Rolex oyster perpetual air-king ss 1974

[j407]

hello. i recently have received what seems to be a 1974 air king ss. i think the model is 5500. the watch is in rough shape but in perfect working order (cant beat a rolex) it has never had any work done on it.
anyways my questions are. i would like to fix it up myself. and replace the worn down parts. i am totally new to wrist watches. that sounds crazy i know lol. but i just need some basic info for when i am ordering new parts
does anybody know the crystal sapphire size to this watch? and if i am wrong about the model would the mm be the same on most of the old vintage air kings?

next up. what is the size of the band? i am guessing 22mm? from what research i have done. but i maybe wrong.

and lastly. what size would the bezel be? its a smooth bezel.

i am attaching a pic of what looks to be the same watch. i do not have a working camera at the moment so i can not take a picture of my watch. thank you

[joe100]

That is indeed a 5500 AirKing. The bracelet at the lugs is 19mm not 22. Not sure of the bezel diameter though. The watch itself, however, is 34mm wide. The crystal is acrylic plastic and should be replaced with the proper acrylic plastic. Sapphire crystals were never fitted to the 5500 and doing so will reduce its water resistance.

If you don't have any experience repairing Rolex or movements in general, I wouldn't try your novice skills on a Rolex. Let an expert preform the work. Likely all that you need is a good movement service for good measure and a pressure test and you're on your way.

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[j407]

Originally Posted by joe100

That is indeed a 5500 AirKing. The bracelet at the lugs is 19mm not 22. Not sure of the bezel diameter though. The watch itself, however, is 34mm wide. The crystal is acrylic plastic and should be replaced with the proper acrylic plastic. Sapphire crystals were never fitted to the 5500 and doing so will reduce its water resistance.

If you don't have any experience repairing Rolex or movements in general, I wouldn't try your novice skills on a Rolex. Let an expert preform the work. Likely all that you need is a good movement service for good measure and a pressure test and you're on your way.

Sent from my  using Tapatalk

thank you. yeah i think i will have it checked out. would you happen to know of any good safe websites that offer refinishing? i would like to remove the wear and tear off the case. and where i live no one does this.