Rolex Air-King 5500

“Vintage Air-King”

B-

Vintage grade B-: solid, selectiveToday's call · Hold

Short termunder 1 yearFairMid term1 to 3 yearsFairLong term3+ yearsStrong

Graded on the vintage scale: rank #12 of 26 rated vintage references

Retail (1973)$187

Typical sale today$3,200Typical range $2,700 to $3,600

Vs retail+1584%

1-year-6%

Market range: the middle half of 244 recorded eBay sales in the last 12 months. Vintage sales include serviced and redialed examples, so the best original pieces can sell above it.

Open in the interactive VaultLive eBay listings ↗︎

Market price history

Median recorded eBay sale price for each quarter with 3 or more sales. Dashed line marks the 1973 retail price.

Investment scorecard

Momentum35Measured price direction: the median recorded sale of the last 4 months against the median of 8 to 12 months ago. 50 means flat; small samples are pulled toward 50.

Liquidity100How easily it sells: recorded sales in the last 12 months (300 or more scores 100) and eBay's 90-day sell-through rate.

Scarcity35Demand against supply. For modern pieces, how far the market sits above or below current retail, plus a lift if production has ended. For vintage, how rarely one comes up for sale.

Value entry32Where the latest quarter's median sale sits inside its own 3-year range. Buying near the low scores high; buying at the high scores low.

Condition safety63How safe a typical example is: the age of the design, plus how tightly sale prices cluster (a wide spread means condition and originality swing the price).

The story

Some 37 years of one reference (about 1957 to 1994): one of the longest-running Rolex references. The honest pilot's watch that never pretended to be more.

34mm sizing kept it cheap for decades; the small-watch turn is changing that.

Produced for 37 years, the 5500 Air-King is one of the longest-running references in Rolex history and was the gateway Rolex for mid-century America, sold in PX catalogs and given for 25 years of service.

34mm, automatic, simple time-only, dials from silver to blue to the occasional exotic. It's still one of the cheapest tickets into vintage Oyster ownership, and good examples remain affordable.

Our verdict: Charming entry vintage with the small-size tailwind. Buy the dial, not the polish.

Configurations

Sizes	34mm
Case & bracelet	Oystersteel (stainless)
Factory bracelet	Oyster
Factory bezels	Smooth steel
Notable dials	Silver; Blue; Grey; 'Air-King' script variations
Caliber	1520 / 1530
Production	1957 to 1989 (discontinued)

Recent recorded sales

Sold	Example	Price
Nov 3, 2026	Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎	$3,200
Nov 2, 2026	Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎	$3,050
Nov 1, 2026	Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎	$2,618
Oct 30, 2026	Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎	$3,000
Oct 30, 2026	Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎	$2,200
Oct 29, 2026	Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎	$3,000

Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.

If you like this one

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See the Vintage Air-King in the Vault Browse all references

Quick answers

How much is a Rolex Air-King 5500 worth?

Recorded eBay sales from the last 12 months put the typical Rolex Air-King 5500 at $3,200, with the middle half selling between $2,700 and $3,600 (225 sales). Condition, box and papers move the price within that range.

Is the Rolex Air-King 5500 a good investment?

The Crown Index grades it B- (71/100) from real resale data, and today's call is hold. Solid resale, with limited room to grow from today's price. Past prices are not a forecast.