The Air-King is the workhorse of the Rolex catalog and the entry point for generations of new collectors. Introduced in 1945 to honor RAF pilots, it spent most of its life as a 34mm no-date Oyster with an interchangeable rotor bar—the 5500 ran from 1957 to 1989 and represents one of the longest-lived references in Rolex history. Early 5500s wore beautiful glossy dials with applied Explorer-style 3-6-9 markers and stand as some of the most quietly elegant vintage Rolexes at accessible prices. The 2016 116900 broke tradition entirely: a 40mm case, black dial with mixed 3-6-9 and full Arabic minute track, and a Milgauss-derived anti-magnetic movement. Collectors are divided; historians know the 5500 is the real Air-King.
← The Rolex Directory
Model
Rolex Air-King
The Oyster in its simplest, most affordable form.
- Introduced
- 1945
- Case sizes
- 34mm · 40mm (2016+)
- Notable references
- 550014000114200116900
What to watch for
Service dials on 5500s (originals have specific tritium patina), and 34mm cases refinished into a rounded profile.