The Domino’s Pizza Rolex Challenge prize.
1999 Rolex Air-King Ref. 14000 'Domino's Pizza'
Reference: 14000
Serial: A792xxx
Year: 1999
Case: All stainless steel
Dimensions: 34mm excluding crown
Function: Time only
Caliber: Rolex Cal. 3000 Automatic
Strap: Rolex Oyster 78350 stainless steel bracelet with 557B end links
Crystal: Sapphire
Box/Papers: No/No
Originally introduced in 1945, the Rolex Air King is one of Rolex' oldest models still in production today. Its 34mm case size was considered large at the time, hence the “King” moniker. Rolex released the Air King reference 14000 in 1989, along with its sibling the 14010, as an update to its prior model, the reference 5500. It featured a new caliber 3000 movement and a sapphire crystal, providing a much-needed hardware upgrade from the previous reference.
But this is not a normal Air-King as you might have already noticed.
Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza, revealed the origins of the Domino’s Rolex watch in his 1986 autobiography, Pizza Tiger. He wrote, “I started giving away watches in 1977, when I wore a Bulova with our Domino’s logo on its face. A franchisee asked what he had to do to get that watch from me, and I told him, ‘Turn in a twenty-thousand-dollar sales week.’ He did it, and for the next few years I gave away several Seikos and after that, hundreds of $800 Rolex watches.”
In the early ‘80s, Domino’s partnered with Rolex to provide high-earning store managers with motivation to hit loft sales goals, setting up the Domino’s Pizza Rolex Challenge. Managers who hit $20,000 in weekly sales had a Rolex watch printed with the bold red-and-blue logo right there on the dial.
These watches started with the Rolex Air-King Ref. 5500. When Rolex discontinued the Air-King 5500 in the late-1980s, the Air-King ref. 14000 took over and therefore became the watch Domino’s used as the prize for its Rolex Challenge. In the 2000s, Rolex upgraded the Air-King to the ref. 14000M with an updated movement, followed by the Air-King ref. 114200 in 2007. The Domino’s Rolex is still going on today with the brand-new Oyster Perpetual 36 ref. 12000 standing in as the coveted prize.
It’s important to emphasize that genuine Domino’s Rolex watches are not aftermarket pieces with custom branding done by Domino’s. These come straight from Rolex and furnished with necessary logos, some even with paperwork stating “Domino’s Pizza” as the purchaser.
Partnering with corporations was common for Rolex once upon a time. There are other Rolex pieces made in partnership with Winn Dixie, Coca-Cola, the Cotton Bowl Classic, Pan Am, Busch, Honda, and the Pool Intairdril Oil Company. However, as the demand for Rolex pieces has grown, this program has mostly come to an end. It's a hard enough task for the brand to produce enough pieces to satisfy its collector base without adding custom corporate-branded pieces into the mix.
There were three different types of DR made over the years; the first were made in the early-to-mid-’80s with a big, old box logo at 6 o’clock. In the early ‘90s, they switched to a smaller box logo in the same location. Finally, in the mid ‘90s, the watches were issued with a tilted logo.
This Rolex Air-King Ref. 14000 dates to 1999 and it was once owned by a Domino’s employee who reached sales numbers sufficient to win the Domino’s Pizza Rolex Challenge.
The silver sunburst dial is perfect, flawless. The period-correct Domino’s logo is found at the correct location and remains completely clean. All printings are neat. The luminova lume plots are clean and complete too.
The case is strong, remaining thick, sharp, and unpolished, with just some light signs of normal use. The case back remains in the same condition.
It is suited on the original 19mm Rolex Oyster 78350 stainless steel bracelet with 557B end links that remains in great shape, only with minor signs of wear and with very little stretch.
The watch is running great and keeping time, although service history is unknown.
Macros of dial and case are available under request.