Got the call. Long live the (Air-)King

[mike morris]

Love it ��, I’m in waiting my.

[OrangeSport]

Great Post. Really interesting. Didn't realise how much yhe wstch had changed. I like thisxa lot more than the previous model.

Congratulations BTW.

[mario1971]

I've never looked in the direction of the Air King, but the new version looks delicious. Congrats!

[PepsiBezel]

Congratulations! It looks great on you. Spot on analysis — particularly with the “puffy” description of the old 116900.

[WILLIWALKER]

Lovely !! The best release !!

[RollieWhysohardtoget]

Congrats, I am waiting for one these or op41. Hope my AD surprises me soon.

[matthew P]

Always disliked the first Generation model until I saw it on someone’s wrist at a function….. the case was always too large for my taste but I saw the appeal.
The new version has made me a fan ( love all the changes…. Especially AR, case and lumed 3/6/9. )

I can now see why they shrunk the explorer back to 36mm and carved out a worthy position for the air king.
I’m not a potential buyer so I haven’t been following too closely but thanks for a great owner review and all the pictures…… great to see the new model hitting wrists so soon, and before the great market price jack posts.
I can see this watch making a lot of people happy.


….Save the drama - I’m just here for the photos….

[1William]

Congratulations.

[mountainjogger]

Congrats! Thanks for the review.

[Purple Hayz]

Originally Posted by thelinendial

Congrats and thanks for the review and pictures.

When I was buying my Explorer 36 the guy beside me was getting the same Air King and it looks really spectacular in real life.

He was wearing a suit and it looked really sharp! Now I know why it fit under his cuff so well at only 11.5mm.

The choice b/w the recently "right sized" Exp I and this new AK was VERY difficult. I'd actually registered interest in the former a few months back, only switching after the 126900 dropped at W&W in April. Love both watches, just couldn't justify getting both.

Yet ;)

Originally Posted by KeithP

Congrats! I’m a fan and just got one myself, haven’t had the time to post a proper incoming. When I do, it’ll be hard to top yours. You said it all really. Great piece.

Congrats to you as well, and thank you for the kind words. Fair warning, your new AK may end up getting a lot of wrist time. It's such a good piece...

Originally Posted by Watcheroo

Congrats!! Thank you for the great review. I wasn’t aware of how drastically the case changed.

Leave it to Rolex to do a ground-up redesign that most non-WIS cannot tell from the old one. My wife's reaction after seeing it for the first time was priceless:

Wait, isn't that the same ugly Rolex you've been on about for years?

Me: Sure is, doll. Love ya!

Originally Posted by MJ EXPLORER

Congratulations!!! Haven't seen many of these on TRF yet. Is this the first one? Either way, I absolutely love it. I was a big fan of the 116900 Air-King, but when this was announced, I liked literally every change they made. I said it then and I'll say it again......Very few people liked this move when it was announced, but this is going to be a very popular reference once people start seeing them in person.

I was the first to take delivery on WUS, but I figured there might be one or two that beat me to the punch over here. Perhaps not? My AD was certainly shocked to get one this early, so I might have just hit the jackpot this time.

I doubt I'll be quite so lucky again, though I've worked pretty hard to cultivate a relationship with him (only moved to VA last August, so I basically had to start over with local Rolex/Tudor and Omega dealers.

Totally with you on prospects for the AK going forward. Rolex really nailed this update, and I cannot recall the last time they heeded customer critiques this well. Other than a glide-lock, this revision addressed everything on my "wishlist" and more.

Originally Posted by Beto737

Congratulations, it’s an awesome piece! I’ve officially asked for one. And they’ve officially responded with, “we’ll see!”

If I had a dollar for every time I've received that answer--or my AD's new favorite when responding to my "so, about that (Tudor) FXD...": Don't ask--I think I could easily fund a gray market Daytona by now.

If I didn't hate the gray market.

Or much care for the Daytona (sacrilege, I know)

Originally Posted by mgsooner

Congrats OP. They unquestionably made the watch better than the previous gen. I personally still wish they would've taken the opportunity for a more significant refresh of the dial, but as it is it's a compelling entry in the catalog - particularly for those who might've missed out on an Explorer 39.

The fussy bloodhound dial always appealed to me (I'm probably in the minority here), but I agree it's a bit strange to persist given that Rolex is no longer affiliated with the project (which never broke the LS record anyway).

Then again, this the same Rolex that modeled the "Air-King" after a car speedo in the first place, so I've learned not to question such things

Originally Posted by 2loaded

Congrats!
What do you fly?

Most recently? The SR-71. Was going swimmingly...right up until the point when I crashed into the Space Needle.

While "haters" might assail my piloting skills for this unfortunate snafu, I believe the fault lies entirely with the physics engine in X-Plane 11, which is clearly defective ;)

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

I think it's good to see Rolex going back to smaller crown guards. They've been way oversized since the arrival of six-digit cases. I disliked the Milgauss/Air-King, but I quite like this one (and I have a couple of vintage AKs).

Fair point. Perhaps we've all gotten a bit too used to the "Maxi" case look. I remember not liking them when they first came out, preferring the less "linebacker like" shoulders on my 14060.

