1931 Air King?

[Dukeuni]

Yup, this is my first post. I read through the general forum rules, and the forum rules of the vintage area, and I think my question is o.k., but I apologize in advance if I messed-up. I also did a search of the forums, and did not see anything on point.



I am sure you guys hear this ALL the time- "I found a watch...what can you tell me about it..."

I will try to be a little different then that.

Basically I found a Rolex (maybe) watch in my grandfathers safe. He died around 1985, and my grandmother in 2000. The house was left to me, and no-one really cared about the safe (yes, I know, that is strange).

In the safe I found a Rolex Air King. The dial is definitely yellowed, and the crystal was somewhat marked-up.

I took the watch into my local jeweler since my grandfather used to always go to him when he was alive. The jeweler has been around forever, and always does great work.


I asked him (1) if he thought it was real, (2) if he knew anything about it since he worked with my grandfather, (3) any other info he could find.

When I went in to see him today this is what he told me:

(1) He believes it is authentic. He opened the watch, and everything seems to be in place. Watch has all necessary markings, serial number, etc. (NOTE: he does not sell rolex watches, but used some reference books he had).

(2) He says the watch was made in 1931 based on the markings and his research.

The watch is still with the jeweler. He is going to clean-up the watch some more, put a new band on it (the one that was on it was obviously a replacement band), and send the dial in to be professionally restored (did not know that was possible).

After researching online, it seems that 1931 was the first year of the Air King. Since it was the first year, I am somewhat concerned. While I completely trust this jeweler, how am I supposed to know if the watch is authentic? I wish I could post pictures right now, but I will have to wait until I receive the watch back.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[dddrees]

Although the Oyster perpetual was introduced in 1931 the Oyster perpetual line which included the Air King, Air Tiger, Air Lion, and Air Giant weren't introduced until WWII. So it may be possible that you have an Oyster perpetual from 1931 or you may have an Air King but it could not be from 1931.

If possible it would be extremely helpful if you could post pictures of the dial, back of the watch, inside of the case, movement, and bracelet if possible.

Originally Posted by yannis7777

This is the entry level Rolex model addressed to people who are inclined to spend a “fortune” on a watch. This watch has an unprecedented historical value in the Rolex Oyster Perpetual range since it was used by British aviators in WWII. Apparently the Air-King was the watch of choice for battle of Britain fighter pilots and Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex was so moved by the brave British pilots that decided to honour them with a new line of manual wind Oysters.
While the Oyster Royal line existed already before the war Rolex began producing larger watches coding them with names like "Air Tiger," "Air Lion," "Air Giant," and "Air King."
What was then considered a large dial - 32 to 33 mm diameter - is now small in comparison, as most Rolex sports models feature a 40 mm or larger dials.
The Air line of watches remained in production until the early 1960s. In the end only the Air-King survived and was eventually fitted with an automatic movement.

The Air-King is not as fancy or as over-engineered as some other Rolex watches yet it is an elegant watch and most importantly has a great history behind it. I believe that it is one of the most overlooked watches out of the Oyster Perpetual range although it deserves more attention by prospective buyers. Today the current Air-King model range even comes with COSC certification. They have also recently been redesigned with new dials and bracelets.
I am sure more educated members than myself on the subject will contribute some more information as well as photos on this thread.

Technical data
Certification: Chronometer
Size: 34 mm
Bracelet: Oyster featuring Oysterclasp (with easy link on new models)
Movement: Self-winding cal. 3130
Water-Resistance: Waterproof to 100 metres/330 feet
Crystal: Sapphire

[Dukeuni]

Thank you for your information. I will stop by the jeweler tomorrow and take some pictures.

[slcbbrown]

My opinion is that most watch guys can recognize a real Rolex very easily. It gets trickier to spot aftermarket parts that have been added. If you have an Air King it's probably newer than 1931. Does it have an oyster case?

If you aren't sure what you have, yet, I would recommend posting a couple pix here. Also, do not refinish the dial till you know what your have.

[Dukeuni]

I went down to the jewelers today and took some pictures (only with my cellphone, I am sorry), and wrote down the numbers on the outside and inside of the watch. This is what I have:

What do you guys think?



On the watch movement:

Montres Rolex SA
Geneva
Switzerland
Patented

The back cover- on the inside:
Stainless Steel
6565
156
6552
23757R (or JR, with the J and R combined- This is more hand etched. The jeweler said that this is most likely a jeweler that had worked on the watch previously. The local jeweler said that there used to be a Rolex watch person in Portland with the initials JR, but that individual has passed away).

On the sides of the watch:
6552
6 digit serial number- This was very faint, and but we believe it is a 7. I was told by a member on here not to post this information.

Inside (I think):
N819932
1030

[Dukeuni]

When I went to the jewelers today I told him not to send the dial in to be refinished and not to work on the watch just yet. I told him I wanted to wait and see what I had first.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Dukeuni

When I went to the jewelers today I told him not to send the dial in to be refinished and not to work on the watch just yet. I told him I wanted to wait and see what I had first.

Good move, hopefully an expert will be along shortly.

[Dukeuni]

It looks like I can post the first three digits of the serial number without any problems:

34(7?). There is a total of 6 digits in the serial number. While it is very faint, the jeweler and I believe the third number is 7.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Dukeuni

It looks like I can post the first three digits of the serial number without any problems:

34(7?). There is a total of 6 digits in the serial number. While it is very faint, the jeweler and I believe the third number is 7.

