Rolex Air King 5500 Review

This watch has it all.

Rolex air king 5500 review.

The brand the quality the history the style. Before we get to the explorer ref. A review of the rolex air king 5500 and the rolex explorer 1016. The rolex air king 5500 is the real classic in our lineup.

In 1957 rolex introduced the ref 5500 air king. It s all steel construction and clean lines make this time only watch a favorite among horology enthusiasts. 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. Like the reference 5500 the air king date can be found with silver black or a blue dial.

Their clean and straightforward dials were clearly marked with the air king name under the rolex logo at 12 o clock. 5500 has all of the hallmark traits of a rolex without possessing a single superfluous feature. In 1989 rolex introduced the reference 14000 which provided an update to the ref. We have a review today that dates back to the 1970s.

5500 for some context. The design aesthetic was similar to the time only reference 5500 but it used rolex s caliber 1535 to add a date function. Of course for this rolex air king 5500 review we find out if this watch is worth the money. And the rolex air king soon became popular with pilots.

If you can get over the 34mm size it s a tremendous value. The large for the time 34mm case and simple dial layout were a hit. The production of the old air king was halted back in 2014. It has a minimalist dial with bar markers simple hand design no numerals and little text.

Based on the popularity of the ref. And best of all the air king hasn t been sucked into the vintage rolex price bubble yet. The new air king reference 116900 is a different kind of timepiece and marketed as an entry level rolex. That model remained in production for the next 37 years.

I adore the quality and history of these watches so it is going to be a challenge to recommend which one is better. At the end of the war rolex created the air king as a tribute to the pilots who fought in the battle of britain. 5500 with a 34mm case and time only functionality. Just to get this out of the way upfront both of these watches are vintage masterpieces.

Not to mention the rolex air king 5500 and 14000 are the most accessible ways to get into rolex. In 1957 rolex released the stainless steel air king ref.