Polarising Airking... Why?

[Vansflyer]

First post so please be gentle 😎
Hi all.
I purchased my first Rolex recently and its the new Airking so feel free to skip to the next post of I have lost your attention already 😄
I have many watches and have been historically a Breitling man, five in the drawer at the moment purchased over a 10 year period and most are keepers. A recent love affair with Chr Ward has added 3 of them alongside several others, some cheap and some of sentiment value. Anyway the point is the new Airking is the only Rolex that I fancied on my wrist ever. I found some of the other models "too blingy" and could never get over the magnified date window.
I spotted the Airking back in Feb and waited for one till about a month ago, it took a good hour on my wrist to make the decision to purchase and that's the longest time I have ever sat on the fence regarding a watch purchase. It is "different" but after a month it is now on my wrist 90% of the time and I have grown to be very fond of it. The build is excellent (obvs it's a Rolex) the accuracy is spot on and I can't feel the weight swinging which is new to me.
So why oh why is opinion so split on this watch? Yes the dial is "different" but is it really that much of a departure from convention ?
Is it the "runt of the Rolex litter"?
Please explain to the new (old) kid on the Rolex block why it's so dividing.

Vans

[japenney]

The watch has yellow on it. Typically yellow is not a popular color on watches. I suspect one of the reasons the milgauss is less popular is orange on the dial. Speaking of the dial it is in fact quite "busy". If you look at the top of the dial there are a lot of 5's and all those numbers make it cluttered. The 214270 recently got rid of the white gold 3 6 9 in its most recent update which was generally accepted as being nicer. By the way have you checked out the new 214270 explorer 1? Its great and would be my pick over the air king. I would have also recommended the 39mm oyster perpetual with rhodium dial. Both very simple and non bling. No date function, etc. The air king is a nice watch its just not at the top of my list when it comes to Rolex models. If you enjoy it thats what matters most.

[GolfPunk]

Every Watch ever made can be considered polarising as not everyone likes the same watches. I personally like the new Air King so congratulations and to hell with what others think.

[watchwatcher]

Originally Posted by GolfPunk

I personally like the new Air King so congratulations and to hell with what others think.

This sums it up pretty well, I think.

I actually tried one on at the AD last week and had a very positive reaction to it.

[Old Expat Beast]

If you saw it in February, then you saw it before any of us. Here are the forum's first impressions from last March. www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=463970

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Vansflyer

First post so please be gentle ��
Hi all.
I purchased my first Rolex recently and its the new Airking so feel free to skip to the next post of I have lost your attention already ��
I have many watches and have been historically a Breitling man, five in the drawer at the moment purchased over a 10 year period and most are keepers. A recent love affair with Chr Ward has added 3 of them alongside several others, some cheap and some of sentiment value. Anyway the point is the new Airking is the only Rolex that I fancied on my wrist ever. I found some of the other models "too blingy" and could never get over the magnified date window.
I spotted the Airking back in Feb and waited for one till about a month ago, it took a good hour on my wrist to make the decision to purchase and that's the longest time I have ever sat on the fence regarding a watch purchase. It is "different" but after a month it is now on my wrist 90% of the time and I have grown to be very fond of it. The build is excellent (obvs it's a Rolex) the accuracy is spot on and I can't feel the weight swinging which is new to me.
So why oh why is opinion so split on this watch? Yes the dial is "different" but is it really that much of a departure from convention ?
Is it the "runt of the Rolex litter"?
Please explain to the new (old) kid on the Rolex block why it's so dividing.

Vans

You like the Airking and thats all that matters end of story but it was not released until March after Basel, and the Airking in all its forms is one of Rolex longest production watches with quite a bit of history.

[Cru Jones]

Congrats on the watch and being happy with it. Who cares what some people on the Internet think?

[Muzz]

Congratulations, it is a great watch. People either like the dial or they do not.

[Nairn1980]

I LOVE mine too!!!!!

Enjoy :)

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Nairn1980

I LOVE mine too!!!!!

Enjoy :)

Presuming this new AK released in March is what you are talking about then yes for sure it is controversial with its 3 colour font and 2 Arabics scheme, just as most unconventional watches are when they first come out, Platona, Hulk, YM2, RG YM etc. I think it looks very interesting, not tried it on yet, and that it could hold my attention as it has initially seized it.

[WJGESQ]

Originally Posted by Nairn1980

I LOVE mine too!!!!!

Enjoy :)

I don't think its bad looking, but it does not excite me. Sort of mundane maybe. But as some have already posted, everyone likes different things. If I did not need the date function or bezel, I would have taken the Mil-G, over the Air King. For whatever reason, the Air Kings seem to get less love but as long as you dig it, that is all that matters.

[Otto]

I've come to like the new Air-King. The dial is appropriate for a pilot's watch and I have grown to appreciate it more over time as I've seen it around. I like that it is something of a departure from the standard Rolex sport watch look, but then again, the case and bracelet mark it clearly as a Rolex. And I like the color on the dial. Enjoy your Air-King!

[brandrea]

I haven't see one in real life, so I reserve judgement till then.

I suppose the dial lay out is what makes its such a polarizing reference. I like when Rolex takes chances on remakes of a classic; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. In the end it's still a Rolex and you should enjoy wearing it

[1William]

Enjoy your new watch. Congratulations.

