1969 Rolex Air-King (Ref. 5500) "Metallic Silver" Dial

Sometimes it's the smallest details that make the biggest difference, and though the dial of this vintage Air-King may be subtle, it is anything but simple. This is one of the coolest and most unique dial variants employed for the Rolex Air-King ref. 5500 series. The dial color is a rare and seldom-seen satin metallic silver that carries incredible depth and is objectively beautiful. A very similar dial texture is seen in exotic "Paul Newman" Daytonas, though interestingly, that isn't the only detail of this dial that it shares with the most iconic chronograph from Rolex. Most notably, the "-T SWISS T-" below the 6 o'clock marker is printed in the same "sing-a-song" typeface that is seen in the 6239 and 6241 references that bear the "Paul Newman" exotic dials. 

Rolex signified its more economical timepieces with the text "Precision" printed on the dial. These watches carried in-house movements that were well-made but manually wound. This was until the Air-King was introduced to the world in 1957 and became the premier model of Rolex’s more affordable Precision model range. These watches still featured the "Precision" text, but the Air-King housed a fully automatic movement. Although the rest of the Precision model line eventually fizzled out, the modest Air-King has been updated and evolved over the years and remains a fixture within the Rolex lineup today.