The provenance of the Rolex Air-King-Date (AKD) is based on the Rolex Air-King, a non-date, manual-wind precursor that evolved into an automatic. Rolex was a favourite watch for long distance aviators prior to WWII and became the the watch of choice for fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain era. This influenced Hans Wilsdorf (founder of Rolex), who chose to honour these flyers with a new line of manual wind Oysters with names such as Air Tiger, Air Lion, Air Giant and Air King. These watches were produced from about 1958 to the early 1960s. Eventually, only the Air King remained, and later gained an automatic movement. The Air-King has the same movement as the non-date Submariner and the Explorer I, but it is not COSC certified. The AKD uses a 1520 caliber, 5700 or 5701 movement with 26 jewels and is protected from shock by the Incabloc system. Some AKDs were fitted with the 1530 or 1535 caliber, though these are rare. Typically the AKD is also marked with "Precision", though some models are marked, "Super Precision".
The AKD is typically a round Oyster Perpetual in stainless steel. The watch has a screw down crown, and is automatic (self-winding). It was produced during two separate periods: in the 50s and later in the late 60s. However, some sources say continuously from the late 50's to early 80's. The AKD is one of Rolex’s strange marketing ideas: it was sold in Commonwealth countries only. It is slightly larger and more unusual than the more common Air King (the non-date Air-King is the same size as Rolex Date and Precision). The case dimensions for the AKD are 35mm x 42mm from lug to lug. Also reported are a width of 34 mm excluding crown, and 36.5 mm including the crown, with a thickness of 11 mm. The AKD is a very wearable and practical watch; bi-color versions may be more collectible. Dials are typically a fine silvery-gray linen, or silver, or black. Most AKD's have tritium-illuminated batons. The Rolex Explorer Date is a rarely seen version of the Air King Date that shares the same model numbers.
| Make:
|
ROLEX |
| Style: |
Unusual Oyster Perpetual Air-King-Date |
|
Shape/Ref#: |
Round / 5700 |
| Circa: |
1967 |
| Metal: |
Stainless Steel |
| Case: |
Excellent Condition Original: Crystal; Crown; |
| Movement: |
Excellent Condition 26 Jewels Caliber 1520 Incabloc System Capped Escape Wheel Oyster Perpetual |
| Dial:
|
Original Excellent Condition Applied Baton Markers |
|
Hands:
|
Original With Luminous Batons |
| Strap/Attachment: |
19mm New Hand Made Italian Strap. |
| Guarantee: |
This watch was professionally serviced recently and comes with a one year guarantee. |
| Case
Dimensions: |
35mm x 42mm lug to lug |
| 6WAT Results |
80.56 (Vintage Typical) |
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| Additional
Information: |
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