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1970 ROLEX Oyster Perpetual AIR-KING Watch Ref. 5501 Cal. 1520 Vintage Automatic Wristwatch
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THIS LIMITED WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
IF THE MERCHANDISE YOU PURCHASE FROM Secondhand Horology, LLC (“Secondhand Horology”, “WE”, OR “US”) IS SUBJECT TO A THIRD PARTY WARRANTY, THEN THE MERCHANDISE WILL BE GOVERNED BY SUCH THIRD PARTY WARRANTY (TO THE EXTENT SUCH THIRD PARTY WARRANTY IS ASSIGNABLE BY US TO YOU) AND WILL NOT BE GOVERNED BY THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. IF THE MERCHANDISE YOU PURCHASE FROM US IS NOT SUBJECT TO A THIRD PARTY WARRANTY, Secondhand Horology WARRANTS THAT DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD (DEFINED BELOW), THE MERCHANDISE THAT YOU PURCHASED FROM US WILL BE FREE FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIALS AND WORKMANSHIP.
WE LIMIT THE DURATION AND REMEDIES OF ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEFECTIVE MERCHANDISE IS LIMITED TO REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE MERCHANDISE (INCLUDING THE PARTS THEREIN) AS DESCRIBED BELOW IN THIS WARRANTY STATEMENT.
WHO MAY USE THIS WARRANTY?
Secondhand Horology extends this limited warranty only to the consumer who originally purchased the merchandise (“you”) from Secondhand Horology. It does not extend to any subsequent owner or other transferee of the merchandise.
WHAT DOES THIS WARRANTY COVER?
This limited warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship of the merchandise for the Warranty Period as defined below.
WHAT DOES THIS WARRANTY NOT COVER?
This limited warranty does not cover any damage due to: (a) transportation; (b) storage; (c) improper use; (d) failure to follow the merchandise instructions or to perform any preventive maintenance; (e) modifications; (f) unauthorized repair; (g) normal wear and tear; or (h) external causes such as accidents, abuse, or other actions or events beyond our reasonable control.
WHAT IS THE PERIOD OF COVERAGE?
If the merchandise or any portion of the merchandise that you purchase is subject to a third party warranty, Secondhand Horology hereby assigns to you all of its rights and remedies under such warranty to the extent that such rights and remedies are assignable. If the merchandise or any portion of the merchandise is not subject to any other warranty as of the date of purchase by you, and subject to the terms of this Limited Warranty, Secondhand Horology
warrants that the merchandise shall be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase by you (the “Warranty Period”). The Warranty Period is not extended if we repair or replace the merchandise. We may change the availability of this limited warranty at our discretion, but any changes will not be retroactive.
WHAT ARE YOUR REMEDIES UNDER THIS WARRANTY?
With respect to any defective merchandise during the Warranty Period, we will, in our sole discretion repair or replace such merchandise (or the defective part) free of charge. We will also pay for shipping and handling fees to return the repaired or replacement merchandise to you if we elect to repair or replace the defective merchandise.
HOW DO YOU OBTAIN WARRANTY SERVICE?
To obtain warranty service, you must call +1(217)-802-6098 or email our Customer Service Department at info@secondhandhorology.com during the Warranty Period to obtain a Defective Merchandise Authorization (“DMA”) number. Read more about our return and warranty service policies.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
THE REMEDIES DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES AND OUR ENTIRE LIABILITY FOR ANY BREACH OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. OUR LIABILITY SHALL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEED THE ACTUAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR THE DEFECTIVE MERCHANDISE, NOR SHALL WE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OR LOSSES, WHETHER DIRECT OR INDIRECT.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Secondhand Horology is honored to have the opportunity to serve you. That is why we stand by all of our products with a full 12-month limited warranty. If an item we sell you should fail as a result of a manufacturer's defect at any time during the first 12 months, we will repair or replace the item at absolutely no cost to you.
If your watch has any symptoms of abnormally gaining time, losing time, or not keeping proper time please do not hesitate to contact us by phone or email. If it is determined by Secondhand Horology that a repair under warranty is required one of our trained watch professionals will direct you on how to safely and efficiently ship the watch to us.
Not covered by warranty:
- Regular wear-and-tear from normal use.
- External damage to the product. Any damages resulting from wear to the watch case, crystal/glass, watch bracelet, watch bezel, straps, screws, crown/stem, finishes, clasps/buckles, or any other physical damage to the watch.
- Defects caused by outside force or improper use. Consequential and incidental damages.
- The loss of precious, semi-precious stones from settings.
- Outside modifications and third party repair attempts of any kind will void the warranty.
- Any damage if used under conditions which exceed the watch manufacturer’s water resistance guidelines.
- Watches that are labeled as water resistant feature a screw down crown. The crown must be screwed down properly at all times to keep the watch casing watertight. Water damage is not covered under the warranty unless it is proven defective by the Secondhand Horology.
