An argument for the modern AirKing

[DM101]

Great heavy watch - got mine last month.

[ndrs63]

Originally Posted by bitpshr

After recently purchasing (and falling in love with) the 116900 AirKing, I thought I'd shed some light on why this polarizing model is very close to perfect for certain use-cases. Some context:

1. I work in tech, so my wrists rest on powerful, aluminum-bodied computers with fairly-high magnetism 12+ hours a day.
2. It's common in tech to break large chunks of development work down into small, time-boxed tasks. I rarely care about the hour-hand position; instead, I almost exclusively care about the minute-hand position for timing short programming tasks or the second-hand position for timing live demos or presentations. Simply put, on-the-fly minute and second readings are essential for my day-to-day workflow.
3. Jony fricken Ive, Apple's former Chief of Design, helped usher in the age of metal computers. Even though they're powerful and versatile and feel nice on the skin, MacBooks and polished center links will never be friends.

I thought for sure that a model that eased all of the above issues would never exist in the Rolex lineup: I needed an anti-magnetic Faraday cage, that also had a highly-readable, minute-scaled dial, that also had a fully-brushed bracelet. Bonus points if it aesthetically-matched my 116710LN. And then...I discovered the 116900 AirKing that supported every feature listed. I use this watch as a true tool every day: I time development tasks with it, no longer need on-screen timers during live demos, no longer stress about magnetism or desk-dive scratches, and it gets more interest at watch gatherings than my 116710LN since it's not a widely-owned model.

Sometimes it feels good to land on a specific model through genuine, organic need (even if it's a bit contrived!) For me, there's no better programmer's watch than the 116900 in the Rolex lineup.

Not that I disagree, but I also work on Macs 12 hours/day and have been wearing watches with no magnetic protection, including a Rolex OP39 and a SubC. I have never had any of my watches magnetized. Aside from that, I agree with all other comments


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[tkc324]

Interesting perspective. Glad you found your tool watch

[JohnGingerwood]

I think the watch is cool, I just wish they would change the font of the AIR KING logo and also just make the rolex crown and logo black and white, not green and yellow. Its a cool concept.

[Sleepy996]

Love the touch of green !

[HORNBLOWER]

Not for me. The dial is a confused mess.

[ron2368]

Air King was the first watch I looked for but there are too many numbers for me, I think the 369 OP or Explorer I is perfect.

[Rocket launcher]

Great watch I love the Air-King...
Fabulous watch

[214270Explorer]

Originally Posted by Rocket launcher

Great watch I love the Air-King...
Fabulous watch

Have to agree.

[air_king]

I own one and love it. I like that it’s so different from any other Rolex, and the little bit of color is really nice.

[Bizcut1]

Beauty!

[desk jockey]

I love the dial but I think it absolutely deserves full lume. That was the deal breaker for me. If Rolex would kindly change the 5 at 1 o'clock to 05 and lume all numerals (using 3, 6 & 9 from 214270) I will get it in a heartbeat.

[scheneider]

unpopular will be collectable, if history told us anything. vice versa

[Singslinger]

No argument from me - the modern Air-King is a great watch, unique and attractive!

[shawn13ca]

I won't sell mine. True tool watch. Flies under radar. Original Rolex green.

[HogwldFLTR]

If I were buying that'd be the one!!! It's a great watch!!!!