include a 3-6-9 example.


<span id="tropical-chocolate"></span>
===Two-tone dial recorded in Patrizzi===
=== Tropical chocolate ===


A documented 1958 6552 surfaces with a "glossy deep brown tropical dial" — the gloss black step-dial above aged through decades of UV exposure to a uniform chocolate-brown. The dial is signed "OYSTER PERPETUAL" only at six, without AIR-KING text, suggesting either a sister 1002-class dial or a service-replacement dial swap. The configuration is the only documented tropical 6552 in documented examples — the rate of tropical conversion appears low compared to later Cal 1530 / 1520 5500s.
The Relojes Vintage Mexico listing describes a 6552 with a cream outer ring and sunburst silver center, and says the watch appears in Osvaldo Patrizzi’s ''Rolex, Collecting Wristwatches'' (2001), page 184. Antiquorum also says its 1959 lot is illustrated on that page and describes its dial as two-tone silver. The dealer calls its example 1958; Antiquorum dates its lot 1959. The catalogues differ on the date assigned to the illustrated watch.


<span id="patrizzi-two-tone"></span>
===Brown dial example===
=== Patrizzi two-tone (creamy outer + sunburst silver inner) ===


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.
Vision Vintage Watches archived a 1958 6552 with a glossy dark-brown dial, gilt text and Cal. 1030. That listing documents one watch. It does not establish how the dial acquired its color or how common this configuration is.


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, and 6350 / 6298 Explorer / Bubbleback — the 6552 does not carry one. 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.
==Case and crown==


<span id="case-and-construction"></span>
Antiquorum describes its 34mm watch as a three-body steel case with a screwed-down back and crown, measuring 12.5mm thick. Christie’s independently gives a 34mm stainless-steel case for its circa-1958 6552. Monochrome describes the reference with an acrylic crystal and drilled lugs. The lot-specific dimensions and construction are the strongest direct records here; crystal and lug details follow Slaven’s reference overview.
== Case and construction ==


[[File:Ref 6552 caseback.webp|thumb|right|240px|Rolex 6552 Air-King, steel screw-down caseback, 1958 (Monaco Legend Group lot 72, case 376,058)]]
==Bracelet==
34mm × 12.5mm stainless steel three-piece Oyster — case middle, threaded caseback, threaded crown. The case profile reads slimmer than the pre-1950 Bubbleback architecture that the 4925 inherited; the Cal 1030's butterfly rotor is the architectural reason the case middle could come down to ~12.5mm without rotor clearance issues. Lugs are 19mm with drilled spring-bar holes. The bezel is fixed and steel and smooth.


The crown is a screw-down. Twinlock — Rolex's two-gasket sealed-crown patent — was filed in 1953, the same year the 6552 launched, but no surfaced 6552 lot text specifically marks the watch as "Twinlock-equipped." The convention reads simply "screw-down crown." Twinlock branding becomes formally consistent on Rolex sport references later in the 1950s; 6552-era crowns may or may not carry the patent markings depending on production date within the four-year window.
Christie’s catalogued a 6552 with a riveted Oyster bracelet, end links marked 57 and bracelet marked 6635, with the bracelet itself marked 2, 65. Its condition report dates the bracelet to the second quarter of 1965 and calls it a later replacement on the circa-1958 watch. This is a useful example of why a bracelet code dates the bracelet, not the watch head. A separate 1958 dealer listing pairs a 6552 with a 7205 bracelet and 57 end pieces, but describes that bracelet as later and sourced onto the watch.


The 6552 is steel-only across documented examples. No two-tone, no gold-capped, no precious-metal 6552 has surfaced. The two-tone gold-capped Air-Kings live on adjacent reference numbers — 5501 (Rolesor with gold fluted bezel), 5502 / 5506 (gold-capped 40-micron) — that post-date the 6552 and run alongside the 5500.
==Auction record==
 
Water resistance reads at 50m on the Marcus Siems and Robb Report sources (and on most period dial markings reading "50m = 165ft"); Time-Wire reads 100m, which is the 5500-era specification. The 50m figure is better-sourced and consistent with the period rating Rolex used on the entry-tier Oyster line.
 
<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span>
== Bracelets, end-links, and clasps ==
 
19mm lug width across the production. The period-correct delivery configuration on a 6552 is a riveted Oyster bracelet 7205 with end-link 57 — A documented 1958 6552 (white dial, serial 37x,xxx, original radium hands) carries this fitment. The 7205 / 57 combination is also the early-run configuration on the 5500 that succeeds the 6552, so the bracelet-end-link pairing carried straight across the reference transition without a generation change.
 
