Air King

Hi all!
I'm new here to the forum.
I got my first Rolex last year, an Air King, one of the new models. It has a silver face and pink batons that glow BLUE! in the dark.
It's stunning. The only problem is that I have had it back to Rolex twice as the winding crown does not screw on properly. It sometimes starts on the wrong thread and sticks when un-winding it.
I have tried winding it back a bit before screwing in to line up the threads.
Anybody else have an Air King or had similar problems?
I have had several Omegas in my time and never had a problem like this. Surely it should be a very smooth and simple action and should go on right every time. I have never forced it and immediately unscrew and try again when it starts on the wrong thread.
It's nearly broken my heart as it's just lovely.

Regards Joseph-John.

Hi JJ,

that sounds a bit unfortunate...

It is hard for us to help you online because we can´t fix your watch from here, we can´t even look at it. Since it´s a new model Air King I suppose it´s still under warranty. I´d go back to the dealer to have it looked at. If there´s something wrong with the crown and/or tube, they will either sort it out with their on-site watchmaker or send it in to Rolex - either way they will be more than happy to help you out. Rolex after sales service is second to none (if your watch is less than, say, 30 years old ;) ).

Please keep us posted.

All the best-
Nico

Oh, and forgot to say: Welcome to the forum! Please stick around and share pics if you can! :dr:

Thanks Nico,
I have given it back to my dealer who has returned it to Rolex.
I was just wondering if anybody had a similar thing happen to them, is it an idiosyncratic quirk of the twinlock crown? My dealer is adamant that it is not normal and the crown should wind on easily and not require several attempts to get it on etc.
Never mind, I'm sure it will come back good as new. My Seamaster is keeping my wrist company at the moment!

Regards Joseph-John.

Hi Joseph-John,

I've had the same AK model last year but haven't had any trouble with the crown. As a matter of fact you always have to push the crown a bit to get it screwed on and it also needs to get into the right position to screw correctly, but that's just as it is with any other Rolex model, you that anyway.
But your description seems a bit too much for what I would call perfect though it's very difficult to judge it without having the watch in one's hand.
However, in doubt it's always best to get the watch checked by Rolex.... You never know... =)

Hi Joseph-John,
welcome to the forum.
I hope you will get back your watch soon and this time in perfect condition.
Kind regards
Volker

Sorry, I may have read your post too quickly. You were not looking for advice since you already sent the watch in.

But to answer your question: I have never had an Air King but I once had another Rolex watch with a Twinlock crown. No problems whatsoever, neither with any of the Triplock crowns.

As Martin said, Rolex crowns are usually a bit harder to move than Jaeger-LeCoultre´s or Patek Philippe´s.

If your dealer decided to give it back to Rolex you can expect it to return in brand-new condition.

Enjoy your watch and wear it in good health!
Nico

Welcome to the R-L-X English Forum Joseph-John!

To answer your question, I've never heard of any Rolex with a similar problem. You indicate you've had the watch sent back to Rolex? What have they said is causing the problem and what have they done?

Hi John!
The first time I sent it away to Rolex UK, they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I accepted their appraisal and forgot about it until 2 weeks ago when it took 4 attempts to get the crown to screw in. It kept starting on the wrong thread goin on at an almost / angle when looking down onto the watch face(I always take my watches off to wind them and have followed other Rolex wearers advice about turning the crown anti-clockwise first to line up the threads). I immediately unscrew it and start again.
I'm assuming that this is not normal, since I have never had a problem like this with my Omegas. My real concern is water resistance. i do not dive with it, but it gets a dunk in the sink. I hope my watch isn't ruined.

Regards Joseph-John.

Nothing ruined, don´t worry.

The tube (with the thread where the crown screws on) can be easily replaced if necessary. And your watch will be water-proof enough for everyday use even with the crown unscrewed!

Thanks Nico,
I had no idea it still had water resistance with the crown unscrewed. My dealer had said water resistance might be an issue if the crown was faulty. Maybe she was just being cautious. The guy I spoke to on the phone at the Rolex service centre was very nice and said that he too thought it could be an issue. Either way, I'm sure Rolex will repair or replace. If it gets fixed to my high standards, they can expect A LOT more business from me!
Regards Joseph-John.

Hi, just an update to say that I spoke with Rolex UK today regarding my watch.
Their technical manager called me to say that they couldn't find anything wrong with the watch but would replace the crown and tube anyway.
The technician also said that cross-threading wouldn't affect the waterresistance as long as the crown was screwed down onto the watch. They also said that along with my request they wouldn't polish off any scratches but simply clean the watch.
I'm delighted at the personal service they have given me. They must after all see lots of watches every day.
The technician also remarked that they perhaps couldn't find a fault with the crown as they wind hundreds of watches a week!

My watch should be home soon,

Will try to post some eye-candy soon!

Regards Joseph-John.

Thanks for the news, Joseph-John! :gut:


I'm greatly looking forward to the "eye candy"!

There are ways to few pictures of the beautiful Air-King around on this board anyway!

Go ahead as soon as "she" is back! :gut:

Thanks for the update! :gut:

I´m glad to hear that your watch was taken good care of. This is what you can expect from Rolex UK, though, I have heard nothing but good things about them.

Looking forward to your pics!

Cheers-
Nico