2022 Rolex Air-King Automatic 40mm 126900
Ref: M126900-0001

Points of Mention

This watch is sold with its original Rolex box, swing tags and paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original full-links 20mm Rolex brushed three-link Oystersteel Oyster bracelet, a signed Rolex folding Oysterclasp with Easylink 5mm extension link. The watch is from May 2022 and is sold in very lightly worn condition, but overall in very good condition as you can see from the photographs. The watch comes with its Manufacturer's Warranty.

The Watch

Hans Wilsdorf, in 1945 introduced an aviation-inspired “Air” series, many RAF pilots started buying these Chronometer timepieces for their accuracy and endurance. The models included Air-Giant, Air-Lion, and Air-Tiger. At the end of the war, Rolex released the “AIR KING” in tribute to the pilots who flew at the Battle of Britain and in 1957 they released the Ref 5500 Air King, which had a production run of 37 years. In 2007 they introduced the Ref 114200, the first Air-King to be COSC certified. Rolex decided to discontinue the Air-King in 2014, replacing it with the Oyster Perpetual, this decision was later reversed in 2016 when they launched the ref 116900. Here we have a 2022 Rolex Air-King Automatic 126900 with a curvaceous 40mm OysterSteel case that curves over your wrist with finely tapered lugs, made up of a monobloc middle case, a screw-down case and a Twin-lock screw-down crown protected by crown guards. Polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp edges and a lug-to-lug length of 47mm and a case thickness of 11mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. The polished bezel holds a domed sapphire crystal above a black dial. An outer minute track is perfectly executed with 60-minute numerals and larger applied 3, 6 and 9 infilled with Chromalight to provide a long-lasting blue luminance marking the hours. Elegant Mercedes hands are complemented by a green lollipop counterweighted sweeping second-hand. At 12 o’clock, a yellow Rolex crown, a Green Rolex and "Oyster Perpetual" at 6 o’clock “Air-King” “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" completes this distinctive aviation-inspired timepiece. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3230, 31 jewels, beating at 28,800 beats per hour, released in 2020 this Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) Certified movement is resistant to magnetic fields and shocks, it has a Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring, patented by Rolex Chronergy escapement which is highly efficient and Paraflex shock absorbers. The watch comes fitted on its full-links 20mm Rolex brushed three-link Oystersteel Oyster bracelet with a signed Rolex folding Oysterclasp and the watch comes with its Rolex presentation box, swing tags and paperwork.

Personal Note

The Brand

In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which are installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released the Datejust. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.