Most surviving 6552s wear later bracelets — service-era refits with the 7835 folded-link (1969+) or 78350 solid-link (1976+) Oysters succeeding the original 7205. Verifying bracelet originality on a 6552 means checking the case and clasp dates alongside the bracelet reference number. A 6552 on a 7835 or 78350 is service refit, not original delivery.
 
<span id="special-branches"></span>
== Special branches ==
 
The 6552 era pre-dates the documented Air-King special-branch programs. Domino's Pizza, Pool Intairdril, Circle Bar Drilling, Winn-Dixie, Levi's, the Royal Saudi Armed Forces / UAE / Bahrain / Kuwait government-crest commissions are all 5500-era — they begin no earlier than 1977 (Domino's) and concentrate in the 1980s. No documented military-issue 6552, no retailer-signed Joyería Riviera or Tiffany 6552, no commissioned-engraved 6552 has surfaced in the auction record through 2025.
 
What does qualify as a special branch on the 6552 is the dial-variant rarity captured above: the Patrizzi-documented two-tone, the Explorer 3-6-9 early-run, the black gilt step-dial, and the tropical chocolate. These are the 6552's distinguishing variants, not commemorative commissions.
 
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
== Historical market and auction record ==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Reference details !! Result
! sale
! catalogue description
! result
|-
|-
| Antiquorum Mondani Collection (Geneva) || 108-89 || 2006 || 6552 / 6565 case 437,255, 1959, silvered two-tone with alpha hands, Cal 1030 || Hammer CHF 7,080 (est. CHF 2,000–3,000)
| Antiquorum, The Mondani Collection, Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 89
| 1959 ref. 6552/6565, case 437255; Cal. 1030, 25 jewels; two-tone silver dial
| CHF 7,080
|-
|-
| Dorotheum (Vienna) || 145-051401/0001 || c.2024 || 6552 c.1958, case 376,310, movement N809,993, silvered with applied indices || EUR 4,096
| Dorotheum, Vienna, 22 December 2022, lot 145-051401/0001
| Circa-1958 steel 6552, case 376310; Cal. 1030, movement N809993
| EUR 4,096
|-
|-
| Monaco Legend Group July Online Sale || 72 || 2024 || 6552 1958, case 376,058, silvered || USD 1,478 (est. USD 1,083–2,167)
| Monaco Legend Group, July 2024 online sale, lot 72
| Catalogued as a 1958 steel 6552, case 376058; Cal. 1030
| USD 1,478, as reported by EveryWatch
|-
|-
| (Subscriber-gated European weekly sale, attribution via EveryWatch) || 25 || — || 6552 1959, case 437,256, two-tone silvered || USD 1,306–1,958 sold band
| Christie’s Watches Online, lot 72
|-
| Circa-1958 steel 6552, silvered dial; the accessible catalogue gives no result
| (Subscriber-gated, attribution via EveryWatch) || 181 || — || 6552 1956, silvered || est. USD 1,200–1,500, sold
| Not shown
|}
|}


The 6552 trades in roughly the USD 1,500–8,000 band for clean original examples. The Antiquorum Mondani Collection example at CHF 7,080 sits at the top of the range — its Mondani Collection provenance and clean originality drove the result. Rare dial branches (Explorer 3-6-9, black gilt step-dial, Patrizzi two-tone, tropical) carry premiums into the USD 6,000+ range based on dealer-side asks. Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's have no documented standalone 6552 lots through 2025 — the 5500 absorbs the major-house attention.
These are individual sale records in different years and currencies. They do not define a market range for the reference.
 
<span id="authentication"></span>
== Authentication ==
 
The 6552 is 70 years old. The first question on any 6552 is originality across the case, dial, movement, and crown, and most surviving examples have been serviced multiple times in that span. The dial restoration window of the 1980s–2000s caught many 6552s; a perfectly clean original-looking dial reads as suspect; dials with even minor period patina are the originality positive.
 
The caseback stamping is the cleanest single authentication anchor: 6552 between the lugs, 6565 inside the caseback, both correct on a period-original 6552. A caseback stamped only with the model reference inside (no 6565) is unusual and worth examining; conversely a caseback stamped only with 6565 (no 6552 between the lugs) suggests a service replacement caseback or case-middle swap. The Antiquorum lot 108-89 catalogue text describes the configuration explicitly — period-original 6552s carry both stampings.
 
