THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 14000M
YEAR: 2001
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES
CASE DIAMETER: 34MM
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

The Air-King was, for many years, Rolex’s entry-level, time-only watch, originally created in honour of RAF pilots after World War II. The Rolex Air-King was part of an obscure group of “Air” watches made by the brand throughout the 1940s, including the Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air-Giant.

Outlasting its peers, the reference 5500 Air-King was eventually introduced in 1957, serving as one of the core pieces of Rolex’s simple (yet robust) time-only collection. Based on its popularity, Rolex later added the Air-King-Date in 1958 (as the reference 5700), equipping it with Rolex’s calibre 1535 and a date function.

Although never the poster child, the Air-King quietly remained in the Rolex line-up through to the present day, evolving through many forms, including this lovely 34 mm time-only ref. 14000M with a silver dial. Powered by the calibre 3130, this 2001 example features a 34 mm case, smooth bezel, and Oyster bracelet, paired with a lovely silver dial. The watch has been polished before but remains strong, and the Super-LumiNova dial is perfect.

The movement came to us in perfect health, running at +1 s/d, with 301 amplitude and a 0.1 ms beat error. The watch comes complete with its original boxes, booklet, wallet, translation papers, and original guarantee. A beautiful summer watch that looks good on anyone’s wrist.