Rolex Brand
Rolex Presents The New-Generation Oyster Perpetual Air-King
Luxferity, 05.10.2022
The sky’s the limit
A tribute to explorers of the skies, the Air-King celebrates the pioneers of aviation and invites wearers to take command of their own destiny.
Rolex is presenting the new-generation Oyster Perpetual Air-King. The watch features a completely redesigned case with a crown guard and straight sides like the majority of Professional category models. The proportions of the Oyster bracelet have also been revisited, and notably the centre link has been broadened. In a first for the model, it is equipped with an Oysterlock safety clasp. The watch’s display has also been refreshed and is perfectly balanced thanks to the addition of a ‘0’ before the ‘5’ on the minutes scale. Each five-minute interval is, therefore, now marked by two digits.
In addition, the new-generation Air-King benefits from an optimized Chromalight display, guaranteeing maximum legibility in dark conditions. The hands and triangular hour marker at 12 o’clock are filled or coated with a new luminescent material that provides a longerlasting intense glow. The 3, 6 and 9 numerals, which were previously made entirely from 18 ct white gold, are now also visible in the dark thanks to this innovative material, which is exclusive to Rolex.
The new-generation Air-King is equipped with calibre 3230, a movement at the forefront of watchmaking technology, enabling it to display the hours, minutes and seconds.
Like all Rolex watches, the Oyster Perpetual Air-King carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, which ensures excellent performance on the wrist.
A homage to aviation
The Air-King symbolizes the privileged relationship between Rolex and flying during the golden age of aviation in the 1930s. It pays tribute to the pilots of the era and the Oyster’s role in their epic story. The 1930s was a period when spectacular progress in aircraft performance constantly expanded humanity’s capacity to conquer the skies and led to the introduction of long-distance flights. Several pilots set records while wearing an Oyster. Others used a Rolex watch as an on-board chronometer, such as Owen Cathcart-Jones and Ken Waller, who, in 1934, made a return voyage from London (United Kingdom) to Melbourne (Australia) in record time with a twin-engine De Havilland Comet.
The name ‘Air-King’ has featured on the dial since its launch in 1958, in lettering that makes the model immediately recognizable. Since 2016, the Air-King has had a distinctive black dial with a combination of large 3, 6 and 9 numerals marking the hours and a prominent minutes scale for optimal navigational time readings. The green seconds hand echoes the brand’s emblematic colour.
The Oyster case, symbol of waterproofness
A paragon of robustness and reliability, the 40 mm Oyster case of the new-generation Air-King is guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet). Its middle case is crafted from a solid block of Oystersteel, a particularly corrosion-resistant alloy. The case back, edged with fine fluting, is hermetically screwed down with a special tool that allows only Rolex watchmakers to access the movement. The Twinlock winding crown, fitted with a double waterproofness system and protected by an integral crown guard, screws down securely against the case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire and benefits from an antireflective coating. The waterproof Oyster case provides optimum protection for the watch’s movement.
Perpetual calibre 3230
The new-generation Air-King is equipped with calibre 3230, a movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex that was released in 2020 and is fitted on this model from 2022. At the forefront of watchmaking technology, this self-winding mechanical movement led to the filing of several patents, and offers outstanding performance in terms of precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks and magnetic fields, convenience and reliability.
Calibre 3230 incorporates the patented Chronergy escapement, which combines high energy efficiency with great dependability. Made of nickel-phosphorus, it is also insensitive to magnetic fields. The movement is fitted with an optimized blue Parachrom hairspring, manufactured by Rolex in a paramagnetic alloy. The blue Parachrom hairspring is equipped with a Rolex overcoil, ensuring the calibre’s regularity in any position. The oscillator is fitted on the Rolex-designed, patented high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers, increasing the movement’s shock resistance.
Calibre 3230 is equipped with a self-winding module via a Perpetual rotor. Thanks to its barrel architecture and the escapement’s superior efficiency, the power reserve of calibre 3230 extends to approximately 70 hours.
Oyster bracelet and Oysterlock safety clasp
The new-generation Air-King is fitted with an Oyster bracelet. Developed at the end of the 1930s, this three-piece link bracelet remains the most universal bracelet in the Oyster Perpetual collection and is known for its robustness.
The Oyster bracelet on this new watch features the Rolex-designed, patented Oysterlock folding safety clasp, which prevents accidental opening. It is also equipped with the Easylink comfort extension link, developed by the brand, which allows the wearer to easily adjust the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm. In addition, a concealed attachment system ensures seamless visual continuity between the bracelet and case.
Superlative Chronometer certification
Like all Rolex watches, the Oyster Perpetual Air-King is covered by the Superlative Chronometer certification redefined by Rolex in 2015. This designation testifies that every watch leaving the brand’s workshops has successfully undergone a series of tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria, following the official certification of the movements by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). The in-house certification tests apply to the fully assembled watch, after casing the movement, guaranteeing superlative performance on the wrist in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness and selfwinding. The precision of a Rolex Superlative Chronometer is of the order of −2 /+2 seconds per day – the rate deviation tolerated by the brand for a finished watch is significantly smaller than that accepted by COSC for official certification of the movement alone.
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.
Technical Specification - Oyster Perpetual air-king
Case reference: 126900
Bracelet reference: 78JB20 Oyster
Category: Oyster Perpetual Professional
Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex certification after casing)
International five-year guarantee
Oyster Perpetual Air-King
Case
• Oyster (monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown)
Safety
• Integral crown guard
Diameter
• 40 mm
Material
• Oystersteel
Middle case
• Oystersteel, satin finish with polished sides
Bezel
• Oystersteel, smooth
Case back
• Oystersteel, solid, screw-down with fine fluting
Winding crown
• Twinlock in Oystersteel, screw-down, double waterproofness system
Crystal
• Scratch-resistant sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Waterproofness
• 100 metres (330 feet)
Movement
• Calibre 3230, Manufacture Rolex
• Mechanical movement with bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
Precision
• −2 /+2 sec./day, after casing
Functions
• Centre hour, minute and seconds hands
• Stop-seconds for exact time setting
Oscillator
• Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4 Hz)
• Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring
• Rolex overcoil
• Large balance wheel with variable inertia
• High-precision regulating via four gold
Microstella nuts
• Traversing balance bridge
• High-performance Paraflex shock absorbers
Escapement
• Chronergy with optimized energy efficiency
• Paramagnetic nickel-phosphorus pallet fork and escape wheel
Jewelling
• 31 rubies
Power reserve
• Approximately 70 hours
Dial
• Black lacquer
• 3, 6, 9 in 18 ct white gold, highly legible
Chromalight (long-lasting luminescence, blue glow)
• White transferred minutes numerals
• Triangular hour marker in 18 ct white gold at 12 o’clock, highly legible Chromalight (long-lasting luminescence, blue glow)
• Hands in 18 ct white gold, green lacquer seconds hand, highly legible Chromalight (long-lasting luminescence, blue glow)
Bracelet
• Oyster, three-piece solid links
• Oystersteel, satin finish with polished edges
• Oysterlock folding safety clasp
• Easylink comfort extension link (approx. 5 mm)