The case-number band runs roughly 350,000–440,000 across documented examples, with the latest dated examples from 1959 carrying numbers in the 437,000–438,000 range. A 6552 with a case number well outside this band — particularly anything above 600,000 — should be examined as a potential service-replacement case middle. The Roman-quarter date code inside the caseback (II.55, III.57, IV.58, etc.) should be period-consistent with the case-number band.
 
The movement number versus the case number is the standard authentication anchor. Both should be period-consistent and both should match the catalogue's recorded ranges. A 6552 with a Cal 1530 or Cal 1520 (5500-era) movement is service-replacement and not original — the 6552 should always carry a Cal 1030 with its butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. A non-1030 movement on a 6552 case is a service event, not a rare configuration.
 
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, and treat the bracelet as supplementary evidence only.
 


== Related references ==
==Related references==


* [[Reference:4365|Air-King 4365]]
* [[Reference:4925|Air-King 4925]] and [[Reference:4499|Air-King 4499]], earlier hand-wound references
* [[Reference:4499|Air-King 4499]]
* [[Reference:5500|Air-King 5500]], the next long-running automatic reference
* [[Reference:4925|Air-King 4925]]
* [[Reference:air-king|Air-King family index]]
* [[Reference:5500|Air-King 5500]] — 34mm Oyster (1957–1989)
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]]
* [[Reference:5501|Air-King 5501]]
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]]
* [[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]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 6552 hero.webp|Overall view of a 6552
File:Ref 6552 dial.webp|Silvered dial with applied markers
File:Ref 6552 caseback.webp|Caseback and reference markings
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.rescapement.com/blog/rolex-air-king-history Tony Traina, "Rolex Air-King History: The Forgotten King", Rescapement]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-of-the-rolex-air-king-the-underrated-pilots-watch/ Erik Slaven, "History of the Rolex Air-King, the underrated pilots watch", Monochrome Watches, 2025]
* [https://goldammer.me/blogs/articles/rolex-airking-origin-history-and-design-evolution Marcus Siems, "Rolex Air-King Origin History and Design Evolution", Goldammer]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-40s-air-king-versus-the-50s-air-king/ "Rolex Decades The 40s Air-King Versus The 50s Air-King", Beckertime]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-89 "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref 6552/6565 Case 437255 1959 Mondani Collection", Antiquorum, 2006]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/6552/watch-11375345 "Rolex Air-King Ref 6552 1958 Monaco Legend Group July Online Sale Lot 72", Monaco Legend Group, 2024]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/6552/watch-2093482 Günter Eichberger, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Super Precision Air King Ref 6552 c.1958", Dorotheum]
* [https://relojesvintagemexico.com/products/oyster-perpetual-two-tone-dial "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref 6552 Two-Tone Dial 1958 Patrizzi-documented", Relojes Vintage Mexico]
* [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.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.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_air-king "Rolex Air-King", Watch-Wiki]


* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-of-the-rolex-air-king-the-underrated-pilots-watch/ Erik Slaven, “In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Air-King,” Monochrome Watches] — reference chronology, 3-6-9 and stick-marker dial descriptions, case overview.
* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf Colin A. White, *The Vintage Rolex Field Manual*] — reference table listing 6552, Cal. 1030, 34mm stainless-steel case, and 1953 introduction.
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-89 Antiquorum, The Mondani Collection, Geneva, lot 89 (2006)] — 1959 example, case and dial, Cal. 1030 specification, caseback marks and result.
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/christies-watches-online-play-time/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6552-72/62184 Christie’s, Watches Online, lot 72] — circa-1958 example, caseback date code, movement and bracelet condition.
* [https://www.dorotheum.com/de/l/8347193/ Dorotheum, lot 145-051401/0001 (2022)] — circa-1958 example, case number, movement and result.
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/6552/watch-11375345 Monaco Legend Group, July 2024 online sale, lot 72, record via EveryWatch] — 1958 example and result.
* [https://relojesvintagemexico.com/products/oyster-perpetual-two-tone-dial Relojes Vintage Mexico, ref. 6552 two-tone dial] — dealer description and Patrizzi page reference; its 1958 date differs from Antiquorum’s 1959 catalogue date for the watch illustrated at page 184.
* [https://www.visionvintagewatches.com/product-page/rolex-1600-tropical Vision Vintage Watches, 1958 ref. 6552] — one brown-dial example and its listed movement.
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/products/1958-rolex-air-king-ref-6552-white-dial Craft + Tailored, 1958 ref. 6552] — white-dial example; the listing describes the fitted 7205 bracelet as later and sourced onto the watch.


[[Category:Air-King]]
[[Category:Air-King]]
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