Reference:4365: Difference between revisions
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Add new ref: 4365 Air-King — sub-seconds 1945-era Air-King with shared-case Air-Lion / Air-Tiger / Air-Giant variants. Cal 10½ Hunter sub-seconds 15j→17j. Goldammer side-by-side photograph anchors four-name dial-map. Antiquorum 2001 18K pink gold Precision (CHF 7,475) + Bonhams 2023 Air-Lion 4365/6022 + Air-Tiger anchors. 4365/6022 composite-cased late examples flagged as service-replacement (1958 re-cased) |
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<small>[[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] -> '''4365'''</small> | <small>[[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] -> '''4365'''</small> | ||
The 4365 is the sub-seconds sister to the centre-seconds [[Reference:4925|4925]] in the 1945 Battle of Britain Air-King launch. The two references run in parallel from 1945 through approximately 1953, sharing the Cal 10½ Hunter movement family but splitting across the dial layout: 4925 is centre-seconds, 4365 is sub-seconds with the small seconds register at six. Where the 4925 carries the Air-King name only, the 4365 carries the full four-name commemoration — Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant — printed on the dial of period examples that share a single case and movement. | The 4365 is the sub-seconds sister to the centre-seconds [[Reference:4925|4925]] in the 1945 Battle of Britain Air-King launch. The two references run in parallel from 1945 through approximately 1953, sharing the Cal 10½ Hunter movement family but splitting across the dial layout: 4925 is centre-seconds, 4365 is sub-seconds with the small seconds register at six. Where the 4925 carries the Air-King name only, the 4365 carries the full four-name commemoration — Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant — printed on the dial of period examples that share a single case and movement. Marcus Siems' published side-by-side photograph (Goldammer) captioned ''"Air-Tiger (left), Air-Giant (middle) and Air-Lion (right) — all reference 4365 from the 1940s"'' is the strongest single evidence anchor for the four-name dial-map convention. | ||
By the early 1950s Rolex retires Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air-Giant from the catalog. Only Air-King survives. Tudor revives Air-Tiger on its own ref 7957 (documented at Foundwell c.1959 and Analog:Shift c.1964); Air-Lion and Air-Giant make no jump and disappear entirely. The 4365's role in this narrative is the canvas on which the four-name commemoration was tested: Rolex used a single case and movement combination to carry four marketing identities to four notional pilot-watch sub-segments, and the market (or the dealer ordering pattern) selected only one. | By the early 1950s Rolex retires Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air-Giant from the catalog. Only Air-King survives. Tudor revives Air-Tiger on its own ref 7957 (documented at Foundwell c.1959 and Analog:Shift c.1964); Air-Lion and Air-Giant make no jump and disappear entirely. The 4365's role in this narrative is the canvas on which the four-name commemoration was tested: Rolex used a single case and movement combination to carry four marketing identities to four notional pilot-watch sub-segments, and the market (or the dealer ordering pattern) selected only one. | ||
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<span id="core-facts"></span> | <span id="core-facts"></span> | ||
[[File:Ref 4365 hero.webp|thumb|right| | [[File:Ref 4365 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 4365 Air-Tiger gold-plated|Rolex 4365 Air-Tiger, gold-plated, cream dial with applied gilt Arabic numerals, sub-seconds at six, c.1946]] | ||
== Core facts == | == Core facts == | ||
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== Production outline == | == Production outline == | ||
The 1945 launch year is consensus across | The 1945 launch year is consensus across Marcus Siems' Air-King family history, Monochrome (Erik Slaven, January 2025), Rescapement (Tony Traina), Watch-Wiki, Chronoclub, Robb Report, and ''Rolex Magazine'' (Jake Ehrlich). The 4365 ships in the same 1945 Battle of Britain launch alongside the 4925, 4444, 4647, and the broader four-name commemoration set. | ||
The retirement is consensus 1953, mirroring the 4925's catalog cutoff. The Cal 10½ Hunter movement family retires with the broader pre-1030 hand-wound Air-King line, and the 6552 (1953-1957, first automatic Air-King with Cal 1030) takes the line forward. The 4365/6022 composite-cased examples that surface dated 1958 (Bonhams 2023 lot 17) are service-replacement re-cased examples rather than late-stock continuation production — Rolex assembled or re-cased original 4365 movements into 6022-style cases up to several years after the 4365 itself retired from the catalog. | The retirement is consensus 1953, mirroring the 4925's catalog cutoff. The Cal 10½ Hunter movement family retires with the broader pre-1030 hand-wound Air-King line, and the 6552 (1953-1957, first automatic Air-King with Cal 1030) takes the line forward. The 4365/6022 composite-cased examples that surface dated 1958 (Bonhams 2023 lot 17) are service-replacement re-cased examples rather than late-stock continuation production — Rolex assembled or re-cased original 4365 movements into 6022-style cases up to several years after the 4365 itself retired from the catalog. | ||
