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Reference:4365: Difference between revisions

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Audit 4365 Air-King prose, variant evidence, auction prices and image placement
Deep audit: grounded Air-family variants, service cases, and chronology
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{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 4365 Air-King — Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex 4365 Air-King — Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant | Rolexopedia
|description=The 4365 is the 1945-era sub-seconds Air-King reference that carried Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air-Giant variants on shared cases. Cal 10½ Hunter sub-seconds, 32-34mm Oyster, parallel production with the centre-seconds 4925.
|description=Reference guide to the 4365, a 1945-era sub-seconds Air-King family reference with documented Air-Lion, Air-Tiger and Air-Giant dials, Cal. 10½ Hunter movements and a 32–34mm Oyster case.
|keywords=Rolex, 4365, Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant, Cal 10½ Hunter, sub-seconds
|keywords=Rolex, 4365, Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant, Cal 10½ Hunter, sub-seconds
|image=Ref 4365 hero.webp
|image=Ref 4365 hero.webp
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|-
|-
| case
| case
| 32–34mm × Bubbleback-class three-piece stainless steel Oyster (case-size contested across documented examples; gold-plated and solid-gold variants run a click smaller)
| 32–34mm Oyster cases are documented; measurements vary by lot and material
|-
|-
| metals
| metals
| stainless steel (canonical), gold-plated (Bonhams 2023 Air-Tiger), solid 18K pink gold (Antiquorum 2001 Precision)
| stainless steel, gold-plated and solid 18K pink-gold examples are documented
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
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The architectural relationship to the 4925 is direct. Both references launched in 1945 with the Cal 10½ Hunter family and steel Oyster cases. The 4925 carries centre-seconds; the 4365 carries the small register at six. Rolex offered both layouts in parallel through the late 1940s and into the early 1950s, then replaced them around 1953 with the automatic 6552 and Cal 1030.
The architectural relationship to the 4925 is direct. Both references launched in 1945 with the Cal 10½ Hunter family and steel Oyster cases. The 4925 carries centre-seconds; the 4365 carries the small register at six. Rolex offered both layouts in parallel through the late 1940s and into the early 1950s, then replaced them around 1953 with the automatic 6552 and Cal 1030.


The case is supplied by the same Aegler-related case-supply chain as the 4925. The Bubbleback-class envelope sits closer to the post-war flat Oyster than to the pre-war Bubbleback proper; the Cal 10½ Hunter does not need rotor clearance. Lugs are 19mm with drilled spring-bar holes. The bezel is fixed, steel and smooth. The crown is a manual-wind brevet screw-down.
The case has a flatter profile than a rotor-driven Bubbleback because the Cal. 10½ Hunter movement does not require rotor clearance. Lugs are 19mm with drilled spring-bar holes. The bezel is fixed, steel and smooth. The crown is a manual-wind brevet screw-down.


A documented 4365/6022 composite case appears in late-1950s service records. Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17 catalogues a 4365/6022 Air-Lion dated c.1958. The secondary reference 6022 is a later service case, so this is a service-era refit rather than original-delivery 1940s production.
A documented 4365/6022 composite case appears in late-1950s service records. Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17 catalogues a 4365/6022 Air-Lion dated c.1958. The secondary reference 6022 is a later service case, so this is a service-era refit rather than original-delivery 1940s production.
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Published histories place the 4365 and 4925 cutoff around 1953, when the automatic 6552 and Cal 1030 take over. The 4365/6022 example dated 1958 in Bonhams lot 17 is a service-case example, not evidence of continuing original 4365 production.
Published histories place the 4365 and 4925 cutoff around 1953, when the automatic 6552 and Cal 1030 take over. The 4365/6022 example dated 1958 in Bonhams lot 17 is a service-case example, not evidence of continuing original 4365 production.


Total production output is not published. The page's auction record contains four documented lots through 2025, from Bonhams and Antiquorum; no standalone 4365 lot is cited here from Sotheby's, Phillips or Christie's. Auction coverage is therefore thin, and variant identification still depends on the dial, case and movement together.
No production total is published. The cited auction record contains four Bonhams and Antiquorum lots through 2025. Variant identification still depends on the dial, case and movement together.


