Rolex Air King 5500 Review

Its screw down case in house movement and oyster bracelet provide owners with all the defining characteristics of a rolex and they are wrapped up in possibly one of the most versatile packages that the company has ever put forward.

Rolex air king 5500 review.

And best of all the air king hasn t been sucked into the vintage rolex price bubble yet. That model remained in production for the next 37 years. We have a review today that dates back to the 1970s. Not to mention the rolex air king 5500 and 14000 are the most accessible ways to get into rolex.

It s all steel construction and clean lines make this time only watch a favorite among horology enthusiasts. In 1989 rolex introduced the reference 14000 which provided an update to the ref. 5500 has all of the hallmark traits of a rolex without possessing a single superfluous feature. A review of the rolex air king 5500 and the rolex explorer 1016.

5500 let s dig into the details of the air king ref. The large for the time 34mm case and simple dial layout were a hit. In 1957 rolex released the stainless steel air king ref. At the end of the war rolex created the air king as a tribute to the pilots who fought in the battle of britain.

Based on the popularity of the ref. And the rolex air king soon became popular with pilots. The design aesthetic was similar to the time only reference 5500 but it used rolex s caliber 1535 to add a date function. 5500 which at that point had seen few changes throughout its 37 year history in terms of design it represented a new approach for the air king collection as it had arabic numerals at the 3 6 9 hours with stick markers in between.

Before we get to the explorer ref. In 1957 rolex introduced the ref 5500 air king. This watch has it all. 5500 with a 34mm case and time only functionality.

The new air king reference 116900 is a different kind of timepiece and marketed as an entry level rolex. Of course for this rolex air king 5500 review we find out if this watch is worth the money. I adore the quality and history of these watches so it is going to be a challenge to recommend which one is better. If you can get over the 34mm size it s a tremendous value.

Just to get this out of the way upfront both of these watches are vintage masterpieces. Their clean and straightforward dials were clearly marked with the air king name under the rolex logo at 12 o clock. The brand the quality the history the style. The rolex air king 5500 is the real classic in our lineup.

It has a minimalist dial with bar markers simple hand design no numerals and little text. 5500 for some context.