Video comparison between the Rolex Air-King, reference number 116900, versus the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, reference number 114300. We’ll be going over the price, dial, bezel, case, crown, bracelet, clasp, and we’ll talk about the movement towards the end of the video.
Compare Prices: |
More Videos: |
Comparison Transcript: Rolex Air-king 116900 vs Rolex Oyster Perpetual 114300
Video comparison between the Rolex Air-King, reference number 116900, versus the Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference number 114300. We’ll be going over the price, dial, bezel, case, crown, bracelet, clasp, and we’ll talk about the movement towards the end of the video. As of April 2017, you can get the Air-King at the authorized Rolex retailer for 6,200 dollars, or you can get it for as low as 5,700 dollars at JazTime. For the Oyster Perpetual, you can get this at an authorized Rolex retailer for 5,700 dollars, or you can get it at JazTime for as low as 4,600 dollars. As we go through the differences between each watch, we’ll see if we can justify the difference in pricing between these two watches
Air-King black Dial or Oyster Perpetual’s dark rhodium Dial
So to start, let’s go ahead and jump right in to the dials. For the dials, we have the Air-King on the left, has a Arabic numeral dial with loom at the 12 o’clock position with the large triangle. Large luminescent triangle at the 12 o’clock position fashioned in 18 karat white gold. The hands, we have the Mercedes hands, and the standard minute hand. And the second hand has a small circular lume on it as well. And those all glow in the dark for up to eight hours.
Specifically for the Air-King, the lume on the Air-King will be a blueish color, whereas for the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, we have loom three, six and nine position with the index. The hands have that lume as well, but the second hand is purely 18 karat white gold, so there will be obviously no lume on that. But the lume on the, the lume on the Oyster Perpetual is actually super luminova so the lume on that will be green, whereas the Air-King uses a highly legible Chromalight Display. Which is a blue color.That’s the lume on the Oyster Perpetual, you can see that nice green. And that’s the lume on the Air-King, has that beautiful blue.
Unfortunately, don’t wanna get them too close together. But you can see the difference between the two glows. So of course, always up to preference. Oyster Perpetual has index markers. The text has slight differences, we just have the Rolex Oyster Perpetual in the white with the Superlative Chronometer certification at the bottom. Whereas the Air-King we have the Rolex Crown and obviously in the yellow with the Rolex name in a green colored font and the Air-King written at the six o’clock position. And that’s actually a throwback to the original Air-King in the 1950’s so they kept that same font. They’ve wrote the Air-King back then as well. Just small little details.
Air-King Anti-Magnetic Case vs Oyster Perpetual Steel Case
For the cases, there’s not too much of a difference in the case size. And when we refer to the diameter of the case, the Rolex Air-King, from my index finger to my thumb here is 40 mm in diameter. Index finger to my thumb on the Oyster Perpetual is 39 mm. The main difference here, is the profiles of the case. So I’ll go ahead and show you these side by side. Is the side profiles of the case. Kay. There we are. And the reason why there’s a difference on the size of the cases. The actual measurements, is that the Oyster Perpetual is approximately 11.35 mm in, rather in thickness. Whereas the Air-King is about two millimeters bigger, around 13.25 or so millimeters in thickness.
The reason for that, is you can actually see the difference just from the southern portion of where the case back is. And that’s because that the Air-King actually two cases. There’s the outer case and there’s an inner case as well. Whereas the Oyster Perpetual only has one casing. And that has to do with the movement of the Air-King. We’ll actually talk more about that when we get to the movement. But for now, lets go ahead and compare the other side of the case. The other side of the case. The main difference is that the crown, obviously on the Air-King is a little bit larger than the Oyster Perpetual’s crown, as I said. Because the case is larger on the Air-King.
Crown Comparison: Air-King vs Oyster Perpetual
Now we’ll go over the function, I will go ahead and demonstrate to you how to use their crown. We have many YouTube videos demonstrating how to use the crown. But specifically, they both have the same functions. Their both screw down, twin lock, water-proofness systems that unscrew counter clockwise. And can be used to set the date, and wind the watch as well. Or rather, manually wind the watch. And both of these watches have a water resistance up to 100 meters or 330 feet.
904L Steel Oyster Bracelet Comparison: Air-King vs Oyster Perpetual
So for the the bracelets of the watch. They’re pretty much the same thing. The bracelets have a, they both utilize a brush 904L steel. Let me go ahead and adjust this. So they both utilize a brush 904L steel. No high polish, only on the sides of the links, as you can see there, is a oyster bracelet. Even down to the clasp, they’re pretty much the same as well. They’re both the same style clasp. You pop these out. And they even have the same Rolex name embossed on the clasp blade. So you can see it there.
