Rolex Air-King-Date Ref. 5700, ca. 1977

Identity

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King-Date Ref. 5700, ca. 1977. Calibre 1575 automatic movement. Oyster steel case, 34 mm diameter, signed screw-down crown. Smooth steel bezel. Silver sunburst dial, applied baton indexes, steel baton hands, date window at 3 with cyclops. Plexiglas crystal. Rolex steel Oyster bracelet and signed deployant clasp.

Horological context

The Air King was introduced by Rolex in 1945 with the Ref. 4925, in tribute to the British pilots of the Royal Air Force engaged in the Battle of Britain. It extended the line of aviator watches launched by Rolex in the early 1940s — Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant. It was succeeded by the Ref. 6552 (1953-1957), then the Ref. 5500 (1957-1989), which marked the commercial maturity of the model with its 34 mm Oyster steel case, smooth bezel, sober dial and automatic movement. The Ref. 5700, the Air-King-Date variant produced in parallel, integrated the date function at 3 o'clock. The line continued with the Ref. 14000 introduced in 1989 and the Ref. 114200 launched in 2007.

Character

Silver sunburst dial with applied baton indexes, applied Rolex crown logo. Oyster bracelet reference 78350 with 557 endlinks, consistent with the period.

Serviced watch. Very good condition. Delivered with the brand box and the Contre-Temps 24-month warranty certificate.