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Lot 156
ROLEX, AIR KING REF. 5500, AN ATTRACTIVE STEEL WRISTWATCH MADE FOR DOMINO’S PIZZA
CASE NO. 8'019'808
Closed27 October 2021
Price Realised
USD 17,500
More Information
Specialist note
How did the logo of a pizza chain end up on the dial of a Rolex? A little insight can be gleaned from Tom Managhan’s 1986 autobiography Pizza Tiger. In the book, Domino’s Pizza founder Managhan explains that it all began when he gave his own Bulova watch to a franchise manager after losing a bet in the late 1970s. Managhan had challenged the manager to turn in $20,000 a week.
In the early days, a manager had to hit $20,000 in sales per week to get a Rolex Air King. Eventually, the Rolex Challenge would require a franchise to hit $25,000 in sales for four consecutive weeks to make the cut. Rolex stopped putting the pizza chain’s logo on the dial in the early 2000s and the Oyster Perpetual models that replaced the Air-Kings had a more discrete logo integrated onto the second link of the steel bracelet.
The Air-King was the entry-level Rolex till it was discontinued in 2014 but was relaunched following a major redesign in 2016.
In the early days, a manager had to hit $20,000 in sales per week to get a Rolex Air King. Eventually, the Rolex Challenge would require a franchise to hit $25,000 in sales for four consecutive weeks to make the cut. Rolex stopped putting the pizza chain’s logo on the dial in the early 2000s and the Oyster Perpetual models that replaced the Air-Kings had a more discrete logo integrated onto the second link of the steel bracelet.
The Air-King was the entry-level Rolex till it was discontinued in 2014 but was relaunched following a major redesign in 2016.