amanico
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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.
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
More posts:
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 ...
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
Isnt it also the only rolex with a yellow crown?
And also the only rolex with three different font colors on the dial?
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.
The splashes of color and lack of lume on 3,6 and 9 are part of the quirkiness that attracted me to it. Maybe the addition of the 0 to the 5 adds balance? The only thing I like for sure about
the new one is the longer PR. I just remember thinking why is that fun reasonably priced steel sport Rolex still in the case at this high traffic boutique? And then, if it's still there tomorrow I'm buying it! Thanks for reminding me to get mine out to we...
No, I was just describing how things went when I bought the original version that I own. Not even sure why I took that pic of the new one in that boutique window the other day.
I didn't even notice that they made changes! Oblivious to details!
Strong love for this watch.
It was my present for his 18th birthday. He later said to me: "Dad, this is the best present I have ever received." 🙏 He wears the watch day and night. ...
A world traveler. A unique style from then traditions of Rolex.
Lovely to see the little princess who must be all grown up now. Precious.
Great bday post
And watch, I share your sentiment to the 11 version of this "odd" Rolex.
one of the Unrolex Rolex...
Although there were very good functional improvements on the 2nd version, I love the first version just for the case - we don't have anymore the rounded case of Rolex (if I'm right not even in DJ36). Best, mahesh.,