- Shipping cost to Secondhand Horology.
Secondhand Horology is determined to stand behind every part of your shopping experience. The Secondhand Horology warranty allows you to make a completely risk-free purchase. This has been our policy and our promise since we began nearly three decades ago serving customers on a local level. Now, we are standing by this policy as we serve online customers from around the world. We look forward to serving you and giving you the incredible value and experience you deserve.
ROLEX
Oyster Perpetual
Air-King
“Introducing Air-King – The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual.”
A number of “Air” models by Rolex were produced during and immediately after World War II, all created to honor the British Royal Air Force and its pilots. The Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant, and the Air-King were part of the Air watch collection. The Rolex Air-King is the only remaining watch in production from the original “Air” models.
The first Air-King, reference 4925, was introduced in 1945 featuring a 34mm case (considered large at the time), it also was modified a series of times and many variations of dials were used during the running production as well. This model was followed by a few other references, including reference 4499. All these early Air-King models housed manual-wind Hunter movements, making them very similar to other stainless-steel watches in Rolex’s Oyster collection.
Despite the early years of new references and advances, the Air-King began to acquire its own aesthetic with the transitional reference 6652 in 1953, which featured the caliber 1030 ticking inside. This is the reference that introduced the creamy silver dial and stick hour markers that became iconic in the subsequent reference 5500.
Utilizing advances made on the Explorer, the 550X models feature a 34mm case and served as the foundation for what would become the longest-running generation of Air-King watches. The 550X-reference number was also used for certain 34mm Explorer and Oyster Perpetual models, it is most frequently associated with the Air-King and is often considered to be the quintessential Rolex Air-King reference.
Today, we have the honor to present this immaculate timepiece, it is a Vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King automatic wristwatch, reference 5501 and dated from 1970.
The first waterproof watch case Rolex made was the “Oyster” – And “Perpetual” refers to the perpetually winding rotor inside every Rolex watch.
This is a self-winding watch powered by an original Montres Rolex S.A. automatic movement caliber Rolex 1520 (centered on the same architecture as the cal. 1530 and shared an identical base plate), 17 jewels, sweep second, unadjusted, Geneva - Swiss made.
“The Perpetual ‘rotor’ self-winding mechanism automatically keeps the watch fully wound. This ensures an even tension on the mainspring and gives the movement a constant accuracy unattainable in a handwound watch. The result is a timepiece supreme, meticulously accurate and hand-finished by Rolex craftsmen to an ideal of practical elegance that makes its ownership a matter of envy.”
In LOVELY condition, this watch still has the original creamy silver dial featuring gold stick hour markers, luminous dots, black minute/second track, gold/luminous matching hands. The dial is signed with the Rolex name and the always popular Rolex Crown logo, also Oyster Perpetual and Air-King.
Classic and elegant, this is a dress watch cased in a 34mm round stainless-steel case with fixed engine turn 14K yellow solid gold bezel. Original Rolex signed crown and the traditional oyster Rolex case back.
“The famous ‘Oyster’ Case of this latest example of the watch maker’s art permanently safeguards the intricate movement from the intrusion of dust, humidity, perspiration, or water.”
It comes with a new-old-stock brown Genuine Lizard made in Italy two-piece strap.
This watch is lovely condition. Runs very well and keeps great time!
Thank you for looking! Please feel free to contact us with any question, or respectful offers.
Movement:
Montres ROLEX S.A.
Seventeen 17 Jewels
Geneva Swiss
Unadjusted
Cal. 1520
Case Markings:
Montres Rolex S.A.
Geneva Switzerland Patented
Stainless Steel
1005
Registered Design
5501
Stainless Steel
2296945
Measurements (mm):
Case Diameter 34
Case Diameter w/Crown 37
Case Lug to Lug 39.5
Case Thickness 12
Lug Width 19
Band Width 19
Vintage watches are traditionally smaller than today's watches. Men’s watches typically measure between 29-36mm wide (some larger, some smaller) excluding the crown. In the listing details we typically try to do our best to list all pertinent dimensions of a watch. If you don't see it, or we failed to do so, please reach out to us. Women’s watches from the 1900s-1970s were also much smaller than today's offerings. Please also feel free to ask any questions you have pertaining to size.
We prefer to shoot photographs outside when weather is permitting. However, when we shoot indoors, please be aware that we shoot our photographs inside of lightboxes that are lit with 360 LED bulbs. This indeed magnifies any flaws. Usually, they are much less obvious to the naked eye. Having said that, we never photoshop any of our photography, remove blemishes, etc. We adjust the lighting, when necessary, but what you see is what you are getting, and we take pride in that.
The condition is pre-owned.
The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear but is fully operational and functions as intended.
Please review the photos and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
It will be carefully packed.
Please view our other listings.
Thank you for looking!
WA-3505
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