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<span id="movement-notes"></span>
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The case profile reads closer to the post-war flat-case Oyster than to the pre-war Bubbleback proper; the Cal 10½ Hunter doesn't need rotor-clearance dome.
The case profile reads closer to the post-war flat-case Oyster than to the pre-war Bubbleback proper; the Cal 10½ Hunter doesn't need rotor-clearance dome.


The 4365 is not COSC chronometer rated. The dial reads PRECISION across documented examples; "Super Precision" attribution on a 4365 dial is service-replacement (likely a 5500-era Cal 1530 dial swap applied during service) and is not original.
The 4365 is not COSC chronometer rated. The dial reads PRECISION across documented examples; A “Super Precision” 4365 dial would need an explanation because the documented examples use “Precision”; a service replacement is one possibility.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
== Dial map ==
== Dial map ==


The 4365 has four documented dial names and five configurations in the auction and specialist record:
The auction and specialist record documents four dial names and several configurations:


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<span id="air-king-rhodium"></span>
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<span id="four-name-commemoration"></span>
<span id="four-name-commemoration"></span>
=== Four-name commemoration on shared cases ===
=== Four-name dial distribution on shared cases ===


The Air-King / Air-Lion / Air-Tiger / Air-Giant dial-text distribution is the main special branch. Siems' side-by-side photograph is the documentary anchor. The four-name 1945 program is covered at [[Reference:4925#battle-of-britain-narrative|the 4925's Battle of Britain section]].
The Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger and Air-Giant dial texts are the main documented branch. Siems' side-by-side photograph is the documentary anchor. The origin story remains attributed in [[Reference:4925#battle-of-britain-narrative|the 4925 Battle of Britain section]].


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<span id="solid-gold-pink-precision"></span>
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=== 4365/6022 composite-cased late examples ===
=== 4365/6022 composite-cased late examples ===


Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17 catalogues a 4365 Air-Lion movement in a 6022 service-replacement case dated c.1958. The convention indicates Rolex serviced and re-cased original 4365 movements into 6022-style cases as late as 1958, several years after the 4365 itself retired from the catalog. 4365/6022 composite-cased examples are service-replacement variants rather than original-delivery production. The 6022 secondary reference is a later-period service case, not a continuous-production sub-line.
Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17 catalogues a 4365 Air-Lion movement in a 6022 service-replacement case dated c.1958. The lot documents a 4365 movement in a 6022 service case in 1958, several years after the commonly cited 4365 production period. It is a service-case example rather than evidence of continued original 4365 production. The 6022 secondary reference is a later-period service case, not a continuous-production sub-line.


The Tudor Air-Tiger ref 7957 cross-brand continuation (Foundwell c.1959, Analog:Shift c.1964) carries the Air-Tiger name forward on the Tudor side after Rolex retires it. The cross-brand Tudor 7957 is not a 4365 sub-variant but is the genealogical successor to the 4365 Air-Tiger sister-name dial. A documented 4647 Air-Lion (~1947, 31×39mm Hunter Precision) and the 4444 Air-Lion / Air-Giant / Air-King mid-size with solid-gold bezel/crown are the non-4365 references that carried Air-Lion / Air-Giant variants in the 1945-launch generation.
Tudor Air-Tiger ref. 7957 examples are documented separately. They carry the name on a different brand and reference, so they are not 4365 variants. A documented 4647 Air-Lion (~1947, 31×39mm Hunter Precision) and the 4444 Air-Lion / Air-Giant / Air-King mid-size with solid-gold bezel/crown are the non-4365 references that carried Air-Lion / Air-Giant variants in the 1945-launch generation.


The retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey / Joyería Riviera), military-issue, and named-presentation engraved 4365 configurations are not documented in the auction record through 2025.
The cited auction record does not document retailer-signed, military-issue or named-presentation 4365 variants through 2025.


