Too many great responses to respond to any one. Some of my thoughts on the matter-
I simply like the name "Airking"
Stupid reason to buy a watch, but fortunately, the AK backs it's cool name up with some history. I also like the understated elegance.
I prefer the "dateless" look. I haven't needed to know the date since I stopped writing checks, so it's a feature I wont miss.
The Explorer and Datejust are cool. Just a little more going on there than I want for my first Rolex. The Datejust can be had for not much more than the Airking from what I have seen. I'll look more closely at the Oyster Perpetual.
From what I understand, the newer Airkings have saphire crystals, whereas the older ones have plastic. While I understand the merits of being able to buff out scratches, I'm going for the saphire variety like the one in the pic I posted.