Basic Maintenance REPAIR & SERVICE
Rolex Air King Ref 14010
Gray & Sons Jewelers, located in Miami Beach, Florida is an independent watch service center, repairing Rolex Air King Ref 14010 watches since 1980.
Gray & Sons is proud to be a part of the luxury Swiss timepiece community. Everyday clients from all over the world send in their watches for maintenance and service. Everyday we receive a new client, a new watch, and a new story. We are happy to be a part of this and helping the watch community by offering first class service, quality repairs and guaranteed satisfaction.
This long-time client of ours sent in their Rolex Air-king Reference 14010 for routine maintenance. The Rolex Air-king happens to be one of the most under-appreciated watches within the Rolex Brand. This unique timepiece made its first appearance in 1945 during World War Two. Created side by side to the Air-Lion, Air-Giant and Air-Tiger honoring the Battle of Britain RAF (Royal Air Force) pilots. This particular watch was created for pilots often given as retirement gifts by companies like Pan Am. Despite its lack of popularity, the Air-King has become a highly collectible item for all watch aficionado. This particular model that we're repairing happens to be the 4th in the Air-King’s history. Featuring a 34mm stainless steel case making it part of the midsize family surrounded by hard edged engine turned bezel. It is powered by a 27 Jewel Calibre 3130 automatic bi-directional movement. Despite its age, this watch displays a beautiful pink dial protected by a Sapphire crystal, first in its class.
Once the watch reaches our workshop, our workshop manager prepares the time piece for our watchmakers who by following a series of steps separate the movement from the case. It is at this moment that the watch begins its process towards reconditioning. Our in-house watchmakers, jewelers and case detailers with their 150 years of combined experience are trained to handle all kinds of problems this elegant and luxurious timepieces may go through.
The Calibre 3130 is removed first. Our experts, with care and precision remove the well-known Rolex coronet crown from the case. This allows for the movement to be removed and dropped from its case and disassembled. All parts are placed carefully inside a metal mesh basket. This basket is carefully designed to hold each internal part of the movement while being cleaned in our automatic ultrasonic cleaning machine. During this process the movement is cleaned and rinsed through 4 different solutions to ensure full removal of old excess oils and lubricants. This is a process that needs to be carefully done. After years of use, oil dries up and becomes dirt and grime. When metal parts grind against that dirt it produces metal shavings. All this dirt accumulates around all moving parts causing time keeping problems for the watch. This is the reason why the cleaning process must be done to ensure proper, fresh re-lubrication of all moving parts.
The Calibre 3130 is removed first. Our experts, with care and precision remove the well-known Rolex coronet crown from the case. This allows for the movement to be removed and dropped from its case and disassembled. All parts are placed carefully inside a metal mesh basket. This basket is carefully designed to hold each internal part of the movement while being cleaned in our automatic ultrasonic cleaning machine. During this process the movement is cleaned and rinsed through 4 different solutions to ensure full removal of old excess oils and lubricants. This is a process that needs to be carefully done. After years of use, oil dries up and becomes dirt and grime. When metal parts grind against that dirt it produces metal shavings. All this dirt accumulates around all moving parts causing time keeping problems for the watch. This is the reason why the cleaning process must be done to ensure proper, fresh re-lubrication of all moving parts.
The case and bracelet are then refinished to like new condition. The expert polisher assures the proper polishing an detailing on both the case and bracelet. Some sections may require satin finish while others may require a high gloss look or sand blasted frosted look. After a detailed process of polishing, ultrasonic cleaning, steam pressure cleaning and drying the case and bracelet are ready to go.
The movement is removed from the ultrasonic cleaning machine and is ready to be re-oiled and reassembled. This has to be done with lots of precision and attention. All screws need to be assembled with the proper amount of oils and tightness in order to guarantee proper timekeeping. This is when our watchmakers training and expertise come to play. Another very important step involved in this reassembly is making sure that this watch is properly water resistant. Using a series of gaskets in the right places ensures a tight seal that prevents water from entering the case. In this particular case on the Rolex Air-King, we have 4 gaskets. One that seals the watch through the crystal. One that ensures a tight seal from the back case. Third, a small gasket located on the threaded tube which seal the screw down crown and lastly one inside the tube ensuring proper seal between crown, stem and threaded tube.
During this step this elegant time piece is placed on our winding wheel. What this does is simulate the wrist movement of a regular active person. This step is very important since automatic watches require the movement the wrist for their self winding ability. Once proper control is achieved the watch is now ready to be returned to a happy and satisfied client.
Gray and Sons is a national business, meaning that we cater to the needs of clients from all 50 states (including Puerto Rico). We buy, sell, and consign vintage and modern pieces from clients across the United States. One of our hotspots for watch repairs are in the Dallas, Texas area, this is including: Highland Park, University Park, North Dallas, and Bluffview. Visit our website for latest arrivals of watches and jewelry and also to inquire with us at www.grayandsons.com
After everything is put back together the watch undergoes a series of tests including amplitude and time keeping and pressure testing. Using intelligent computers capable of reading both a watch movement, beat rate, and another technologies that applies big amounts of pressure to simulate underwater use, the watch is now ready to undergo quality control.
Rolex Repair Services
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Top Services Done on Rolex Air King:
- Overhaul (service/maintenance)
- Polish (detail/cleaning)
- Bracelet Rebuild
- Crown Fix
- Link Removal
- Broken Mainspring
Other Rolex Models We Service:
- Rolex Daytona
- Rolex Datejust
- Rolex Submariner
- Rolex Day-Date
- Rolex Yacht-Master
- Rolex Sky-Dweller
Other Top Brands We Repair
- Cartier
- Patek Philippe
- Omega
- Breitling
Request pre-labeled Easy Ship Box and mail in your item to repair.
Request an Easy Ship Box
Once you receive the box and send your watch, one of our Master Watchmakers will evaluate it and contact you with a free estimate. If you approve of the estimate we will proceed with the repair, which generally takes 2-3 weeks.
If you wish to repair at a different time we will ship the watch back to you at no cost to you.
OUR EXPERIENCE
OVER 150 YEARS OF COMBINED WATCHMAKING AND JEWELRY/CASE AND BRACELET REPAIR EXPERIENCE!
How to Repair Your Watch with Gray & Sons Jewelers
We offer our watch repair services locally in South Florida (Miami, Miami Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach), nationally as well as internationally with our Easy Ship Box Option.
Local Repairs
Come visit our showroom and let us evaluate your watch. Our Master-trained watchmakers are among the best in the United States and we just happen to be located on Miami Beach. We will provide you an estimate before beginning any work.
National Repairs
To accommodate customers across the United States who complete repairs with us, we devised the Easy Ship Box as the fastest and most convenient way to send sensitive luxury items. This allows you to receive our state of the art services anywhere in the country, so you never compromise on the care your watch rightfully deserves.