Rolex Air King 114200: My Thoughts After 1 Day

[jlc123]

So, I've been wearing my new 114200 for a little over a day now and I have a lot to say about it.

Dial- The dial is SO white, so very white. The black numerals provide excellent contrast in the classic black and white combo. The "Air King" logo, really helps to bring through the retro look (someone else on TRF brought this up.) The hands, while small, are legible and feel proportional to the watch. The lume on the stick markers is quite good and a nice turquois color. Overall, the dial is just very clean and beautiful. I believe its one of the best looking Rolex dials currently in production.

Case- The case is very comfortable and has a quality feel to it. While it is only 34mm, it is not unreasonably small.

Bracelet- Wow! The new oyster bracelet is a massive improvement on the previous model. The bracelet feels like it belongs on a Rolex, it exudes quality and is beyond comfortable. The new clasp is also a great improvement.

Movement- My only comment about this is that my watch is about +1 after a day, so I am very impressed.

Buying Experience- I bought the watch BNIB from Capetown Diamond and the watch was on my wrist exactly a day after I ordered it. The transaction was smooth and the price was GREAT. I highly reccomend them.

Final Thoughts- The OP Air King represents one of the greatest deals in watchmaking imo. You get an extremely versatile sport watch with an in house movement, 100m wr, and incredible comfortability. The dial is gorgeous and the conservative size comes together in a fantastic package. I cannot reccommend this watch enough. And, as per Frem's request, more pics:

[z32turbo]

Great pics!!!! Congrats on the new AK!

[jphj012]

Congrats!

[jot_]

Solid post! I have the exact same AK... bought it a month ago and I haven't worn any of my other watches since! It's a winner for sure.

[AmbSteve]

That is a sharp looking one! I love the white dial. Congrats

[joe100]

My favorite Rolex model. Hell, even the Rolex hating Watch-Snob column over at askmen.com says the AK is a no-brainer. The white dial version is my favorite.

I completely agree with everything you said in your review. Congrats on buying a classic!

[Trouble15]

Nice looking AK & a great post!

[mikkolopez]

Agree with you on the AK. Congrats.

[GradyPhilpott]

[tanman79]

Sharp watch.

[KZZN]

Hi,

Congratulations, an excellent choice. And I'm sure you'll only love it even more as time goes by!

[Jake B]

Right on...EXCELLENT watch. I sorta think of this one as a "White Explorer", and I love it. Hope it serves you well.

[Dr. Robert]

A beaut watch......& a 34mm Rolex oyster case watch wears bigger than its specs.

[LA_LEC]

Congrats!

That is a classy watch indeed!

[acce1999]

The white -3-6-9 dialled AK 114200 is truly a beautiful watch in a comfortable size. I bought one the very first minute my local AD got one, and enjoyed it for almost a year before flipping it.

My wish was to enjoy it as a white dialled Explorer... and this is as close as you can come... but I actually had problems with the legibility, given the thin stick hands, being used to almost exclusively sport models with high legibility. I even had the hands replaced on my 114200 with longer hands from the DJ models, but those hands made the watch lose, some of its proportions. The current hands do emphasize the dial very nicely.

Here is the one I owned, as it came:



And here is some poor photoshopping I did, just to try to get an idea on how a white Explorer might look like:



And here it is with longer hands from the DJ/OP 116000:



Do I regret selling it? Yes, some days... but although I have skinny wrists, the 34 mm diameter, and 41 mm lug-to-lug dimension of the 114200 was just a tiny bit too small for me...

A beautiful watch indeed.

Best,

A

[Rock]

Lovely watch. Simple and clean and no pretensions. The white face looks great.
A smart buy. Congrats.

[Bangel]

Understated classic. A great choice.

Thanks for the write up and photos.

[Jake B]

I keep coming back to look at it...REALLY like this one!

[JGX]

Great watch, I'm a keen fan of white faces.

[U5512]

Congrats!

[Lucky777]

Congrats! I love the dial, I'm sure the LUME looks stunning at night. I'll agree the modern oyster band along with the new clasp makes the watch much sturdier in feel. Wear it in good health!

[Zdenek]

Originally Posted by jlc123

Final Thoughts- The OP Air King represents one of the greatest deals in watchmaking imo.

Big congrats to the true classic. Yes, it is smaller watch but with "thoroughbred motor" inside. Enjoy.

[Tan]

Congrats!

[Lol-x]

To me the narrow hands of the Air King have been a shortcoming of the watch.

[The Joker]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

To me the narrow hands of the Air King have been a shortcoming of the watch.

Yep have to agree, got my mum this AK for Christmas, although I love the watch for both men and women, the thin minute hand can make it hard to read in low light conditions. Wanna get the hands changed for DJ hands at some point.

[bigwatchman]

Understated beauty. Enjoy.

[travisb]

Nice pics!
Good to hear you're enjoying it so much.

[joe100]

I've always liked the narrow hands in a way. Makes the dial text more visible. That being said, visibility can be an issue in low-light conditions.

[Sublovin]

Very nice. I like it ....quick question though. You refer to it as a sport watch.
What about it makes it a sport watch? There is no rotating bezel, mnimal water esistance, etc...
Curious. Thanks

[jlc123]

Originally Posted by Sublovin

Very nice. I like it ....quick question though. You refer to it as a sport watch.
What about it makes it a sport watch? There is no rotating bezel, mnimal water esistance, etc...
Curious. Thanks

100m wr, oyster case, its a watch that will take a beating. After all, it was designed for the British Air Force, it has to be durable.