Rolex Air-King
This index follows the early hand-wound Air-Kings, the long-running automatic 5500 and the later 34mm sapphire-crystal references. Case size, bezel and movement specification vary within the family; the 1142xx generation added chronometer certification.
The 5500 article also covers corporate-logo and commissioned dials, including Domino's Pizza and Middle Eastern government crests. A printed logo needs evidence for the individual watch; the design alone does not establish the commission or original delivery.
References in scope
The published Air-King references, in production order:
| Reference | Production | Movement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4925 / 4365 / 4499 | 1945–1953 | cal 10½ Hunter hand-wound | Originating Air-King generation, associated in secondary histories with a four-name Battle of Britain commemoration. 4925 = centre-seconds Air-King-only. 4365 = sub-seconds with four-name shared-case dial map (Air-King / Air-Lion / Air-Tiger / Air-Giant). 4499 = 1946+ centre-seconds running mate to 4925, 15j→17j running update (Bonhams 2012 documents 1946 15j sub-seconds variant) |
| 6552 | 1953–1957 | cal 1030 automatic | First automatic Air-King; Cal 1030 butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. Caseback duality (6552 between lugs / 6565 inside) period-correct. "Super Precision" dial despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment |
| 5501 | 1959–1986 (late stock to 1987) | cal 1530 / 1520 | A documented Rolesor Air-King, with a steel case, solid 18k yellow-gold fluted bezel and gold crown. Distinct from gold-capped 5502/5506/5520 (40-micron plated). Cotton Bowl Classic 1967-1970 + Tiffany champagne marquee branches. Caseback 5501/1102 |
| 5502 | 1958–1965 | cal 1530 | Gold-capped 40-micron Super Precision Air-King — US-market distribution channel. Alpha hands. Sister to 5506 (parallel-production Commonwealth-market). Distinct from solid-gold 5501 (5502 = electroplated, 5501 = solid 18k gold) and from later 5520 (5502 = Cal 1530 Super Precision alpha hands; 5520 = Cal 1520 Precision baton hands) |
| 5504 | 1957/58–1963/64 | cal 1530 | 36mm Explorer-case Super Precision, distinct from the 34mm 5500 and the chronometer 1016. Documented examples retain AIR-KING dial text with non-COSC Cal. 1530; 3-6-9 Explorer-style dials are a documented branch. |
| 5506 | 1958–1964 | cal 1530 | Gold-capped 40-micron Super Precision Air-King — UK/Commonwealth-market distribution channel. Alpha hands. Sister to 5502 (parallel-production US-market). Bonhams 2023 lot 51 records a 78351 bracelet on one example. The same Kessi Frères case family appears in 5502 records. |
| 5500 | 1957–1989 | cal 1530 then 1520 | The mainstay. 32-year run. Broadest documented dial map of any Air-King |
| 5520 | published dates conflict | cal 1520 in catalogued examples | 34 mm gold-capped Air-King. Auction catalogues date examples to 1969, circa 1970, 1974 and 1983; Rolex Magazine lists 1974–1986. Antiquorum and Christie's give different dates and case suffixes for the same Domino's-signed case number; Christie's calls its logo later applied. |
| 5700 / 5701 | 1959–1988 (late "N" codes to 1991) | cal 1525 / 1535 | Air-King-Date with date at three. Both Precision tier (non-COSC). Marquee curiosity: cursive "Explorer-Date" dial variant. 5701 sister = two-tone Rolesor steel-and-18k-gold with fluted/reeded bezel + gold crown (same Rolesor convention as 5501) |
| 14000 | 1989–2000 | cal 3000 | First sapphire-crystal Air-King; non-COSC ("Precision" dial), wider dial palette than any prior Air-King (salmon, blue, Roman, Arabic, 3-6-9 Explorer), Domino's second-generation tilted-logo + Tiffany retailer-signed branches |
| 14000M | 2000–2006 | cal 3130 | The bridge Air-King — same Cal 3130 the 114200 carries, but pre-COSC ("Precision" dial) and pre-engraved-rehaut (smooth rehaut throughout). Pre-Parachrom (hairspring adoption 2010, after 14000M production ended). Visually nearly identical to 14000 |
| 114200 | 2007–2014 | cal 3130 | First COSC-certified Air-King in line history. Engraved rehaut from launch. Concentric "wave" dial palette in silver/black/blue+orange-Arabic/salmon/green/Roman/3-6-9-Explorer/Arabic. Closes the 34mm Air-King chapter before the 2-year hiatus and 116900 40mm redesign |
The post-2014 references, the 40mm 116900 and its 126900 successor, fall outside the vintage and discontinued focus here.
