Rolex Air-King
 The Rolex Air-King ref. 126900 in production from 2022 | |
| Manufacturer | Rolex |
|---|---|
| Type | Automatic |
| Display | Analogue |
| Introduced | 1945 |
The Rolex Air-King is a line of self-winding mechanical watches produced by Rolex. Introduced in 1945, the Air-King was developed as part of Rolex's post-war aviation themed watched and became the only model from that series to remain in production.
History
Rolex watches were valued by members of the Royal Air Force during World War II, with many opting to privately purchase the watches which were not standard commission to pilots. To recognise and capitalise on their popularity, Rolex founder, Hans Wildorf, instructed the creation of a series of 'Air' models which prioritised legibility.
The original series included the Air-King, alongside the Air Lion, Air Tiger, and Air Giant. Whilst these models were slowly dropped from the catalogue, the Air-King has remained in near continuous production since, with only a short break from 2014 to 2018[1][2]
Bloodhound SSC
In 2018, Rolex re-introduced the Air-King model. Unlike previous versions which had been 34mm or smaller, the 116900 Air-King was 40mm in diameter and shared a case with the then current Rolex Milgauss.
The dial was designed as an homage to the chronograph counter Rolex had designed and manufactured for the Bloodhound SSC, a vehicle designed to break the world land speed record, as their official timing partner.[2][3]
Variants
The Air-King 5500 was sold by the NAAFI featuring an 'Explorer' name on the dial, instead of 'Air-King', although this is considered a distinct model from the Rolex Explorer.[2]
From 1977, until the early 2000s, Dominos rewarded franchise owners with Air-Kings which featured either engravings or special dials which featured the company's logo.[4][5][6]
References
- ↑ Sims, Josh (2024-05-23). Little Book of Rolex: The story behind the iconic brand. Headline. ISBN 978-1-80279-760-2.
- 1 2 3 Dowling, James (2025-10-16). The Rolex Legacy: The history of Rolex through 120 seminal and rare watches. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78840-637-6.
- ↑ "Bloodhound Diary: Precision and accuracy". BBC News. 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- ↑ "Buying, Selling, & Collecting: The Domino's Rolex Air-King With A Slice Of Pizza". Hodinkee. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- ↑ Hranek, Matt (2017-10-31). A Man & His Watch: Iconic Watches and Stories from the Men Who Wore Them. Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-57965-819-9.
- ↑ "How Rolex's Unlikely Collab Watch With Domino's Pizza Became a Cult Classic". Esquire. 2025-07-17. Retrieved 2026-07-09.