Total production output is not published. The 4365 is | Total production output is not published. The 4365 is scarce at major-house auction — three documented lots in the auction record through 2025 (Bonhams 2023 Air-Lion, Bonhams 2023 Air-Tiger, Antiquorum 2001 18K pink gold Precision). Sotheby's, Phillips, and Christie's have no documented 4365 lots in the corpus. The 1945-era short production window plus the 4365's modest profile in its day plus the four-name dial-marketing complexity that obscures the catalog presence keep the auction record thin. The Goldammer side-by-side photograph carries more weight in the corpus than any single auction-house lot. | ||
<span id="movement-notes"></span> | <span id="movement-notes"></span> | ||
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=== AIR-KING — silvered/rhodium with applied baton + Arabic === | === AIR-KING — silvered/rhodium with applied baton + Arabic === | ||
The Air-King-marked 4365 dial. Silvered or rhodium ground, applied baton hour markers with Arabic numerals at the cardinal positions, sub-seconds register at six, "AIR-KING" + "PRECISION" text. | The Air-King-marked 4365 dial. Silvered or rhodium ground, applied baton hour markers with Arabic numerals at the cardinal positions, sub-seconds register at six, "AIR-KING" + "PRECISION" text. One specialist-dealer record catalogues a 1946 example (the only specifically-Air-King-marked 4365 in the dealer market); no confirmed Air-King-marked 4365 anchors in the major-house auction record. The Air-King-text 4365 is the rarest of the four sister-name dial configurations. | ||
<span id="air-lion-silvered"></span> | <span id="air-lion-silvered"></span> | ||
=== AIR-LION — silvered with gilt baton + Roman quarters === | === AIR-LION — silvered with gilt baton + Roman quarters === | ||
Silvered or rhodium ground, applied gilt baton hour markers with Roman numeral quarters at three / six / nine / twelve, sub-seconds at six, "AIR-LION" + "PRECISION" text. The Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17 (4365/6022 composite case, c.1958) is the documented anchor. | Silvered or rhodium ground, applied gilt baton hour markers with Roman numeral quarters at three / six / nine / twelve, sub-seconds at six, "AIR-LION" + "PRECISION" text. The Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17 (4365/6022 composite case, c.1958) is the documented anchor. A documented Air-Giant 4365 with similar dial language sits in the same configuration family. | ||
<span id="air-tiger-cream"></span> | <span id="air-tiger-cream"></span> | ||
=== AIR-TIGER — cream/eggshell with applied gilt Arabic === | === AIR-TIGER — cream/eggshell with applied gilt Arabic === | ||
The most-collected sister-name configuration. Cream or eggshell ground, applied gilt Arabic numerals at all hours, gilt leaf hands, sub-seconds at six, "AIR-TIGER" + "PRECISION" text. Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 41 (gold-plated 32mm 4365 Air-Tiger, c.1946, realised USD 1,088 with premium) is the documented major-house anchor. | The most-collected sister-name configuration. Cream or eggshell ground, applied gilt Arabic numerals at all hours, gilt leaf hands, sub-seconds at six, "AIR-TIGER" + "PRECISION" text. Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 41 (gold-plated 32mm 4365 Air-Tiger, c.1946, realised USD 1,088 with premium) is the documented major-house anchor. A 1946 Air-Tiger 4365 dealer entry corroborates the configuration in the broader specialist corpus. | ||
<span id="air-giant-silvered"></span> | <span id="air-giant-silvered"></span> | ||
=== AIR-GIANT — silvered with baton + Arabic === | === AIR-GIANT — silvered with baton + Arabic === | ||
Silvered ground, applied baton hour markers with Arabic numerals, sub-seconds at six, "AIR-GIANT" + "PRECISION" text. | Silvered ground, applied baton hour markers with Arabic numerals, sub-seconds at six, "AIR-GIANT" + "PRECISION" text. An Air-Giant 4365 surfaces in the dealer market; Goldammer's published side-by-side photograph documents the Air-Giant dial alongside Air-Tiger and Air-Lion on the same case-and-movement combination. | ||
<span id="pink-gold-precision-4365"></span> | <span id="pink-gold-precision-4365"></span> | ||
