When it comes to Rolex, you won’t think of the words’ unusual ‘or’ peculiar ‘. Nowadays, the brand is known for its minimalist and precise design. However, there are always exceptions. The Air King and Milgauss grid magnetic models are likely the most “unique” series in the Rolex product catalog. The Air Overlord is one of the oldest Rolex product lines, and the plate is also adorned with a brand logo. However, for some reason, its marketing efforts and market popularity seem to be inferior to other series. But then again, the Air King watch is still worth buying and will make you stand out.
The story of the Air Overlord begins in 1945, when Hans Welsdorf’s idea was to create a product line tailored directly for pilots. In the turbulent era of World War II, many pilots began to wear watches, especially Rolex oyster watches. In the aviation industry, watches are not only used for timing, but also very helpful for navigation and various calculations. Therefore, various pilot watches have densely marked scales on their dials. But at that time, the pilot’s watch only had a three pin function. rolex replica
The first generation model of the Air Overlord is Ref.4925, which belongs to the “Air” series along with the Air Giant, Air Lion, and Air Tiger. Eighty years later, these watches have become rare collectibles and are now difficult to find on the market. Ref.4925 is very similar to the Bubblebacks of the same period, with a milky white dial and Arabic numeral time scale. The crown is much smaller, and the markings on the dial are also very concise. For several years, the Air Overlord model has always been a derivative of the oyster style, with roughly the same aesthetics, all equipped with manual winding movements. In 1953, the series began to establish its own design language. Ref.6652 has abandoned Arabic numerals and replaced them with the Barton time mark, and the crown symbol has also been moved to a familiar location.
The most important model is likely the 1957 Ref.5500, which had a production and sales period of 32 years. The Ref.5500 features a 34mm oyster shaped steel case, equipped with a three bead chain, and equipped with either a Calibre 1520 movement or a Calibre 1530 movement, making it an iconic example of the air dominance. So, how do you distinguish between styles with Calibre 1520 movement and Calibre 1530 movement? The simplest way is to look at the dial. The Ref.5500 style is minimalist, with only a few lines of text on the panel. If marked with “Precision”, it means it is equipped with Calibre 1520 movement; If labeled “Super precision”, it means it is equipped with the Calibre 1530 movement. As an entry-level Rolex watch model, the Air Overlord model has never been certified as a “Chaozhuo Observatory Precision Hour Meter” before. Interestingly, the Ref.5500 is the first Rolex watch to feature an autonomous movement. During the 32 year production and sales period, the Ref.5500 has also made subtle improvements, mainly in terms of visual aspects. For example, for well-known reasons, fluorescent materials change from radium to tritium. rolex replica watches
In 1989, Rolex finally released a new iteration of the Air Overlord model. The Ref.14000 is equipped with a brand new sapphire crystal mirror, and its panel layout is similar to the current Air Overlord model. The positions at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock are marked with extra large Arabic numerals, and the middle is adorned with a Barton time mark. In addition, a pure Barton time standard version is also available. The Ref.14000 is equipped with a Calibre 3000 movement with a vibration frequency of 4 Hz and has 42 hours of power storage. During the same period, the Air Overlord also introduced the “Engine Turned” bezel. In 2001, Rolex upgraded the Calibre 3000 movement to the Calibre 3130 movement. The latter is equipped with Parachrom hairspring, which increases power storage to 48 hours.
To Buywatchuk.com