A Brief History of the Rolex Air King Watch

Embark on an extraordinary voyage through time as we unravel the captivating history of the Rolex Air-King. As one of Rolex’s oldest and most iconic models, the Air-King has withstood the test of time, evolving from its inception in 1945 during World War II to its modern reinterpretations. At Rubber B, we’re thrilled to announce the imminent arrival of Rolex Air King Rubber Straps to RubberB.com, enhancing the experience of this legendary timepiece.

Rolex Air King Timepiece is one of the oldest Rolex models made.

The Rolex Air King was created in 1945 during World War II, in order to satisfy and honor the army pilots. These watch models were made with 32 and 34-mm watch cases, for pilots to read the time more easily. This Rolex watch is characterized by its simplicity, elegance, and precision.

Although there have been rumors that the Rolex Air King would be discontinued, the Rolex Air King is still in production. It was the first watch to feature the engine turned bezel, as well as being equipped with a waterproof case that can reach depths of 100 meters.

in 2014, Rolex announced it was supporting Andy Green the Bloodhound supersonic car driver’s attempt to hit 1000mph. The car so far has become only one of 8 cars to successfully reach a land speed over 600 mph.

Will The Rolex Air-King Be Discontinued?

History of the Rolex Air King

The Rolex Air-King with a 34mm case has a very long and complex history. The earliest Rolex Air-Kings were introduced in the 1930’s and had other “Air” names (Air Lion, Air Tiger and Air Giant) which were dropped in the 1940’s

The “Rolex Air King” name stuck and became a key brand marketed to pilots during World War II and beyond. The Rolex Air King was released in 1945. Interestingly the “King” was considered a large timepiece in the 1940’s even though it was merely 34 mm wide. That is a far cry from today’s 40 mm version and many timepieces that even exceed 50 mm.

The first Air-King featured a Reference 4925. It had a creamy white dial and Arabic numerals. The caliber 10.5 had 17 jewels and was hand-wound. This was quickly followed by a Reference 4499 only one year later which had similar specs.

In 1953 Rolex released the Reference 6652 which was powered by another self-winding caliber 1030 movement.

The long-produced Rolex Air-King Reference 5500 was released in 1957 to pay homage to the many soldiers of war. It stayed on the market for an unbelievable 37 years.

The 5500 was ahead of its time, sporting the first all in-house movement made by Rolex – the caliber 1520 or 1530. It was made with only 17 jewels, due to import laws, but had excellent timekeeping capabilities.

The reference 5500 has a solid durable construction – with both steel case and band, and a twin-lock waterproofness system with water resistance of 100 meters. It also had an acrylic protective crystal which proved to be a solid front glass until the introduction of sapphire crystal in the reference 14000.

The Rolex Air King Reference 14000, introduced in 1989, also changed the movement to a more modern calibre 3000. The 14010, also introduced in 1989, introduced the Engine Turned Bezel. Although some of these early models came with the original style of dial from the 5500, the new Explorer style dial with the Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock were increasingly used. Here the sapphire crystal became the default covering for the Rolex Air-King.

The Rolex Air King Reference 14000M and 14010M were introduced in 2000 with a new caliber 3130. Throughout the majority of the Air-King production history, the 34mm case was used, with a few small exceptions (such as a small run of Explorer case based Air-King 5500’s which had a 35 mm case).

It wasn’t until 2007 that the Air King got a total transformation. The case changed to become thicker and received its first COSC certification. The 2007 models include the Reference 114200, 114210, and 114234.

The Air King 116900 finally gave the Air-King a completely new look, and adopting a 40 mm case and a caliber 3131. This new Air-King utilizes a 60 second dial with 5, 10, 20, 25, 35, 40, 50 and 55 at those minute markers. The numeral 5 appears at the 1 o’clock position, and 10 at 2 o’clock and so on.

However, oddly it retains the 3, 6 and 9 designations at the 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. The two numerical schemes attempt to match the cockpit board instrumentation used in some of Rolex speed land tests.

The Rolex Air King is an exceptional example of the Rolex dedication to precision instruments and the longevity of the brand. Its simple look and consistent design became a Rolex mainstay and a low cost entry to the Rolex brand.

However, Rolex took exceptional pains throughout the Air-King history to improve the design, construction and performance of the Air King – even moving away from the simple face design to a far more complex cockpit look.

Designer Bracelets for the Rolex Air King by Rubber B

Rolex Air King With Black and White Rubber B bracelets

Rubber B designed 4 bracelets for the Rolex Air-King 34 mm timepiece. For the new Air-King 40mm, visit the Rubber B page here. Rubber B supports the Air-King 34mm case with 19mm lug space. The strap utilizes “Blocked Integration” engineering for a flawless, motionless flush mount to the Air-King case. This band is designed to mount the original Oyster Clasp that came with the Rolex steel Oyster band.

All Rubber B bands are made in Switzerland of pure vulcanized rubber. No coatings, blends or bonding is used in the manufacturing of this Rubber B strap. This strap comes with 3 solid colors and a Tuxedo Velour option, which is an upscale version of the Jet Black strap. For more information, please visit our Air-King 34mm page here.

Rubber B just launched a new color band – the Pine Green bracelet for the Rolex Air King. You asked, and we listened. Air King owners have been asking for a matching Green Bracelet to compliment the green second hand and Rolex lettering on the face. And now Rubber B has added it to its complete lineup of colors and styles in the Classic Series. Other colors include Jet Black, Arctic White, Navy Blue, Mandarin Orange, and 3 two-tone colors.