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The luxury-tier sub-variant. 18K pink gold case (33mm × 20 × 39mm), black dial with applied pink-gold dart hour markers and square index plates, dauphine hands, sub-seconds at six. Antiquorum Hotel Richemond Geneva 13 October 2001 lot 553 (CHF 7,475 realised against estimate CHF 5,000–7,000, with original 18K pink gold Oyster bracelet) is the documented anchor. The solid-gold Precision 4365 is rare and trades at substantial premium to the standard configurations. | The luxury-tier sub-variant. 18K pink gold case (33mm × 20 × 39mm), black dial with applied pink-gold dart hour markers and square index plates, dauphine hands, sub-seconds at six. Antiquorum Hotel Richemond Geneva 13 October 2001 lot 553 (CHF 7,475 realised against estimate CHF 5,000–7,000, with original 18K pink gold Oyster bracelet) is the documented anchor. The solid-gold Precision 4365 is rare and trades at substantial premium to the standard configurations. | ||
The tropical brown / chocolate-gilt 4365 surfaces on a single | The tropical brown / chocolate-gilt 4365 surfaces on a single 35mm gold-cased dealer-market example as the patina-aged sub-variant. The honeycomb / clous-de-Paris configurations and retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey) 4365 examples are not documented in the auction record. | ||
<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span> | <span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span> | ||
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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. Treat 4365/6022 composite-cased examples as 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 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. Treat 4365/6022 composite-cased examples as service-replacement variants rather than original-delivery 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. | 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. | ||
The retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey / Joyería Riviera), military-issue, and named-presentation engraved 4365 configurations are not documented in the | 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. | ||
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span> | <span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span> | ||
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The 4365 trades primarily at the USD 1,000–8,000 band depending on metal, dial configuration, and originality. Stainless 4365s with sister-name dials sit at the lower end (USD 1,000–2,500); the solid 18K pink gold Precision configuration pushes into the USD 7,500+ range with provenance. Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's have no documented standalone 4365 lots in the corpus through 2025; Bonhams and Antiquorum are the major-house anchors. The | The 4365 trades primarily at the USD 1,000–8,000 band depending on metal, dial configuration, and originality. Stainless 4365s with sister-name dials sit at the lower end (USD 1,000–2,500); the solid 18K pink gold Precision configuration pushes into the USD 7,500+ range with provenance. Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's have no documented standalone 4365 lots in the corpus through 2025; Bonhams and Antiquorum are the major-house anchors. The Marcus Siems photograph plus the broader specialist-dealer record carry more weight than the auction-house record for variant identification. | ||
<span id="authentication"></span> | <span id="authentication"></span> | ||
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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. Treat all 4365 examples as potentially service-refit and read the dial / movement / case combination rather than relying on any single anchor. | 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. Treat all 4365 examples as potentially service-refit and read the dial / movement / case combination rather than relying on any single anchor. | ||
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. | 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 case-stamp authentication: a 4365 caseback stamped only "4365" inside is original 1945-era production; a 4365 caseback stamped "4365/6022" is the late-1950s composite case (period-correct service replacement, not original delivery). The 4365/6022 distinction matters for dating: a c.1946 4365/6022 case is impossible (the 6022 case-supply post-dates 4365 production); a c.1958 4365/6022 example is consistent with documented service-replacement convention. | The case-stamp authentication: a 4365 caseback stamped only "4365" inside is original 1945-era production; a 4365 caseback stamped "4365/6022" is the late-1950s composite case (period-correct service replacement, not original delivery). The 4365/6022 distinction matters for dating: a c.1946 4365/6022 case is impossible (the 6022 case-supply post-dates 4365 production); a c.1958 4365/6022 example is consistent with documented service-replacement convention. | ||