Rolex' black sheep: the 2016 Air-King
Today I am wearing my Air-King, bought in December 2017 right out of the window. It was my first Rolex and I wanted it because it doesn't look like a Rolex.
First the pro: I love the dial! The crisp white printed minutes with it's thousands of 5's and the applied white gold hours have such a nice contrast and this in combination with the green hand and the green/yellow logo makes the dial soooo interesting for me. It is the only Rolex (as far as I know) that has the "Rolex" printing in Rolex-green. It is a very busy dial, but it is really legible because of the high contrast. I also adore the fond of "Air-King". It is nice that you get a Milgauss case and technology for more then 1.5k€ less.
Now the con: You get a Milgauss case with that watch, which means it is quite thick (as thick as a Sub). And I don't like that the 5 is a single digit, it should be 05... it simple brakes the symmetry.
I have put it on a Rubber B silicon strap 3 years ago, it looks awesome with the green accent which matches the green dial elements. I wear the Air-King quite often and the strap looks like new, seems like very high quality. If you are not familiar with it, you can size it by cutting it for a perfect fit (3rd pic). Same system as on a Aquanaut. You can use the original Rolex clasp which let it look like a original strap, the only downside is that you loose the easy-link.
From time to time I think: if it gets discontinued this year I will sell it afterwards, this chunky case is not my cup of tea. But then I look on the dial and I know why I love it!
For those who are interested: in the background of the first pic you can see Museum Island in Berlin ;)
Collecting simple watches with 2 to 3 hands from Switzerland and Germany. Proud member of Berlin Watch Circle: instagram.com/berlin_watch_circle/
That also the only rolex I really like. The only that I will probably buy one day. And mostly for the same reason than you : the Rolex logo in yellow and green. About the bracelet I prefer the original one.
Best execution of the Rolex logo IMO. Although I agree with you, it is bit too chunky.
Man, I love the Air King. You are lucky to get one in 2017! Don't sell it!
That also the only rolex I really like. The only that I will probably buy one day. And mostly for the same reason than you : the Rolex logo in yellow and green. About the bracelet I prefer the original one.
In general I would also prefer the original. But I have some other Rolex on the oyster, so I have a bit more variety :)
Man, I love the Air King. You are lucky to get one in 2017! Don't sell it!
You are right :) I should not sell it, end at the end of the day I don’t think that I ever will.
This one and the Milgauss are/were my favorite pieces from Rolex, because like you said, they don’t have the „Rolex look“ and you see only few of them in the wild (at least compared to Subs and OP‘s.) Nice one! I‘ve never seen one of a rubber strap though 😄
Nice, I like the strap.
This one and the Milgauss are/were my favorite pieces from Rolex, because like you said, they don’t have the „Rolex look“ and you see only few of them in the wild (at least compared to Subs and OP‘s.) Nice one! I‘ve never seen one of a rubber strap though 😄
Right! Never seen another Air-King on the wrist of someone else :)
This is the only Rolex i would buy personally
For us mere mortals the concept of selling a Rolex steel sports model (unless you actually HAVE to) is turning your back on the bonkers year on year price gain. Of course, just like any asset, you'll never realise that equity until you do cash it in. I sold my explorer 39mm (short hands) in 2020 to finance a 2018 Submariner. And now I want an explorer again to sit along side it.... but they have doubled in price (now discontinued) since I bought it in 2018 for £4200!!!! Air King is a lovely piece, keep enjoying the privilege of owning one 👍
This is a Rolex I could buy. Very nice but in a non-Rolex way. You are very fortunate to have it.
I am not a Rolex fan, but this I like better than most - it's an "honest watch". That the 5min digit does not have a 0 is not a big issue for me, type-B fliegers don't have a 0 there either. Perhaps the asymmetry is slightly more noticeable here, because the minute digits are larger.
But I don't like the under-emphasized 3/6/9 though, disambiguating numbers by context. I'd rather have indicators there (like some Hamilton Khaki pilots), or just the minute digits as in the original type-Bs.
The Air-King is such a cool-looking Rolex. And I love that the dial design was inspired by the Rolex instruments on the Bloodhound SSC dashboard.
The Air-King is such a cool-looking Rolex. And I love that the dial design was inspired by the Rolex instruments on the Bloodhound SSC dashboard.
A pity that Rolex left this project so fast…
it would give the Air-King a better background story then just “aviation watch”.
I love the Air-King. It's the Rolex I am after. I have to keep saving up.
This watch is meant for the strap it seems. Beautiful combo and my favourite rolex watch right now