[Watch This]

I liked it in pictures. Tried it on last week. It wore small on my wrist. The colors were fine but the 3-6-9 gets lost in the mix somehow.

Buy what you like. I wear the SSYMII which gets shredded here. My favorite Rolex ever.

[ap1]

I like it. Wish lume on the 3/6/9 though

[AK797]

Originally Posted by ap1

I like it. Wish lume on the 3/6/9 though

That's a good shout, another English-ism for you there mate, as it would blend more with the other arabics.

[T. Ferguson]

Like the rest of you I assumed he had purchased the new release but with the comment of seeing the watch in February I'm not sure if he bought "the" new AK or "a" new (as in unworn BNIB) AK.

Assuming it's the 2016 release, the mixed reviews concern mainly the busy dial and the lack of lumed 3-6-9. For me, not a fan of Arabic numeral dials, I's have like to see the AK without them. It would have taken some of the clutter away from the dial and given it more of a different look from the Explorer.

But because it shares dial features with the Explorer. many members here prefer the Explorer's history and lineage to that of the Air King. And those that appreciate a simple Rolex (no date of cyclops), find the Explorer more to their taste.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by T. Ferguson

Like the rest of you I assumed he had purchased the new release but with the comment of seeing the watch in February I'm not sure if he bought "the" new AK or "a" new (as in unworn BNIB) AK.

If the OP considers the Air-King to be the "runt of the litter," then there is the possibility that he is referring to a previous reference.

[sechsgang]

Originally Posted by ap1

I like it. Wish lume on the 3/6/9 though

This. Will definitely be a great change Rolex could make later on.

[Watch Rob]

I love the AK and mil gauss. Daytona has a busier dial, anyway!

[strongarms]

Vans, did the retailer let you wear the watch around the store for a whole hour before you made your decision to buy?

[southcarolina1801]

I would actually love the Air King if it didn't have the 3-6-9 on the dials. Other than that, it looks great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vansflyer]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes it's the current one, I thought I spotted it in Feb but clearly too many bottles of wine have dulled my memory on dates �� The local dealer had two or three in and sold them before I got to this one first. Read the article in QP many times but it wasn't till it went on my wrist it was eventually sold.
I agree lume on 3, 6 & 9 would be a nice touch but as long as I can see the hands I can work the time out. The blue Lume is a nice touch, not had that before.
I guess the the face being "busy" is relative. I have a B1, Navitimer, Cosmonaute and an Emergancy so compared to them the AK is not busy.
The new Explorer is nice but the AK tipped my wallet open.
Thanks again and sorry for date confusion... Big mouth little brain..

[Vansflyer]

[IMG][/IMG]
Don't flame me for posting a picture of a "B" but I thought a good comparison of "busy" vs "not busy" IMHO

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Vansflyer

[IMG][/IMG]
Don't flame me for posting a picture of a "B" but I thought a good comparison of "busy" vs "not busy" IMHO

Congrats, post more pics please! Too cold to go to an ADs at the mo

[regnant]

Rolex Air King ♔ 116900 is same size and case as other Rolex Oysters but dial itself what stirs the pot and somehow rises eyebrows. I find it a cool watch but some purists hate that because of dial layout.
Oversize numbers along with 5 minute markers get along well to me

[Rocco21]

The new airking is a beautiful piece,Enjoy it.

[OmegaJJH]

When I first saw the release from Baselworld I really didn't like it at all.

It was the Yellow, Green and White. If i'm honest, I thought it looked a little tacky.

However, roll on a few months and it's really grown on me and now I think it's really nice. I also like the link to the Bloodhound project.

The most important thing to take away from my post is please don't give a damb what anyone on the internet thinks. It's your watch, you like it and that's all the matters. It's also not the 'runt' of the litter either.... it's a ROLEX!

It infuriated me when I got my first ever Rolex, a 114060 and people on here stated that it was an 'entry level' Rolex. What annoyed me at the time was it is a very special watch to me and I specifically chose this model for various reasons but mostly because I didn't like the cyclops. How rude to say that something (that somebody loves) is 'Entry Level'. Is a 5513 entry level? Of course not!

There are many wonderful supportive people on this forum and as a law of averages there are some toss pots too!

Enjoy your beautiful Rolex.

[mtgjr]

Originally Posted by OmegaJJH

When I first saw the release from Baselworld I really didn't like it at all.

It was the Yellow, Green and White. If i'm honest, I thought it looked a little tacky.

However, roll on a few months and it's really grown on me and now I think it's really nice. I also like the link to the Bloodhound project.

The most important thing to take away from my post is please don't give a damb what anyone on the internet thinks. It's your watch, you like it and that's all the matters. It's also not the 'runt' of the litter either.... it's a ROLEX!

It infuriated me when I got my first ever Rolex, a 114060 and people on here stated that it was an 'entry level' Rolex. What annoyed me at the time was it is a very special watch to me and I specifically chose this model for various reasons but mostly because I didn't like the cyclops. How rude to say that something (that somebody loves) is 'Entry Level'. Is a 5513 entry level? Of course not!

There are many wonderful supportive people on this forum and as a law of averages there are some toss pots too!

Enjoy your beautiful Rolex.

Just because the No Date Sub is the entry level sport model in Rolex's line doesn't mean it's not a great watch and iconic model. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Entry level Rolex is still a Rolex, my man. Hold your head high.