Flying High With my New Rolex Air King
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No Swiss watch collection would be complete without the father of chrono-innovation. Rolex has set the standard for watchmaking for over a hundred years, including multiple icons that still top the most desired watch lists today. Perhaps their most famous watch is the Submariner, which defined the dive watch industry for the last half-century.
These Cheap Swiss Rolex Copies are practically well known for high quality construction. After all, they have been hand-making their elite timepieces for many years, ultimately overtaking the top 10 fake Rolex online stores who established the industry. In terms of basic timekeeping it is nearly impossible to go wrong with any copy Swiss watch.
Cheap Fake Rolex Watches
Even more than the Explorer, the Rolex Air-King tends to be overlooked and less considered than models such as the Submariner, the GMT-Master or the Datejust. One of the brand’s most long-lasting collections, the Air-King was launched in 1945 and intended as an entry-level model, following multiple “Air” watches produced by Rolex during WWII for pilots. Measuring 34mm in diameter, it was rather large back in the days – hence the “King” in the name – but also was a fairly simple time-only watch. Several early references will be made – 4925, 4499 or 6652 – but it’s mostly the subsequent reference 5500, a watch launched in 1957 and produced for more than 30 years, that will give the watch its popularity. A 34mm Oyster case, an automatic calibre 1520 or 1530, a classic look with a clean dial, baton markers and no-nonsense design… The Rolex Air-King 5500 is often considered the little brother to the slightly larger and even more instrumental Explorer 1016. Over the entire course of its long career, the Air-King 5500 has known multiple evolutions but overall remained the same simple, value proposition Rolex Oyster watch. Next to the time-only model, Rolex launched in 1958 a date model under the reference 5700.
The international watch market is a vast industry full of stellar brands — some have been around for centuries, while others debuted only a decade ago. Breaking it down to the best brands is a daunting task. But what if you broke it down to simply Swiss watch companies? Well, that is still a daunting task, as dozens of luxury watch brands have set the standard for watchmaking around the world. Swiss watches are the center of the watch universe, but there are still some that stand above the rest.
A Destro GMT on one side and a revamp of the most controversial model on the other. Today, we’ll be looking closely at the new Rolex Air-King 126900, a watch that remains sort of an exception within the collection, a watch that retains its overall look, but a watch that has changed more than you might think at first.
THE BEST REPLICA AIR-KING
Even more than the Explorer, the Rolex Air-King tends to be overlooked and less considered than models such as the Submariner, the GMT-Master or the Datejust. One of the brand’s most long-lasting collections, the Air-King was launched in 1945 and intended as an entry-level model, following multiple “Air” watches produced by Rolex during WWII for pilots. Measuring 34mm in diameter, it was rather large back in the days – hence the “King” in the name – but also was a fairly simple time-only watch.
The Rolex Air-King is a deeply misunderstood watch. So much so that I suspect many of you hate-clicked this story just to tell me how much you dislike it. Before you stop reading and make a mad dash for the comments section, would you allow me to persuade you? Stick with me and let me tell you a tale of a watch many considered to be an ugly duckling, but which has now sprung into a majestic horological swan.
In 2014, Rolex nixed one of its longstanding elegant watch collections – the original Air-King line. These typically materialized in 34- to 36mm variations all looking much like normal Oyster Perpetual models but bearing the name Air-King on the dial in a signature retro typeface. These were consistently affordable watches in a wide variety of styles. And in a flash, they were gone.
Among the hard core Rolex collectors, lies a quiet discontent. One watch polarises the community like no other Rolex ever has. It is big. It is bold. It screams its model name in your face in huge text on the bezel. It carries the same reference number as the watch it replaces. And yet, like the other Rolex professional watches, it is born out of a professional need. That of the skipper of a yacht. This is the Rolex Yacht-Master II. The programmable regatta countdown flyback chronograph from Rolex. We took a close look at it, examine its raison d’être, and give you the plain verdict: Awesome or not. Read to discover!
The Rolex Yacht-Master II
The Yacht-Master II occupies a place within the Rolex hierarchy of professional watches. This is a special category of watches that Rolex designs and intends for use in a specific profession. The Submariner and Sea Dweller were designed for professional diving, initially developed with diving specialists COMEX. The Explorer was developed with explorers to summit Everest, the GMT series for PanAm pilots. The Daytona Cosmographwas derived for use on the race track, though when it first appeared in 1960, it was merely labelled Chronograph, but was quickly nicknamed the Daytona, after the famous race circuit.
Based on the success of the Yacht-Master, Rolex unveiled the Yacht-Master II in 2007. This is a totally different kettle of fish. This is a true professional yachting watch incorporating a flyback chronograph and a programmable countdown timer. Two models made the debut lineup, a yellow gold Ref. 116688 and a white gold Ref . 116689. Both are professional regatta watches and equipped with the new manufacture caliber 4160. This new movement was derived from the then new in-house caliber 4130 used in the Daytona Cosmograph. To the 4130 base, Rolex added the additional features to make the 4160 the first watch in the world to be equipped with a programmable countdown function from 1 to 10 minutes with a mechanical memory.
Thanks in part to a slightly thinner overall case thickness, this new design helps the Rolex Submariner 126610LV to feel more in line with the classic Submariner models of the ‘60s and ‘70s than its purposefully modern cousins like the 116610LV “Hulk.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a modern Rolex Submariner without 300 meters of water resistance, and naturally, the new model delivers dutifully on this front.
The largest change for the case of the Rolex Submariner 126610LV, however, comes courtesy of the bezel. Like the rest of the design tweaks, this is a subtle, evolutionary change rather than an out-and-out reimagining, but the impact on the look is dramatic. This is the first time a Submariner has combined a green bezel with a black dial since the original Submariner 16610LV “Kermit” was discontinued in 2010, and the approach this time around is far more subdued.