Very often dirt and grime can get in between the watch and bracelet or just the bracelet can scratch off some or all of the numbers.

[TTmax]

.
Your watch is an Oyster Perpetual AirKing model 6552 with movement 1030.
As this movement was commercialized between 1950 and 1959, so is your watch. In fact the "156" in the case back tells us it's about 1956,January.

[Dukeuni]

Thank you so much for the verification! Looks like I have a 1956 Air King.

Is there going to be any problem refinishing the dial for my wife? My intent is to have the watch cleaned-up and give it to my wife to use.

I was told to hold off refinishing the dial or working on the watch until I know what the watch was. It sounds like refinishing dials could hurt the value? Not sure what the value of the watch is now vs. what it would be if it was cleaned-up.

[TTmax]

You should send this watch to a Rolex service center, not your watchmaker (he's surely very good in his job, but as you said he's not a Rolex specialist).

Not sure the dial is bad, your pictures don't allow to see if problem is on the plexi or the dial.

The bracelet for sure isn't the right one. You should try find something like that which is a model 7205:

[Alcan]

A couple of suggestions. First, I'd recommend a light cleaning on the dial but not refinishing. Second, a correct bracelet for that watch can be expensive. It would look good on a quality leather strap. If you go the strap route, it will last much longer if you use a butterfly deployant clasp instead of a buckle.

There are tons of photos of Rolex on straps in this thread:

http://rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=20699

[dom_]

I wouldn't touch it. With a new or polished dome it will look good and shows its vintage age, from your photos the face looks in really good condition.
Honestly a new dome (tropical) will transform it.

As you said, ditch the bracelet it is worthless and looks bad. Personally I would fit a decent leather strap, 19mm, make sure he doesn't fit a 20mm as it will look crappy. I don't know what model number bracelet you will be after or end pieces but I am sure someone here will know.

As for the case, I would give it a light polish and re-apply of the brushed finish where needed. International watch works or robert ridley would be good places to talk to about this.

edit: same as the above two posts say really :)

[slcbbrown]

Originally Posted by dom_

I wouldn't touch it. With a new or polished dome it will look good and shows its vintage age, from your photos the face looks in really good condition.
Honestly a new dome (tropical) will transform it.

As you said, ditch the bracelet it is worthless and looks bad. Personally I would fit a decent leather strap, 19mm, make sure he doesn't fit a 20mm as it will look crappy. I don't know what model number bracelet you will be after or end pieces but I am sure someone here will know.

As for the case, I would give it a light polish and re-apply of the brushed finish where needed. International watch works or robert ridley would be good places to talk to about this.

edit: same as the above two posts say really :)

That dial looks nice. I wouldn't do anything to it. If it takes 19mm straps, it may take a bit of hunting, but you can find inexpensive, feminine looking straps that will look pretty sharp.

[Dukeuni]

Any ideas on value for insurance? Looks like Air King is the base model for Rolex, but I have no idea how age affects this stuff.

[TTmax]

.
I would guess that approximate value could be between 1500$ and 2500$ , depending on its state.

sample here (2nd watch presented), with the right bracelet:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/207673/thread/1298968052/1298968052/FS-+Tudor+Daytona+79180%2C+Air+King+Super+Precision+6 552+and+Big+Bubblebacks

[Dukeuni]

Is it normal for Rolex models to have different dials like that? The watch from that site looks the exact same as my watch, but with a different dial.

[dom_]

Yes very much so, lots of variations, over the years they changed a fair bit and sometimes when serviced a newer dial might be changed over.

[adam78]

Don't touch that dial (really, in very nice condition for its age), and don't send it to a Rolex Service Center. They will only return it, as they no longer work on the cal. 1030 movement, for lack of parts. Bob Ridley is my recommendation. A riveted bracelet (these were made until the '70s with little difference in appearance, except for the inner clasp) can be $200-800, depending. Not sure if this reference is 19mm or 20mm. The 19mm bracelet can be found on the used market at the lower end of the range I've given. I'd just put it on a nice leather strap, however.

[Dukeuni]

Thanks for all of the info so far.

As for the watch band: Where do I look? My wife would like a black band, hopefully crocodile print, with either black stitching or white stitching.

I like some of the bands listed here:
http://rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=20699&page=2

How do I purchase them? What specifications am I looking for in a watch band? Does it just need to say that it is 19mm?

[adam78]

Measure between the lugs. It should be easy to determine if it's 19mm or 20mm.

I've bought some very nice straps from John Putnam of coolvintagewatches.com.

Otherwise, you can check the 'bay for new or NOS ones of the width, color, and material you want. This deserves a nice shell cordovan, genuine ostrich, or reptile skin strap. I'd consider a tan ostrich, e.g., which would match the dial patina perfectly.

[TTmax]

.
It's 19mm for this 6552.

[Dukeuni]

Thanks for all of the help guys. I have tracked down a watch strap for the 1956 Air King with my wife's approval. My wife has a small wrist, and she believes this band will work. After trying it out with the watch we will see if we want to buy a butterfly deployment clip,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190374461204...#ht_500wt_1156

[adam78]

Great choice, and a very good seller. I've bought from him before.