Originally Posted by JayHantz

Congratulations! I am a fan of the 05 on the new dial, the symmetry is perfect!

Indeed, sir. That one always bugged me about the 116900 as well. I adored the fuss, but never the imbalance!

Originally Posted by ap1

Wow didn’t realize it was materially thinner, enjoy!

Yep, without the faraday cage, they were really able to slim down the case. That they sharpened up the edges was the icing on the cake for me.

Originally Posted by Madprofx

Great looking watch and I much prefer this revised edition and the updates made. I said I was done for a while having received my Sky Dweller recently, but now……

Here, here, mate. I've been "done" with Rolex roughly half a dozen times.

Fortunately, my parents didn't raise a quitter

Originally Posted by JoseR

Congrats. I have the 116900 which was my first Rolex and I like the changes that were made to the new AK. It's different. That's what I like. Enjoy..

Man after my own heart. The bloodhound AK certainly isn't for everyone, but that's part of the charm for me.

Originally Posted by Danny83

Congrats this one looks great the clasp is a great improvement too

Great point and one I forget to mention. This is actually my first with the new clasp and bracelet, and I'm definitely a fan.

Originally Posted by mario1971

I've never looked in the direction of the Air King, but the new version looks delicious. Congrats!

Mario! Good to see a WUS/Triple-O brother in these parts.

Originally Posted by matthew P

Always disliked the first Generation model until I saw it on someone’s wrist at a function….. the case was always too large for my taste but I saw the appeal.
The new version has made me a fan ( love all the changes…. Especially AR, case and lumed 3/6/9. )

I can now see why they shrunk the explorer back to 36mm and carved out a worthy position for the air king.
I’m not a potential buyer so I haven’t been following too closely but thanks for a great owner review and all the pictures…… great to see the new model hitting wrists so soon, and before the great market price jack posts.
I can see this watch making a lot of people happy.


….Save the drama - I’m just here for the photos….

Agreed on all points. Don't know what the sentiment was here on RF, but none of us WUS guys were expecting the AK to get anything but the boot this year. That Rolex pulled such a thorough and thoughtful overhaul out of the hat was a most welcome and wonderful surprise.

[Purple Hayz]

Originally Posted by MJ EXPLORER

Also OP, please keep the pictures coming! Seeing it on wrist as in your first pic, really shows how thin and refined it is. Not that we look at these things too closely, but cool that the second hand counterweight is exactly in place to spell ROLEX.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

With pleasure! Though as goes without saying, my photography skills are about as strong as my piloting (see above)







This one confirms it's still single-sided AR only, but the newly lumed numerals pay dividends for visibility here.



Looks like she's a runner, though the low amplitude makes me think she's undercharged. Anyone got a lift angle on the 3200 series? Oddly enough, though I've benched more than a 100 movements, all the Rolex have been 3000 or 3100 series thus far. This is my first of the current gen, so would love to hear what kind of numbers to expect.

[noshame]

Very cool. Definitely like EVERY change Rolex decided to make. Subtle as they are individually, as a whole, they are very noticeable. If only they could have made all the other numerals out of a lumed paint, that would have been killer.

[douglasf13]

Congrats! I’m always a bit of the contrarian, but this is my favorite watch in the catalog. I love the slab sides which are, ironically, similar to the 1019 Milgauss (and my beloved Tudor Jumbo,) albeit with the crown guards addition. Very cool.

[mountainjogger]

Love your picks. Deserves a bump. What a neat watch.

[AD337]

Wow super cool post ! And I LOVE the new one .. soooo improved

[MJ EXPLORER]

Originally Posted by noshame

Very cool. Definitely like EVERY change Rolex decided to make. Subtle as they are individually, as a whole, they are very noticeable. If only they could have made all the other numerals out of a lumed paint, that would have been killer.

Completely agreed! Lots of small changes cumulatively make for a very impressive watch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HTXdev14]

Looks fantastic! Still waiting on mine!

Cheers!

[bob sims]

Originally Posted by thelinendial

Congrats and thanks for the review and pictures.

When I was buying my Explorer 36 the guy beside me was getting the same Air King and it looks really spectacular in real life.

He was wearing a suit and it looked really sharp! Now I know why it fit under his cuff so well at only 11.5mm.

Thinking lots more people are going to be able to get air-kings, explorers, steel subs and common DJ models from AD's.

[psif]

The Rolex Air King has always been on of my preferred watches.

[fistwatches]

Huge congratulations

[Purple Hayz]

Thanks again to all for the kind words. I still haven't taken it off.

FWIW, saw my AD again today to get my warranty card stamped and reserve the "next one," and he told me things are starting to look ever so slightly better as far as availability is concerned. Apparently the flipper-head/"investor" traffic has started dying down a bit as well, perhaps as some realize that trying to flip watches for a living is no substitute for gainful employment.

[watchwatcher]

It's a beauty.

Congrats!

[phillyEagles]

Nice! This is a great reference for folks like me that don't want a full green dial but a splash of green is desirable. I do wish there was a date complication but that would absolutely be too many numbers visually.