Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Pink Diamond Dial and Diamond Bezel 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm X Diameter 35m...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Made Green Dial and Diamond Markers circa 1970s
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air-King / Reference 5500/1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 38mm X Diamete...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Black Finish and Custom Made Dial circa 1960's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Oyster Perpetual / Reference 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1960's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm x Diam...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Black Finish and Custom Made Dial circa 1960's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Oyster Perpetual / Reference 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1960's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm x Diam...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with Custom Mother of Pearl Diamond Dial, 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Co. STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 44 x Diameter 34mm MOVEMENT...
Diamond, Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with a Custom Finished Beige Dial Late 1960's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500 / 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: Late 1960's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 38mm x ...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with a Custom Finished Hot Pink Dial 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Oyster Perpetual 5500 / 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: 38mm x 34mm MOVEMENT / ...
Rolex Steel Air King with Black Finish and Custom Made Dial, circa 1960's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Oyster Perpetual / Reference 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1960's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm x Diam...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Made Pink Dial and Diamond Bezel circa, 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air-King / Reference 5500/1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 38mm X Diamete...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with Custom M.O.P Blue Dial circa 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm "Lug Tip to Lu...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Made Pink Dial and Diamond Markers circa 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air-King / Reference 5500/1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 38mm X Diamete...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with Custom M.O.P Gray Dial circa 1980's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1980's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm "Lug Tip to Lu...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with Custom M.O.P Pink Dial circa 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm "Lug Tip to Lu...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Oyster Perpetual Air King Custom M.O.P. Diamond Dial, circa 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Oyster Perpetual Air King / Reference 5500 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 40...
Steel
Rolex Steel Air King With Custom Blue Diamond Dial and Diamond Bezel ca 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm X Diameter 35m...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Green Roman Dial And Diamond Bezel ca 1960's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500-1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1960's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39m X Diameter...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Made Pink Dial and Diamond Bezel circa, 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air-King / Reference 5500/1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 38mm X Diamete...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Made Pink Dial and Diamond Bezel circa 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air-King / Reference 5500/1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 38mm X Diamete...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King With Custom Dark Green Dial and Solid Link Bracelet 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air-King / Reference 5500 / 1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: 39mm Length X 34mm ...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with a Custom Red Dial and Original Oyster Bracelet Mid 60s
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: Mid 1960's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 40mm x Diameter...
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom Made M.O.P Pink Diamond Dial and Diamond Bezel
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500-1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 40mm "Lug Tip ...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Air King with Custom M.O.P Diamond Dial and Diamond Bezel 1980's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500-1002 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1980's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 39mm "Lug Tip ...
Stainless Steel
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with Custom Made Green Dial from 1960's and 70's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1960's/1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 40mm X Diame...
Rolex Steel Datejust with Custom Made Mother of Pearl Diamond Dial, 1970's
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
This is a perfect watch for any occasion, and it is sure to be a cherished heirloom for years to come. This classic vintage Rolex Air King has a custom made Mother of Pearl diamond ...
Diamond, Stainless Steel
Rolex Steel Oyster Perpetual Air King with Custom Dial, circa 1970s
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
LIFETIME SERVICE COMMITMENT This classic vintage Rolex Air King has a custom made dark red dial, made to Rolex of Switzerland specifications.
Rolex Stainless Steel Air King with Custom Made Pink Dial, circa 1970s
By Rolex
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Rolex Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Air King / Reference 5500 METAL / MATERIAL: Stainless Steel CIRCA / YEAR: 1970's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 40mm X Diameter 34m...
Stainless Steel
While the rise in popularity of vintage Rolex watches is of no surprise to aficionados, collectors and industry experts, when it comes to contemporary luxury wristwatches, Rolex is also often the first brand that springs to mind. Not only is the company revered for its precision timekeeping and impeccable craftsmanship, but its name was designed to be memorable.
