A handsome and very rare, early, stainless steel Rolex Air King model. This example features a glossy silvery/white dial, set with these unusual silver, arrow head, applied hour markers with longer ones at the three, six and nine o'clock positions. The black serif printed text is all original to the watch, and not reprinted. Plus, the minimal three lines of printing, limited only to the top of the dial, makes it all the more appealing. The overall appearance of this watch is so simple and clean.
All of the original Radium luminous plots are present, as is most of the lume in the dauphine hands, which glow evenly under UV light. The center sweep is a very handsome blued steel that looks gorgeous gently gliding over the creamy, glossy dial. The dial is stamped simply "Swiss" at the six o'clock position, pre-Tritium, hence Radium luminous material was used in these early models, to be replaced around 1963.
The "Air" series from Rolex came to pass as a result of Mr. Hans Wilsdorf's, the founder of Rolex, deep admiration for the pilots of the RAF, and the sacrifices made during WWII, and the fact that many had chosen to wear his watches. Even if they were issued with other manufacturers watches by the M.O.D. Rolex introduced a number of "Air" branded watches; "Air Giant", "Air Lion","Air Tiger" and this the "Air King". The "Air King" is perhaps the best known model in this series, and the only one that has stood the test of time, still featuring in the Rolex stable today. This model, the 5500, was initially launched by Rolex in 1957, making this example one of the very first ever produced in a lineage that ran until 1988.
The watch is powered by the automatic caliber 1560. The Rolex Caliber 1560 was introduced in 1959.It was the first movement in the second generation of the 1500 series calibers.The 1560 was used until 1965.In the early days of the company, Rolex sourced the intricate movements that powered their watches from the likes of Aegler, one of Switzerland’s finest watchmakers. It wasn’t until 1957 that they developed their own truly in-house movement, this the 1500 series. This reliable and successful caliber also found itself in the early Explorer 1 and 5512 model Submariner's, making it a mainstay for the company for a long period of time.
As aforementioned, this reference was introduced in 1957 by Rolex, with this example having417xxx serial number, dates to being manufactured circa 1959. The case measures close to 34mm (not including the crown) which is also the same size case used in the Rolex Date model. The watch comes on an early riveted stainless steel Oyster style bracelet, which is in good condition, with little to no 'sag', and is date stamped '19682', for the second quarter of that year. This makes it earlier to the watch, but correct aesthetically for the period. The inside of the case back is also stamped '1958 IV' a long with the reference number, 5500.
This is a very early and superb example from the Air King series. These dials very rarely come up, and when they have surfaced they are never in this kind of condition. The case is presented in very good condition. It has seen light polishing over the years, but all of the edges remain strong, and the lugs still thick.
