The Air-King is hands down, one of my favorite watches from Rolex. I’ve owned the ref. 114200 since around 2017, which I bought while visiting Milan in my late 20s. The Air-King has always been a sort of black sheep in the Rolex lineup. It’s not a purely classic Oyster Perpetual, and to me, it’s also not a pure sports watch like a chronograph or dive watch would be considered. This is an offering from Rolex that lets you be unique. The Oyster Perpetual 36mm is a fine watch, but it’s sterile, with its differentiation usually only being dial color (ignoring the recent, and very limited celebration dials). The Air-King has always been the one that offers playfulness in terms of its markers, indices (sometimes applied sometimes not), and dial finish which could range from lacquered to sunburst in a variety of colors.
The new Air-King 126900 which I’ve personally been wearing and testing for the past few weeks, and admiring since the launch of the nearly identical 116900 in 2022, is a solidification of this theory. No longer is it offered in the same case shape as the Oyster Perpetual, and no longer does it share any similarities to any Rolex ever created with its dial. The Air-King is now its own breed of watch, and has drastically changed shape and ideology since its inception as a British air-force pilots watch back in 1945.
Improvements From the Past
Pre 2022, the Air-King has always been a 34mm watch, with some enthusiasts decrying the idea that it was just too small for a modern watch. The smaller case shape was a functional feature for pilots, who required freedom and ease of wrist movement while navigation an aircraft usually in stressful situations. The new Air-King is now offered only in a 40mm case size, a significant jump in size, which can be attributed to its newly designated influence as a modern day “land speed watch”. This is because the Air-King has at least been partially designed to honor the Bloodhound LSR, a British designed land vehicle capabale of travelling up to speeds of 1000mph.
The case shape and size is now nearly identical to the modern Rolex Submariner, with some calling it a “super-case”. It has that now iconic slab like appearance from the side, and has even adopted an identical crown and crown guards. Of course, looking at the watch, you will see that it has retained its skinny high polished stainless steel bezel, but instead of domed it’s now flat or slanted in appearance just like on the Rolex Explorer I. The 126900 is now a full on sports watch in appearance, no longer does it fit as a bridge between classic and sporty in Rolex’s catalogue.
With a larger case size comes a larger bracelet, which has now grown to 21mm in width due to the increased gap between the lugs. The combination of all these factors gives the ref. 126900 a tremendously different, and larger, fit on wrist than its predecessor.
Daily Wearing
The older 34mm Air-King, which I wore daily for 3 years from 2017 until about 2020, and still wear occasionally today, was without a doubt the most comfortable Rolex, or watch of any type, that I’ve ever had the pleasure to own. With the new dimensional updates on the ref. 126900, this has now drastically changed. While the watch is still incredibly comfortable to wear, perhaps on par with a Submariner or the new larger 40mm Explorer, it’s nowhere near the set it and forget comfort level from the previous model. The older 34mm Air-King can at times disappear from your wrist in terms of feel, it was the ultimate daily wear watch. This is no longer the case with the now larger and modernized Air-King.
What has changed positively in terms of daily wearing the new reference is perhaps its presence on wrist, and its highly unique and captivating dial. The watch is certainly going to turn more heads, as the size attracts just a little more attention. The dial is going to keep you gazing, trying to catch some of that Rolex green that’s been baked into the long slender lollypop seconds hand and even the Rolex logo at 12 o’clock.
Standout Dial
Lets not lie to ourselves, the clear standout design feature, and probably most drastic and divisive update to the Air-King is its dial. It’s now offered in the one configuration that you see here in the photos of this review, a conglomeration of traditional Rolex colors, applied in a non-traditional way. As mentioned above, the seconds hand and Rolex logo are now green, and to add to that – the Rolex crown insignia on the dial is bright yellow.
The numeral layout of the dial is strikingly different from the norm, with double digit painted on numerals and larger sized applied 3, 6, and 9 lume filled arabic numerals. Looking up close reveals an overwhelming amount of information, but as you zoom out and observe from a normal time reading distance with the watch on wrist, the complexity softens. The layout of the dial mimics the layout of the speed cluster on the Bloodhound LSR vehicle, which I think is a really cool concept, and one that many in the watch industry could not have guessed was coming in 2022. The font of the classic “air-king” text remains the same partial cursive, but it’s now been moved down lower on the dial closer to 6 o’clock. I love the new dial, but I also understand it’s divisive, with many preferring a traditional look to their watches. This new look here is far from traditional, leaning towards exciting, experimental, and almost in a way “unpredictable” – in a very non-Rolex fashion.
Movement
The movement in this watch is the calibre 3230, a nice upgrade from the previous generation ref. 116900 with the calibre 3130. The movement change brings with it an increased power reserve of 70 hours and a newer escapement. I noticed right away, just by hand winding the watch, that the movement felt smoother, and more attuned with the larger size of watch this modern Air-King has become. As usual the movement remains a superlative chronometer, having been tested after assembly to meet the required standards.
Gathered Thoughts
This is an excellent watch for someone who wants a sporty Rolex, but also prefers to veer away from the norm. The Air-King has now transitioned into a full fledge sports model, and brings with it a very unique offering with its unusual dial. The increase in size now also shifts it into a more mainstream segment of watch wearers, leaving behind its team of “small watch” enthusiasts and breaking into the style of “one size fits all”, which Rolex has perfected over the years.
The specs need not even be mentioned, the oyster case provides the traditional excellent water resistance of 330 feet, bolstered by the screw down crown. Legibility is also great, with the white on black layout and fun pops of color. If someone has not fallen too deep into the realms of Rolex collecting with the likes of the bread and butter offerings such as the Submariner and the Daytona, the Air-King is an absolutely outstanding option to start your foray into the world’s most well known and loved watch brand.
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