Rolex's enviable worldwide recognition can be credited in part to the genius of company founder Hans Wilsdorf. When the German-born watch dealer and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, set up their London enterprise, in 1905, they called it Wilsdorf & Davis, according to the traditional formula.
But Wilsdorf was determined to come up with another name that was short, would look good on a watch dial and was easy to say and remember in several languages. In 1908, he trademarked the name Rolex, and by 1920, he had moved the company to Geneva and redubbed it as Montres Rolex S.A.
But the main reasons for the brand’s success are its aforementioned commitment to precision and unflagging pursuit of innovation. In 1926, the company introduced the aptly named Oyster model. With a screw-down crown and case back, both fitted with rubber gaskets, this was the first truly waterproof watch.
Five years later, Rolex upped the ante with the Oyster Perpetual. That model’s patented Perpetual movement contained a rotor mechanism enabling it to self-wind. In another trendsetting move, in 1945, the brand debuted the Datejust, with a date window prominently displayed on the dial.
The company’s two most iconic models are sports watches. Although the Submariner, which debuted in 1953, was developed as a dive watch, its waterproof case, solid construction and good looks made it a favorite of adventurers and urbanites alike, including James Bond, who wore it in classics like Dr. No and Goldfinger. The Daytona, the racing chronograph made famous by Paul Newman, is especially sought after by collectors. Newman’s personal Daytona, which hit the auction block in 2017, sold for $17.8 million.
Find vintage Rolex watches, bracelets and more on 1stDibs.
Antique, vintage and luxury wristwatches have captured the hearts and minds of all manner of watch collectors as well as the watchmakers themselves — it's time you found your own.
Certain vintage watches for men and iconic watch designs for women are sought after not only because of their graceful proportions or innovative materials but also because of the illustrious histories of the houses that created them, histories that they stylishly embody.
Bulgari’s legendary Serpenti watch was on everyone’s list after the collection’s bold bracelet, which technically debuted after the timepiece, graced the wrist of actress Elizabeth Taylor. If anything, elaborately crafted timepieces — the unmistakably boxy silhouette of Cartier Tank watches, the elegant and minimal Calatrava designed by legendary Swiss house Patek Philippe — are even more effective than the shape we associate with traditional wristwatches.
Form watches — the all-encompassing moniker bestowed upon non-round watches — are making headlines and completing contemporary fashionable ensembles the world over. At the same time, both casual fans and careful collectors are drawn to the unbeatable charm of vintage styles, such as the icons designed by Omega that even James Bond can’t resist.
In the early days of watchmaking, watches were fragile enough that they necessitated protection from the elements. Now, wristwatches made of gold and steel can withstand the harshest climates — even 100 meters underwater, in the case of Rolex’s Submariner. Designer Gérald Genta, whose range of clients included Rolex, created for Audemars Piguet the first luxury sports timepiece to be made from stainless steel. First introduced in 1972, the Royal Oak was a perfect choice for blending the form and function that are now synonymous with sports watches.
Are you shopping for a wristwatch? It’s good to keep your needs as well as your specific personal style in mind: A smaller, subtle timepiece is a good fit for small wrists. When will you be wearing your new accessory? There’s a versatile model out there for everyday wear, while a rugged, feature-heavy watch is a safe bet if you’re prone to embarking on all-weather activities in the great outdoors.
Find antique, vintage and luxury wristwatches for sale on 1stDibs.
A fresh palette of dial colors and technological advances have elevated this classic watch model.
The watch has transformed several times over, but it’s still undeniably a classic.
This is perhaps the least subtle version of the Submariner.
If you think this looks like the Rolex Kermit, you're correct.
This model was designed for lefties.
Learn the devious techniques that counterfeiters use to sell inauthentic pieces at authentic prices. Of course, you don't have to worry about that on 1stDibs, where every seller of Rolex watches is highly vetted.
From understanding the models to choosing among vintage, pre-owned and new watches, here’s our expert advice on finding the best Rolex for you.
As the cache goes on display at London’s Design Museum, we speak to its enigmatic owner about some of his rarest acquisitions.