{"product_id":"rolex-air-king-14000-tropical-dial-34mm-1996-box-papers","title":"Rolex Air-King 14000 'Tropical' Dial 34mm 1996 Box \u0026 Papers","description":"\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003eRolex Air-King 14000 'Tropical' Dial 34mm 1996 Box \u0026amp; Papers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCase and Bracelet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 34mm Oyster case is in excellent condition, and on this reference that grade carries more weight than it would on a sports model. The Air-King has a smooth bezel, which is the least forgiving surface Rolex fits. There are no graduations, no insert and no engraved scale to break up the light, just a plain polished ring where every contact mark sits in the open. A 14000 that still reads as excellent has avoided the knocks this reference records most visibly, and the case retains its profile with the lug edges defined rather than softened.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe bracelet is the Oyster with solid links, in very good condition with little to no stretch. Stretch is not the metal lengthening. The links pivot on pins, the pins and their seats wear fractionally with every movement of the wrist, and across three decades that accumulated clearance becomes the sag you feel when a bracelet is held at one end. Solid links resist that better than the folded construction of earlier eras, but thirty years is thirty years, so little to no stretch reflects careful ownership as much as it does construction. The bracelet tapers from 19mm at the lugs to 14mm at the clasp, which is why the watch wears lighter than its weight suggests.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDial and Hands\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe dial and hands are in excellent condition. The dial is free of marks, blemishes and lacquer damage across its full surface, the applied baton markers are secure and evenly set, and the printing is crisp and intact. As a 1996 watch the luminous material is tritium, which has long since ceased to perform, and it should be read as a visual element rather than a working one.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChronometry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe watch was demagnetised and tested on a Witschi WAIO, passing the chronometry stage. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcross four positions it ran -10.2 seconds per day dial up, -6.5 dial down, -6.0 at six up and -7.4 at twelve up, a mean of -7.5 with a positional delta of 4.1. Amplitude averaged 249.9 degrees with a spread of 36.4, and beat error held between 0.3 and 0.4 milliseconds.  A spread of 4.1 seconds per day from this calibre is a better result than its specification would predict. It is a thirty year old watch and should be kept dry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crown Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55182478639383,"sku":"Rolex Air-King 14000 'Tropical' Dial 34mm 1996 Box \u0026 Papers","price":6999.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0900\/8670\/3383\/files\/Rolex-Air-King-14000-Tropical-Dial-34mm-1996-Box-Papers-1.jpg?v=1789267268","url":"https:\/\/crownvintage.com.au\/products\/rolex-air-king-14000-tropical-dial-34mm-1996-box-papers","provider":"Crown Vintage Watches","version":"1.0","type":"link"}