Rolex Air King 116 900 6th Anniversary.
The Rolex Air King was issued in 2016 and discontinued in 2022, to be replaced by the Air King 126 900, basically adding a protection to the crown, a Zero before the " 5 " minute marker, luminous in the 3 / 6 / 9 applied hour markers ( called Chromalight ) and different movement, the Cal 3230 which offers a power reserve of 70 hours, versus 48 hours for the Cal 3131.
Road Trip to Center of France, 2021:
The Air King 116 900 versus the new Air King 126 900:
I remember the lukewarm welcome the Rolex Air King 116900 received in 2016. I was among the first lovers of this reference, and it took me two years to find mine. You know what happened to my first Air King bought in February 2018, and how I got ( a gift from our Community ) my second to replace it... Which makes this watch even more special to me.
The 2022 edition didn't kill my love for my Air King. Of course, there are some improvements I like a lot on the new model, such as the improved movement and the luminous 3 / 6 / 9. The extra Zero at 5 o'clock doesn't disturb me that much and there is one thing I am not a fan of, the crown protection which ruins the purity of the case. In fact, there is only one thing I miss about mine, the absence of lume in the 3 / 6 / 9 applied indices. I would have even gone farther: I would have put luminous material on ALL the indices!
In fact, the real thing is that the first generation is much closer to the now discontinued Milgauss, or the Explorer while the new one is closer to any other " Professional " offer, the Submariner the GMT MASTER and so on... It is, the new one, losing its specificity.
The Air King is one of the few modern models from Rolex which is unconventional, off the beaten paths, with a touch of madness and youth, a kind of lovely problem child. A strong personality, mainly due to its dial, its unique blend of hour and minute markers, the splashes of colors with these touches of yellow and green and its hidden virtue, an amagnetic watch, resisting to 1000 gauss.
And when I look back, this is one of the ten watches I wear the most. Here are some postcards from these last 5 years.
Valencia, 2018:
Morocco, 2018:
Neuchatel, 2018, on my way to visit Omega:
Corsica, 2019:
Road Trip to Center of France, 2021:
St Nectaire, 2021:
Normandy, Easter 2022:
Andalucia, Summer 2022:
And some pictures from 2023:
As you can see, I brought it with me everywhere, a " zero fear only pleasure " watch.
All these moments spent together, all these written pages are also contributing to the huge love I feel for this watch. That's why this is a keeper for me.
Happy Birthday, my dear Air King.
Best,
Nicolas
Strong love vibes going on *playing LOVE BOAT theme in background* 😁
Seriously, it's a great reference! From all the ROLEX steel models, it would (still) be my pick as well!
Keep lovin', Alex
Keep lovin', Alex
And when I remember the lukewarm welcome it received in 2016... I am quite happy to see that it gained its fans.
Great thread and photographs. I love corkyness of the Air King. Steel robust case , no polished links, and 3 colours on the dial. Very polarizing indeed.
Thats why we love AirKings !
Probably the last one from Rolex stables. I could add Exp 2 , but i am not caveman . I see myself rather as flyier 😀 lol
Isnt it also the only rolex with a yellow crown?
And also the only rolex with three different font colors on the dial?
Just pulled out the sea dweller out of the box then you come up with this nice post. Now, i have to return it and wear the AK instead :p
Great post
Nico, that’s for writing and sharing, looking forward to more AK adventures in the future too. Mine says Hi
A K
Stunning pictures and a great watch. One of my grandsons is wearing my AK presently. Be well and best to you my friend.