Comparison between Easy Link and Comfort Extension Link
There is one difference on the bracelet and that is actually located behind the clasp. I’ll go ahead and show you the Oyster Perpetual’s first. So the main difference between the clasp is that with Rolex’s they usually have, for the clasp, they have a comfort extension link. Which allows for giving you the breathing room for your room for your wrist, lets just say its a hot day your wrist swells up. You obviously want a little more breathing room for your wrist because the watch is obviously going to be too tight for your now swollen wrist. And vice versa when its colder, you want it tighten it up so its not moving, shaking, moving around everywhere.
So with the Oyster Perpetual, you can adjust five millimeters the bracelet, five millimeters inward or outward, or rather inward and outward. But the way they’ve done that, is that you can see here at the very corners of the bracelet, you actually have to use a tool to press these pins inward, and there’s a little indentation on the side. I’ll show you there. See that little indentation? You actually have to align those pins to those indentations just to adjust this watch for a little more comfort on your wrist. You’re not going to be carrying a tool around to do that while you’re out and about. So that’s kind of a hassle.
But the Air-King, has that similar function, but they’ve done it a much smarter way. So, you see with this bracelet here. We have the comfort extension link, which is located right underneath the case. And is very simple. All you have to do, just press that inward, and it snaps right in. And that’s how it looks inward. Your wrist swells up a little bit, you wanna pop it out, no problem. Just go ahead and pop that off, and you can adjust it outwards now. So now you can adjust that bracelet outwards for that five millimeters outwards. So much, much easier to adjust for a little more comfort. So we’ll go ahead and move on from the bracelet now. That’s really the only difference for the bracelets is just that ability to utilize that comfort extension link. One has much easier time, which is the Air-King. And the Oyster Perpetual, you have to use a tool just to adjust that.
Case back and Movement Comparison: Air-king vs Oyster Perpetual
Alright, so now lets talk about movement here, the big thing about the movement here, as I mentioned before for the Air-King, as I mentioned, with the thickness of the case compared to the Oyster Perpetual. I mentioned that is has two cases. And the reason for that is because the Air-King actually utilizes the Milgauss movement and casing style. So you have the case back that we can see outside the Oyster case, outside. But once, if you’re a Rolex watch maker, and you pop this case back off, there’s an additional case inside. And they refer to it as the magnetic shield case.
Obviously by the name, it protects from magnetic forces. So there’s an additional case inside that protects from these additional magnetic forces to keep the time as precise as possible. And this is kind of important for the Air-King. Because the Air-King was originally made for pilots traveling long distances. And of course they wanted to keep the precision of time keeping as best as possible. So they used that, the 3131 movement which has the precision of the 3130 movement, but the 3131 movement introduces the blue parachrome hairsprings that adds additional resistance of magnetic fields.
So besides that we move on to the Oyster Perpetual now. And you’re thinking, how is Oyster Perpetual supposed to top that movement. Well for the difference between the Oyster Perpetual, the Oyster Perpetual runs Rolex’s in house 3132 movement. Which is in movement wise, a little bit more superior over the 3131 movement. It takes that, it has just a very basic oyster case. Doesn’t have that magnetic shield case back. So that’s one major difference.
But also keeps a smaller profile, and is not too heavy on the wrist. Its not too heavy on the wrist. With that said. What the 3132 movement adds an addition to that over the 3131 movement, it has that blue parachrome hairspring that was resistant to the magnetic field. But introduces the Paraflex shock system. Which is Rolex’s shock absorption system that they claim absorbs, rather as an additional 50% more resistance to shocks. However, this is just a very basic dress, very basic dress watch. That’s why it doesn’t have all that, you know, extra, the extra casing to it. Overall it will be a lighter, lighter watch because it doesn’t have that additional case.
Ending Comparison: Rolex Watches on Wrist Air-king and Oyster Perpetual
So let me actually go ahead and show you this watch on my wrist now. Here is the Air-King first. So that’s the Air-King. Very nice. So the profile, there is a side profile on the wrist. It actually doesn’t look too high. Definitely will fit under suit coats and dress coats very nicely. This is more of a unique style watch. You won’t see this kind of, this dial on any other Rolex watches.
Okay, now let me go ahead and put the Oyster Perpetual on my wrist. So here is the Oyster Perpetual now. Rolex doesn’t have too many rhodium colored watches. Additionally, this watch also comes in other colors such as grape or blue. But the rhodium in blue is very beautiful. As you can see. As I said, its more of a dress watch. Not really a sporty watch. Okay, now let me show you these two watches side by side. So if you’re interested in purchasing any of these models for the lowest possible price, we have the lowest prices guaranteed, we offer free shipping and a one year warranty.
Compare Prices: |
More Videos: |
