The history of Rolex Air-King and it's current features
In 1945 Rolex introduced the Air series to honour RAF Pilots that fought in WW2. the air lion, air tiger, air giant, and king are just a few to mention; however, The Air-King was chosen to stay and is still in production today. When it was first introduced, it originally came with a 34mm case size which was considered to be large, and this encouraged Hans Wilsdorf to stick with the name Air-King.
The Rolex Air-King pays homage to the adventurers of the sky, and this particular model was worn by the pilot of the first plane to fly over Mount Everest at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Rolex decided that wherever a plane could go, their watch must go too.
The configuration of the current Rolex Air-King 126900.
Since the rise of the Rolex Air-King, the model has been improved and to be in line with current watchmaking standards. The current Rolex Air-King 126900 houses a state-of-the-art movement and comes in a much more current case size of 40mm. The finished look of the Rolex Air-King is smart and understated and the watch can handle most environments you take it to.
The Rolex Air-King is made from 904L steel which Rolex developed for durability and strength. The watch includes solid a three-link solid oyster bracelet with a brushed finish which is much more resistant to scratches when compared to a polished bracelet. The Rolex Air-King is comes in only one configuration of a smooth bezel, oyster bracelet and black dial, the dial is unique to the Rolex catalogue as it is the only dial that has the Rolex logo in brand colours.
Movement of the Rolex Air-King
The Air-King is powered by Calibre 3230. This movement has a total of 31 joules and 70 hours of power reserve. The 3230 is a self-winding movement, which means that The watch's movement contains a swing weight that generates power and winds the mainspring. The Submariner no date also uses this movement as it is one of Rolex's highest performing and simplistic calibres.
Retail price and market value
If you can get past the huge and unpredictable Rolex waiting list, an Air-King will set you back £6,250. Because of the long waiting lists and the short supply, many Rolex watches sell above RRP and the Rolex Air-King is no different. As previously mentioned the current production Rolex Air-King 126900 has a retail value of £6,250 and a current resale value of around £7,500.
Buy, sell or trade a Rolex Air-King with us
We have an excellent network for all Rolex models in London. We always keep a Rolex Air-King at our Hatton Garden location, and we can source most Luxury watches and Rolex Air-King models within 48 hours. LBJ Watches makes it easy to buy your new Explorer watch or sell your Explorer watch. If you want to sell your Explorer, we offer instant payment at our boutique in Hatton Garden, London.
Please click here to find our quote form if you would like to sell your Rolex Air-King.
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