Rolex 4365 Air-King

A checked version of this page, approved on 28 September 2026, was based on this revision.

Air-King › 4365

Rolex 4365 Air-Tiger, gold-plated, cream dial with applied gilt Arabic numerals, sub-seconds at six, c.1946

The 4365 is the sub-seconds sister to the centre-seconds 4925 in the 1945 Air-King launch. The two references run in parallel from 1945 through approximately 1953, sharing the Cal 10½ Hunter family but using different dial layouts: 4925 is centre-seconds, while 4365 has the small seconds register at six. Period examples carry Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger or Air-Giant text on the dial. Marcus Siems' published side-by-side photograph documents Air-Tiger, Air-Giant and Air-Lion examples as 4365s.

By the early 1950s the catalog uses Air-King alone. Tudor later used Air-Tiger on ref. 7957, while Air-Lion and Air-Giant do not appear in the later Tudor records cited here. The four names should be treated as dial variants on the early Air references, not as separate 4365 case references.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	4365 (composite 4365/6022 documented on late-cased examples c.1958)
family	Air-King
common name	sub-seconds Air-King; Air-Lion, Air-Tiger and Air-Giant dial variants
production	1945–1953 active production; 4365/6022 composite-cased examples documented through 1958 (Bonhams 2023 Canadian Collection lot 17)
case	32–34mm Oyster cases are documented; measurements vary by lot and material
metals	stainless steel, gold-plated and solid 18K pink-gold examples are documented
crystal	acrylic plexiglass, domed
crown	Twinlock screw-down (manual brevet for early production)
movement	Cal 10½ Hunter sub-seconds variant, 15 jewels early and 17 jewels later; same 700/710/720-base architecture as 4925
chronometer	no, "PRECISION" tier
dial layout	sub-seconds register at six o'clock (the key visual distinction from centre-seconds 4925)
dial text variants	AIR-KING / AIR-LION / AIR-TIGER / AIR-GIANT on documented 4365 dials
bracelet	19mm Oyster, period-correct rivet construction; original 18K pink gold Oyster on the Antiquorum solid-gold Precision example
caseback	screw-down threaded Oyster
sister	4925 (centre-seconds 1945-era Air-King), 4499 (1946+ centre-seconds running mate to 4925), 4444 (mid-size with gold bezel and crown, Air-Lion / Air-Giant / Air-King variants), 4647 (Hunter Precision, Air-Lion sister)
successor	line absorbed into the 4925 / 4499 → 6552 → 5500 trajectory; no direct sub-seconds Air-King successor

Where it sits in the line

The 4365 sits at the dial-layout fork in the 1945 Air-King launch. The documented case group includes the Bubbleback-class 32–34mm Oyster 4365, the centre-seconds 4925, the mid-size 4444 with solid-gold bezel and crown, and the Hunter Precision 4647. Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger and Air-Giant text appears across the period Air references; Siems' photographs document three of those names on 4365 examples.

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 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.

Production outline

Published Air-King histories place the 4365 launch in 1945 alongside the 4925, 4444 and 4647. The four names belong to the dial variants documented in that launch group.

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.

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.

Movement notes

The 4365 runs the Cal 10½ Hunter family in its sub-seconds layout, with the small seconds register at six rather than the centre-seconds sweep of the 4925. The 700-series base architecture and the 15j-to-17j running update mirror the 4925's progression; see the 4925 movement notes for the caliber breakdown.

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; A “Super Precision” 4365 dial would need an explanation because the documented examples use “Precision”; a service replacement is one possibility.

Dial map

The auction and specialist record documents four dial names and several configurations:

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. Bonhams' 2023 Private Canadian Collection lot 39 (steel, c.1946, case No. 431743) is the documented major-house auction anchor; a specialist-dealer record catalogues a separate 1946 example.

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. A documented Air-Giant 4365 with similar dial language sits in the same configuration family.

AIR-TIGER — cream/eggshell with applied gilt Arabic

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) is the documented major-house anchor. A 1946 Air-Tiger 4365 dealer entry corroborates the configuration across the specialist market.

AIR-GIANT — silvered with baton + Arabic

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; Siems' published side-by-side photograph documents the Air-Giant dial alongside Air-Tiger and Air-Lion on the same case-and-movement combination.

Solid 18K pink gold Precision — black dial with applied pink-gold dart and square indices

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 is the documented anchor; its result is listed in the Auction record.

The tropical brown / chocolate-gilt 4365 surfaces on a single 35mm gold-cased dealer-market example as a patina-aged sub-variant. Honeycomb / clous-de-Paris and retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey) 4365 examples are not documented in the auction record.

4365 Air-King, stainless steel, white dial with applied Arabic numerals and sub-seconds at six, c.1946.
4365 Air-Lion, 4365/6022 composite case, silvered dial with gilt baton markers and Roman quarters, c.1958.

Bracelets, end-links, and clasps

19mm Oyster across the production. The Antiquorum 2001 18K pink gold Precision lot is the clearest documented original-fitment example, with an original 18K pink gold Oyster bracelet on the solid-gold case. Most other surviving 4365 lots come on aftermarket leather; 1940s rivet Oyster bracelets are uncommon in the surviving auction record.

The end-link generation pre-dates the formal numbered Oyster bracelet references that anchor the later 5500-era Air-King line. Period-correct fitment on a stainless 4365 is generic 6635-class rivet Oyster with the early end-link 57 or 58. The solid-gold variant carries gold-link Oyster construction.

Special branches

Four-name dial distribution on shared cases

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 the 4925 Battle of Britain section.

Solid 18K pink gold Precision

The 33mm 18K pink gold case has an original gold Oyster bracelet, black dial with applied pink-gold dart and square indices, and dauphine hands. Antiquorum Geneva 2001 lot 553 is the documented anchor; the sale result is listed in the Auction record.

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 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.

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 cited auction record does not document retailer-signed, military-issue or named-presentation 4365 variants through 2025.

Auction record

Sale	Lot	Year	Reference details	Result
Antiquorum Geneva (Hotel Richemond)	553	2001	4365 18K pink gold Oyster Precision, 33mm, Cal 10 17j, black dial with applied pink-gold dart and square indices, dauphine hands, original 18K pink gold Oyster bracelet	CHF 7,475 (est. CHF 5,000–7,000)
Bonhams Watches: A Private Canadian Collection (online NY)	39	2023	4365 stainless Air-King, 32mm, Cal 10½ 17j, white dial applied Arabic, sub-seconds at 6, blued steel leaf hands, case No. 431743, c.1946	Realised USD 1,408 incl. premium (est. USD 1,000–2,000)
Bonhams Watches: A Private Canadian Collection (online NY)	17	2023	4365/6022 stainless Air-Lion, 35mm, Cal 10½ 17j, silvered dial gilt baton + Roman quarters, centre-seconds service-case example, c.1958	Est. USD 3,000–5,000
Bonhams Watches: A Private Canadian Collection (online NY)	41	2023	4365 gold-plated Air-Tiger, 32mm, Cal 10½ 17j, cream dial applied Arabic, sub-seconds at 6, gilt leaf hands, c.1946	Realised USD 1,088 incl. premium

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.

Authentication

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.

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.

Bracelets provide supplementary evidence. The cited lots include later replacements and aftermarket leather, so authenticate the case, dial and movement first.

Related references

Gallery

Rolex 4365 Air-Tiger, gold-plated, cream dial with applied gilt Arabic numerals, c.1946.
4365 Air-King, stainless steel, white dial with applied Arabic numerals and sub-seconds at six.
4365 Air-Lion, 4365/6022 composite case, silvered dial with gilt baton markers and Roman quarters.