Common entry points
History
Battle of Britain origins (1945)
Hans Wilsdorf was in London during the Battle of Britain in the autumn of 1940 and the years that followed. The Air-King and its three sister names — Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant — emerged in 1945 as a commemorative gesture toward RAF pilots, who were already wearing Rolex Oysters as personal purchases (the official-issue military watches went elsewhere). The four names ran on different reference numbers across the late-1940s 4925 / 4365 / 4499 / 4499/2 hand-wound Bubbleback series. Secondary histories repeat the commemoration story, but no primary Rolex document confirming it has surfaced.
The names did not all survive. Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air-Giant were retired by the early 1950s. Air-King continued, settling onto the 6552 (the first automatic Air-King, 1953–1957) and then onto the 5500 mainstay (1957–1989).
The 5500 mainstay (1957–1989)
Across 32 years the 5500 carried the line, a long production span covering several movement and dial changes. Cal 1530 (1957–c.1963) gave way to Cal 1520 (c.1963–1989); both are non-chronometer 1500-family movements. The dial text alternates between AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION (Cal 1530 era) and AIR-KING / PRECISION (Cal 1520 era), and a minority of 5500s left the factory without AIR-KING text at all. The 5500 shared its case middle with the 1002 Oyster Perpetual, so casebacks across the 1970s-onward run carry an inside "1002" stamp that is period-correct rather than a service replacement.
The 5500 appeared in corporate-gift programs (Domino's Pizza, Pool Intairdril, Circle Bar Drilling, Winn-Dixie, Levi's) and for Middle-East government-crest commissions (Saudi Armed Forces, UAE, Bahrain Al Khalifa, Kuwait Al-Sabah). Phillips catalogued Joyería Riviera retailer-signed gilt Explorer 3-6-9 5500 examples in 2017 and 2019; those lot records are examples of the branch, not a general production or value rule.
The sapphire era (1989+)
The 14000 (1989) replaced the acrylic crystal with sapphire, retained PRECISION dial wording and adopted Cal 3000 — Rolex's modern 28,800 vph base movement. The 14000M (2000) updated to Cal 3130. The 114200 (2007) refined the case proportions, added the engraved rehaut around the dial, and introduced concentric "wave" dials and several green / blue / pink configurations across the run.
Where it sits across Rolex
The Air-King shares components with other Oyster references, but an Explorer-style dial does not turn a 5500 into a 1016. The 5500 uses a 34mm case and non-chronometer movements; the 1016 is a 36mm chronometer reference.
A date at three arrived with the Air-King-Date 5700 / 5701 on the same case architecture, their 1535 / 1525 calibers adding a date module to the 1500 base and shifting the dial layout slightly. The Air-King-Date is sometimes treated as a separate sub-line by collectors and sometimes folded back into the Air-King family.
Related families
- Explorer — the close cousin. Compare the 34mm 5500 Explorer-dial watches with the 36mm chronometer Explorer references.
- Bubbleback — the founding line. The 1945 4925 / 4365 / 4499 origination references sit in the same early-Oyster-Perpetual lineage the Bubbleback established.
- Milgauss — the magnetic-resistant line developed for work near strong magnetic fields.
- Serial numbers by year — serial ranges and the limits of dating
- Movement reference — the calibers used across the Air-King line
- Bracelet & clasp guide — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes
Sources
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- Tony Traina, "For Your Reference: Rolex Air-King Reference 5500", Rescapement
- Erik Slaven, "History of the Rolex Air-King, the underrated pilots watch", Monochrome Watches, 2025
- Marcus Siems, "Rolex Air-King Origin History and Design Evolution", Goldammer
- "Rolex Caliber 1520 and 1530", Beckertime