RolexAir King

Released at Baselworld 2016, the Rolex Air-King reference 116900 shocked the watch world with its unusual dial design and substantial size increase. After being temporarily discontinued in 2014, the Air-King was back with a vengeance, and it certainly made itself known.

The revised case measures 40mm, bringing it up to modern standards. It borrows this from the Rolex Milgauss, with both watches also sharing the same movement. Inside the Air-King beats calibre 3131, a COSC-certified automatic movement with a 48-hour power reserve. It also contains Rolex’s proprietary blue Parachrom hairspring for increased resistance to magnetic fields and Paraflex shock absorbers for more robustness.

Other than the original Air-King logo, the dial is completely redesigned. Its layout is inspired by the Bloodhound supersonic car project for which Rolex designed the cockpit gauges. Crisp white Arabic numerals break up the 3-6-9 “Explorer” style layout for each five-minute interval. For the first time on any Rolex model, the company logo and wording appear in green and yellow.

The Oyster bracelet is satin-finished, and the clasp contains Rolex’s “Easylink” extension for easy tool-free on the go adjustability. 

The watch is in excellent, unworn condition with no obvious signs of wear. The watch is also offered with the inner and outer box, warranty, user manual, and swing tags.

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