May 2016

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King
It's good to be King!
Article By Steven R. Rochlin

  It is exciting to announce that the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King is back! The Air-King is a mechanical timepiece that perpetuates the aeronautical heritage of the original Rolex Oyster. The new Air-King, with a 40 mm case in 904L steel, features a distinctive black dial with a combination of large 3, 6 and 9 numerals marking the hours and a prominent minutes scale for navigational time readings. The dial bears the name Air-King in the same lettering that was designed specially for the model in the 1950s.

This re-imagined Air-King epitomizes Rolex's work within the aeronautics and aviation industry during the 1930s. It was a period when spectacular progress in aircraft performance constantly expanded humanity's ability to reach towards the skies. History buffs take note as in 1933 a Rolex Oyster watches accompanied the Houston Expedition as it made the first-ever flight over Mount Everest at an altitude exceeding 33,000 feet in extreme weather conditions. Today's modern Air-King pays tribute to the pioneers of flight and the Oyster's role in the epic story of aviation.

Rolex's Air-King Oyster case is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 330 feet with the help of a superb middle case crafted from a solid block of particularly corrosion-resistant 904L steel. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool that allows only Rolex watchmakers to access the movement. Fitted with the patented Rolex Twinlock double waterproofness system, the winding crown screws down securely against the case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire to ensure both waterproof and rugged durability with day-to-day use. Rolex's in-house high-precision 3131 movement is also fitted with a shield to protect against magnetic fields, a feature of pilots' watches of the past.

Rolex Air-King is equipped with calibre 3131, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. The oscillator, which is the heart of the watch, has a blue Parachrom hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the Parachrom hairspring offers great stability in the face of temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks. It is equipped with a Rolex overcoil, ensuring its regularity in any position. The escapement features a paramagnetic escape wheel made from a nickel-phosphorus alloy produced via UV-LiGA (micro-manufacturing by electroforming). Calibre 3131 is equipped with a self-winding module featuring a Perpetual rotor and boasts a power reserve of approximately 48 hours.

With a sturdy bracelet in mind, the Air-King is fitted on a solid-link Oyster bracelet in 904L steel with a folding Oysterclasp. This bracelet features the ingenious Rolex-patented Easylink rapid extension system that allows the wearer to easily increase the bracelet length by approximately 5mm, for additional comfort in any circumstance.

It takes precision to become airborn and Rolex's Air-King is covered by the Superlative Chronometer certification redefined by Rolex in 2015. This exclusive designation testifies that the watch has successfully undergone a series of tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria, which exceed CSOC standards. The certification applies to the fully assembled watch, after casing the movement, guaranteeing its superlative performance on the wrist in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness and self-winding. How precise? We're talking +/-2 seconds per day, which is more than twice the accuracy required of an official chronometer. The Superlative Chronometer status is symbolized by the green seal that comes with every Rolex watch and is coupled with an international five-year guarantee.

As Mel Brooks always says, "It's good to be King."

Manufacturer
Rolex
Website: www.Rolex.com