Reference:5502: Difference between revisions
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Research: add reference-specific auction-lot sources (Phillips/Antiquorum/Christie's/Pandolfini/Monaco Legend/Bonhams), correct 3595 lug construction, close 5502 direct-lot gap |
Add case-flank/crown and black-gilt dial photos from Bonhams London 2024 lot 101 (case 478779) |
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34mm × approximately 12mm × 43mm L2L. Stainless steel base case with 40 microns of yellow gold electroplated over the bezel, crown, and exterior surfaces. The caseback remains stainless steel — same standard gold-cap construction as the later 5520 inherits. The bezel is fixed and smooth, gold-capped to match. Lugs are 19mm with drilled spring-bar holes. The crown is Twinlock screw-down, gold-capped. Water resistance is rated at 100m, period-standard. | 34mm × approximately 12mm × 43mm L2L. Stainless steel base case with 40 microns of yellow gold electroplated over the bezel, crown, and exterior surfaces. The caseback remains stainless steel — same standard gold-cap construction as the later 5520 inherits. The bezel is fixed and smooth, gold-capped to match. Lugs are 19mm with drilled spring-bar holes. The crown is Twinlock screw-down, gold-capped. Water resistance is rated at 100m, period-standard. | ||
[[File:Ref 5502 crown.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 5502 Air-King case flank and gold-capped Twinlock crown|Case flank and gold-capped Twinlock crown, 5502 case No.478779 — Bonhams London 2024, lot 101]] | |||
The case is supplied by Kessi Frères SA in Biel. The KB tombstone hallmark inside the caseback is the supplier mark and is consistent across documented examples of both references per Marcus Siems' case-supplier research. The hallmark is a useful authentication anchor across the 5502 / 5506 pair; counterfeit cases are unlikely to carry the period-correct KB stamp. | The case is supplied by Kessi Frères SA in Biel. The KB tombstone hallmark inside the caseback is the supplier mark and is consistent across documented examples of both references per Marcus Siems' case-supplier research. The hallmark is a useful authentication anchor across the 5502 / 5506 pair; counterfeit cases are unlikely to carry the period-correct KB stamp. | ||
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=== Black gilt with applied gilt indices === | === Black gilt with applied gilt indices === | ||
[[File:Ref 5502 dial-variant-black-gilt.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 5502 Air-King black gilt dial|Black gilt dial, 5502 case No.478779, c.1959 — Bonhams London 2024, lot 101]] | |||
Black ground with applied gilt indices and "Air-King" in large script above six (Monochrome). The black-gilt configuration is rarer than the silvered version on both references and trades at a premium to the standard. Documented examples sit primarily on the 5502 in the surfaced auction record; uncommon on the 5506. | Black ground with applied gilt indices and "Air-King" in large script above six (Monochrome). The black-gilt configuration is rarer than the silvered version on both references and trades at a premium to the standard. Documented examples sit primarily on the 5502 in the surfaced auction record; uncommon on the 5506. | ||