<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span><span id="Historical_market_and_auction_record"></span>
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span><span id="Historical_market_and_auction_record"></span>
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The results are lot-specific and should not be used as a price band for the reference. The 4365/6022 lot is a service-case example with centre-seconds, unlike the normal sub-seconds 4365 configuration. Phillips, Sotheby's and Christie's have no documented standalone 4365 lots in the auction record cited here.
The results are lot-specific and should not be used as a price band for the reference. The 4365/6022 lot is a service-case example with centre-seconds, unlike the normal sub-seconds 4365 configuration. The page’s cited record contains no standalone 4365 lot from Phillips, Sotheby’s or Christie’s.


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


The 4365 is 80 years old. Most surviving examples have been serviced multiple times across that span, and the 4365/6022 composite case convention documented at Bonhams 2023 demonstrates that Rolex itself re-cased original movements into later service cases as late as 1958. Most 4365 examples are potentially service-refit; read the dial / movement / case combination rather than relying on any single anchor.
The 4365 is an early- to mid-1940s reference. Service and refit history is possible on any surviving example, and the Bonhams 4365/6022 lot documents a later service case. Read the dial, movement and case together rather than relying on one feature.


The dial-text question is the cleanest single anchor for variant identification. AIR-KING / AIR-LION / AIR-TIGER / AIR-GIANT are all documented period-correct 4365 dial configurations; the four sister names are not interchangeable on a service-replacement basis (a service-replacement Air-Tiger dial applied to a 4365/6022 service case would be plausible but dramatic). Provenance documentation (period photographs, the dealer's-ledger entry where available, the geographic distribution channel) is essential at the four-name dial-text level. Marcus Siems' side-by-side photograph is the standard reference for the four configurations.
The dial-text question is the cleanest single anchor for variant identification. AIR-KING / AIR-LION / AIR-TIGER / AIR-GIANT are all documented period-correct 4365 dial configurations; the four sister names are not interchangeable on a service-replacement basis (a service-replacement Air-Tiger dial applied to a 4365/6022 service case would be plausible but dramatic). Provenance documentation (period photographs, the dealer's-ledger entry where available, the geographic distribution channel) is essential at the four-name dial-text level. Marcus Siems' side-by-side photograph is the standard reference for the four configurations.


Caseback stamping is the cleanest dating anchor: a caseback stamped only "4365" inside is original 1945-era production; a caseback stamped "4365/6022" is the late-1950s composite case (period-correct service replacement, not original delivery). A c.1946 4365/6022 case is impossible because the 6022 case-supply post-dates 4365 production; a c.1958 4365/6022 example is consistent with the documented service-replacement convention.
A caseback stamped “4365” supports the period reference but does not by itself prove original delivery. A “4365/6022” stamp identifies the documented later service-case pattern. A date mismatch between case, movement and dial requires a service-history explanation.


The movement should be Cal 10½ Hunter sub-seconds. A 4365 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 sub-seconds layout requires the small seconds register at six on the dial; a 4365 with a centre-seconds dial layout suggests a service-era dial-or-movement swap. The case suffix on solid-gold variants should match the metal: 18K pink gold examples carry hallmark stamps consistent with the solid-gold construction; absence of hallmark on what should be solid gold is a flag.
The movement should be Cal 10½ Hunter sub-seconds. A 4365 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 sub-seconds layout requires the small seconds register at six on the dial; a 4365 with a centre-seconds dial layout suggests a service-era dial-or-movement swap. The case suffix on solid-gold variants should match the metal: 18K pink gold examples carry hallmark stamps consistent with the solid-gold construction; absence of hallmark on what should be solid gold is a flag.


The bracelet usually doesn't help. Most surviving 4365s wear post-1950s replacements or aftermarket leather. Authenticate the head, dial, and movement first; treat the bracelet as supplementary evidence.
Bracelets provide supplementary evidence. The cited lots include later replacements and aftermarket leather, so authenticate the case, dial and movement first.




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